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Starbucks is starting to sell coffee in a bold new size, the Trenta. At 31 ounces (nearly a liter), it's pretty big.
The coverage of this development has been more interesting than the event itself. The Brits at the Guardian wasted no time in calling the new size a "bucket." (A bit pejorative, a bit hostile, but, sure, basically right.)
The Canadians at the National Post wheeled out a graphic comparing the Trenta (at 916 milliliters) with the capacity of an average adult human stomach (900 milliliters). It also helpfully notes that the maximum capacity of the human stomach varies from 2,000 to 4,000 milliliters, which should suggest to the careful reader that while 916 milliliters is a lot of coffee for a normal person, for an average-sized AMERICAN, it's a mere snack.
Meanwhile, American media outlets are keeping things in perspective: The Consumerist notes that Dunkin' Donuts already sells a 32-ounce coffee—it's called a "large," and DailyFinance is not so much focused on the giant coffee as interested in the fact that you can buy it with a smartphone app.
The rollout of the Trenta is basically in keeping with almost every other development in mass-marketed food these days. Either food is marketed to cure you—it's got some sort of helpful fiber; or chipper, digestion-aiding microbugs; or it's going to help you lose weight—or it's marketed to kill you with joy, by being full of bacon, or covered in cheese, or just absolutely massive.
Here's a humble request, cast forth like fine sand tossed into a hurricane-force wind: food that tastes good. Let's collectively get back to making food that tastes good.
Image source: Flickr member Smuk Luka under Creative Commons
Oh, for Pete's sake! Is this really what we're worrying about this week? Seriously, if Starbuck's or SBC, or, hell, LMNOP Caffee Fabulosos wants to sell a Gallon Jug of coffee, what is that to me? I buy my Venti, drink it down, and then use the energy to annoy my co-workers with my Super Energy Spike (total fun for me, and I don't even have to leave the building). There will, of course, be people...+READ
Oh, for Pete's sake! Is this really what we're worrying about this week? Seriously, if Starbuck's or SBC, or, hell, LMNOP Caffee Fabulosos wants to sell a Gallon Jug of coffee, what is that to me? I buy my Venti, drink it down, and then use the energy to annoy my co-workers with my Super Energy Spike (total fun for me, and I don't even have to leave the building). There will, of course, be people who need to buy this "even bigger than huge" size because they have inadequacy issues that even a pint-plus of coffee won't fix, but that's not my issue.
I say let Starbuck's have their fun. I like the boldness. Unlike the McFast Food companies out there, they're not giving in to social pressure, or Moral Suasion, or understyled (I'm sorry, I meant MASSIVELY understyled) Dietitians proclaiming their pronouncements from Public Interest Podiums. They're saying "Huge Coffee! Get your Huge, Fatty, Sugary, Caffeine-y, totally over the top Temporarily Hot Coffee Here!" I like it. I applaud it. I'm not about to buy it, but I like it anyway.-COLLAPSE
my water bottle is 800ml, i refill it a few times during work. im still here and my stomach is fine.
whats the big deal.. starbucks made a larger size. nobody is telling anyone they have to order it.
How many times do you order a 'grande' or 'venti' and not finish it all? I suspect many more people throw out the last cold bit than actually even finish the drink. Maybe people could start ordering how much they really drink than order the behemoth. Seriously, do you really need a 31 oz coffee? And do you really need a 31 oz frappuccino? Really?
I know it's soda and not coffee... but there are Big Gulps much larger. I've had 32oz Slurpees numerous times and felt like hell afterwards, but I didn't explode or anything.