What Are The Lines On Starbucks Cups? – Our Guide
Have you ever ordered your takeaway Starbucks, only to look a little closer at the cup and wonder what those lines are for? Well, they are the secret to the perfect drink!
According to various sources online, Starbucks cup lines are used by baristas as guideline measurements, these measurements are marked in fluid ounces, for example, the bottom line marks 8 ounces.
To find out more about these secret lines and what they mean, we’ve got an informative guide below discussing what cup lines mean on Starbucks cups, the different kinds of Starbucks cups and their lines and the different sizes!
What Do The Starbucks Cup Lines Mean?
Baristas always seem to get Starbucks orders and measurements perfect each time, and we can thank the cup lines for this!
The Starbucks cup lines measure fluid ounces for each kind of liquid ingredient in a Starbucks drink, they also allow baristas to see how much space they should leave on top of the drink for ice.
For example, a Venti-sized Starbucks drink holds up to 20 fluid ounces of liquid but is 24 fluid ounces since it leaves the extra four ounces on top of the ice!
Types Of Starbucks Cups & Their Lines
Starbucks has lines on basically all of their cups, including their reusable ones, but not all of these black lines have the same meaning!
We’ve listed the different kinds of cold drink cups and their line meanings down below.
- Venti Starbucks cup lines – Starbucks venti-sized drink cups are the only type of cup with coffee which have all the fluid ounces on. This includes the 8, 12, 16 and 20-ounce lines, helping to pour the right amount of ingredients for each kind of drink. For example, an iced coffee would have coffee filled to the second line and milk filled to the third.
- Reusable cup lines – Reusable cups also have three lines like the staple coffee cups from Starbucks, these are not for ounces of coffee however, they are just for aesthetic purposes, the barista will make the cup of coffee in a normal cup and then pour it into the reusable one.
- Trenta cups – Trenta-sized Starbucks cups only have two cup measurement lines since they are small, they are best for iced coffees and teas.
What Are The Different Sizes Of Starbucks Cups?
Depending on the size of drink you want, Starbucks has a large range of different sizes of cups on offer to make the perfect iced drink or hot drink with extra space for ice.
We’ve listed the different-sized cups down below.
- Demi – This is a baby three-ounce cup from Starbucks, mainly used as a coffee base for espressos, it means half a cup in French.
- Short – Short is an eight-ounce cup for hot drinks, it was taken off the Starbucks menu a while ago but some Starbucks still allow you to order it for small-sized hot drinks.
- Tall – This is the smallest Starbucks drink on the regular menu and measures 12 fluid ounces, it’s mostly used for drinks such as lattes and macchiatos. It is the equivalent of two cups of coffee.
- Grande – Grande is essentially a medium-sized coffee, holding up to 16 fluid ounces, the drinks in these cups often have two shots of espressos, they are best for drinks like chai tea.
- Venti – A hot venti drink is 20 ounces, venti cold drinks are larger to allow for ice space, cold drinks tend to have three portions of espresso and hot drinks will have two espresso shots.
- Trenta – This is the largest sized Starbucks and can hold up to 31 fluid ounces, it can hold around 3-4 cups of coffee.
Where Do Starbucks Cup-Sized Names Come From?
All of the coffee shop Starbucks names come from the Italian coffee languages, in the 70s Starbucks only had short and tall sizes for their standard drink range, grande was then introduced when customers said they wanted something bigger.
Venti and Trenta then came along later, Trenta is nearly a litre of sweet drinks and is banned in some countries due to the high sugar content.
Frequently Asked Questions About Starbucks Cup Lines
How much does a Starbucks tumbler cost?
Starbucks tumblers are quite expensive, costing on average $30 per cup.
Why is a venti cold drink 24 ounces?
A venti cold drink is 24 ounces, the extra four ounces is for the ice to make it cold.
Can I use the lines on my plastic Starbucks drink to make my drink?
Yes, you can use the lines on Starbucks coffee drinks to measure the secret size of each ingredient to make a Starbucks replica drink.
How many shots of espresso are in a tall Starbucks cup?
On average you will find that there is one shot of espresso in a tall Starbucks drink, you can ask for a double shot, however.
How many ounces are cold brew venti coffees?
Cold brew venti coffees are 24 ounces, making them one of the largest options at Starbucks.
Final Words
Overall, Starbucks cup lines are used for fluid-ounce measurements, you will find these go up in 4-ounce segments, with venti cups going up to 20 ounces a cup and 24 ounces for their cold drinks.
The lines of measurement on the reusable cups are used for decoration rather than actual measurement, although you can use them at home to make Starbucks drinks in the right ratio.
