Are all Starbucks coffee sizes the same? Testing the viral video claim in Japan
Surely a Tall-sized coffee can't fill a Venti to the brim…can it?
Recently, our Japanese-language reporters came across a viral video from overseas which claims that Starbucks serves the same amount of coffee, regardless of cup size. With over 10 million views, the clip shows a man pouring coffee from the chain's small cup into their medium cup and then their large, with each one magically filling to the brim every time. Although our team was convinced this was a fake video, as reporters they felt obligated to get to the bottom of the matter, so they bought three sizes at Starbucks in Japan to test the viral claim.
Checking the official sizes here, we can reveal that the Tall contains 350 millilitres (11.8 ounces) of coffee, the Grande 470 millilitres, and the Venti 590 millilitres. It appears that in the U.S. a Trenta size of 910 millilitres exists, but that's not an option in Japan so we went with the former three to see if the volume was different.
If this were to work as claimed, the Grande cup should fill to the brim after pouring the coffee from the Tall cup into it.
▼ Um…no.
▼ So what happens when you pour the coffee into the Venti?
▼ Again — no.
As expected, the Venti cup was way too large for the 350 millilitres of coffee from the Tall, and the Grande also left a lot of room between coffee and brim.
▼ Viral claim debunked.
So if you were ever on the fence about the claim that all coffee sizes at Starbucks are the same, regardless of the cup size they're served in, you can rest easy in the knowledge that this claim simply isn't true. Starbucks is not secretly duping you with their coffees and the video is a fake…which goes to show that you shouldn't always trust what you see, as potential scam artists are everywhere, and they're ready to suck you in with stories about everyday items like coffee…and fried rice.
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