Starbucks Drinks Simplified.
January 6th, 2005
For those of you who, like me, are occasionally frustrated, confused, and ashamed at Starbucks, linguist and barista Meghan Sensenbach offers a survivor’s guide: Starbucks Drinks Simplified and Ask the Barista. Example from ATB:
Wait, what do you mean Venti is 20 or 24 ounces? Well, from what I’ve been told (Italian is one of the few Romance languages I speak virtually none of) Venti means twenty. Thus, the name for the 20 ounce cup size — but only the hot Venti drinks are 20 ounces. The cold Venti cup is 24 ounces for some reason; with few exceptions, iced Venti drinks get an extra shot and extra pumps of syrup, and cost a dime or two more. Go figure.