The Only Starbucks Drinks You Can't Order In A Trenta Cup

Even big fans of Starbucks may not know of the elusive trenta, the largest drink size available for purchase at the chain. Coming in at a whopping 30 fluid ounces, a trenta is one of the two off-menu Starbucks drink sizes that are not openly advertised, but can be ordered whenever you like. Starbucks may not list this gargantuan drink size alongside its other size options, but they don't try to keep it a secret, either. You can get a trenta drink at most in-store locations and even order it online through the company's website or app. 

Trenta cups do come with a caveat, though — you can't order every single beverage on the Starbucks menu in this extra-large size. Firstly, all hot drinks are off limits. You might be able to guess this if you see a trenta cup, as they're only made in clear plastic, not in the style of the paper cups used for hot drinks. Secondly, specialty iced lattes and Frappuccinos are not available as trentas, either. 

The good news is that almost every other cold drink on the menu can be ordered as a trenta. That includes most iced coffees, teas, lemonades, and Refreshers. If you're still unsure if your favorite drink can be served in this size, all you have to do is ask your barista.

Since the trenta size debuted in 2011, Starbucks has still not explained why only certain iced drinks can be ordered in the oversized cups. Some speculate that the company took this measure out of public responsibility. Beverages such as an Iced Gingerbread Latte can contain 40 grams of sugar when ordered venti-sized, so imagine the sugar overload in a trenta size. Not only do some Starbucks drinks already get flack for being so sugary, but several media outlets also gawked at the size of the trenta cup when it debuted. Some described it as larger than a bottle of wine, or even larger than the average capacity of an adult human's stomach.

There's also the fact that the most caffeine you can get in one Starbucks drink does cross over the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recommended caffeine dosage of 400 milligrams daily, and that's only if the drink is in a venti size. The trenta-sized restrictions could also be related to profits. The amount of milk, espresso, and sugary add-ons that would be required to make a trenta Frappuccino, for example, could use up too much of a single store's supplies and end up costing the company too much coin. However, this is all just theorizing, and ultimately, most customers just have to accept the rules.

With all of these trenta-related rules laid out before us, it has to be said that not all is lost for customers adamant on trying an extra-large Frappuccino or iced latte. It never hurts to (nicely!) ask your local Starbucks barista if they'll put your drink in a trenta-size cup, and you might just luck out. As the saying goes, you'll never know until you try.

Alternatively, you can always order two drinks at your local Starbucks and enjoy them yourself. Two grande-sized drinks should add up to a little over the trenta cup's capacity — not terrible, if you're in dire need for a huge beverage, but you might want a friend around to finish the rest, if your bigger-than-a-trenta treat proves too formidable.

Also, keeping in mind that you'll be purchasing two separate drinks in two separate containers, so expect your order to cost a little more than a singular trenta cup. Luckily, you can use some Starbucks mobile order hacks to get you cheaper lattes and other drinks, so read up on those tips if you're trying to go big on your beverage without a price tag to match.