Starbucks rolls out 31-ounce cup

Java giant Starbucks announced that it is rolling out a new coffee cup size that will have jittery Venti drinkers rejoicing.

The 31-ounce “Trenta” will be introduced to all of Starbucks’ U.S. stores by May 3, 2011.

The new slurpy-sized cup is seven ounces larger than the current big boy, the Venti.

But before you start salivating over the thought of a 31-ounce chai latte in the dead of winter, the company says the size will be available only for iced coffee, iced tea and iced tea lemonade drinks.

So for the time being, nutritionists can take some comfort in the fact that calorie-laden lattes and mochas can not be supersized. But before you start counting down to May 3, keep in mind that just because a drink is iced, doesn’t mean it’s guilt-free.

The Trenta: by the numbers

“Trenta” is Italian for 30.

The Trenta is 31 ounces, or nearly 917 millilitres – the equivalent of two-and-a-half cans of pop or four standard cups of coffee.

According to Starbucks’ website, a Venti iced tea lemonade contains 190 calories and 49 grams of sugar in the 24-ounce cup.

If the restaurant chain follows its current recipe, you can expect that the Trenta-sized version of the same drink will pack in around 245 calories and 63 grams of sugar per serving. However company representatives have said unsweetened Trenta drinks will have fewer than 90 calories and sweetened versions will have less than 230 calories.

Trenta-sized drinks will cost 50 cents more than their Venti-sized counterparts.

The Trenta will debut in 14 states on January 18, and in California on February 1.