Starbucks 'Trenta' Smaller Than Starbucks 'Venti,' Dunkin' Donuts 'Large'

Starbucks is the Apple of the caffeinated beverage industry, sucking in extreme amounts of media attention and scrutiny for announcements that similar moves by other brands would never generate.

Just as iPhone's announcement for Verizon was given billing on every news program in America, so has Starbucks'announcement that it will be serving a 31-ounce "Trenta"-sized drink.

Cue hysteria. The finer details of the Trenta, of course, are going ignored — as is the fact that Starbucks competitors already offer this.

Headline-writers couldn't help invoking a "stomach" theme when processing the size of Starbucks' Trenta, such as,

• The New Starbucks Trenta Cup Is Bigger Than Your Stomach
• Starbucks Introduces the 31-Ounce 'Trenta' Cup — Can You Stomach It?
• Starbucks Trenta, Illustrated: How The New Size Compares To The Human Stomach
• Starbucks Introduces New "Trenta" Size — Larger than the Average Stomach
• Starbucks "Trenta" 16 Milliliters Larger Than a Human Stomach
• Starbucks' new Trenta will totally own your stomach

The CBS Early Show, meanwhile, called the trenta size "bigger than two Red Bulls." Of course, look closer and some perspective is gained.

The 31-oz Trenta contains 11 ounces more coffee than Starbucks' current biggest size Venti. But the Trenta will only be available for iced beverages, which makes a huge difference. For example, iced coffees contain, that's right, ice, which displaces a lot of volume in the cup, allowing for less coffee. 

The fact is that Starbucks patrons ordering iced coffees have for years been receiving less actual coffee than patrons ordering a "drip" coffee of the same size. For 50 cents more, the Trenta is, by that measure, a good deal.

Starbucks Trenta is certainly being introduced, in part, to compete with Dunkin' Donuts. True ice coffee aficionados know that a 32-oz monster iced coffee has been available at Dunkin' Donuts for years. As with the new Trenta, Dunkin' Donuts' 32-oz large coffee is also less actual coffee by volume due to ice.

Starbucks, like Apple, certainly welcomes the media falling all over itself to give the brand free exposure. But the real hysterics should remain reserved for those who pound the Venti-sized regular bold brews.