Starbucks announces new supersized drink; stomachs shudder

Starbucks announces new supersized drink; stomachs shudder

A puny grande

The Internet was aflutter a couple days ago on the announcement that, starting yesterday, U.S. Starbucks customers will be able to order the 31-ounce (917 mL) Trenta, an enormous drink that makes Starbucks’ current largest size, the Venti, feel puny. The Trenta is so big it’s almost Big Gulp–sized: it is a whole seven ounces, or 207 mL, larger and costs 50 cents more than the Venti, but is exclusively for iced coffee, iced tea and lemonade.

Starbucks maintains that unsweetened drinks in the new size will have fewer than 90 calories, while sweetened versions (which everyone buys) will have fewer than 230 calories—the equivalent of a small meal. The National Post created a great infographic to put the size of the Trenta into context. Apparently, the average adult stomach can hold approximately 30 ounces (900 mL), just less than the size of a single Trenta. So far, Canada has been spared left out of the Trenta’s release, but if the successful Canadian test run of KFC’s deep-fried Double Down sandwich this past fall is any indication of demand for semi-ridiculous products, the Trenta may be in Canada sooner than we think. Expect longer lines at Starbucks bathrooms.

U.S. Starbucks to one-up Venti with new, larger size: the ‘Trenta’ [National Post]
• Starbucks to offer nearly 1-litre drink size [CBC News]