Starbucks is adding another cup size! From left: the 31 ounce "trenta," and the 20 ounce "Venti."

Starbucks has traditionally been a hub for the cultured and trendy. Hipsters flock to the coffee shop’s various locations to sip drinks with tongue twister names (skinny caramel macchiato anyone?) and to type furiously away on their MacBooks. These individuals are apparently under the impression that Starbucks embodies the refinement they seek to exude. However, the chain’s decision to add a new cup size indicates otherwise. Previously, Starbucks offered three drink sizes: Tall, Grande and Venti, which are the equivalents of small, medium and large. But like many of its fast food brethren, Starbucks has now opted to offer an extra-large drink size as well. The new drink size, dubbed Trenta (go figure) is a whopping 31 ounces. According to Alexandra Petri of The Washington Post, that’s 16 ounces larger than the human stomach. It’s as though Starbucks is trying to oust its commercialized and considerably cheaper competition (IE: McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts) by enticing customers with more coffee than they can handle. Unfortunately, Starbucks has missed the mark completely. Customers prefer Starbucks to fast food joints because of its rustic atmosphere. Therefore, conforming to the fast food standards for coffee sizes may only discourage regulars. To maintain its hip reputation and loyal customers, Starbucks would do well to scrap the Trenta concept before it hits Starbucks nationwide in May. Otherwise, what’s the difference between stopping at McDonalds verses Starbucks for an iced mocha? After all, at least McDonald’s has a drive-thru.

–Andi Hubbell ’11