On weekend Starbucks announced a really BIG news: the company plans to introduce the biggest cup to the customers who are most in need of energy boost. The 31-ounce ‘Trenta’ (which means ‘thirty’ in Italian) will become part of the Starbucks menu and will be served in all its U.S. coffee shops by May 3, 2011. On January 18, the Trenta size debuted in 14 states, including Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Hawaii and Arizona.

Image Courtesy: www.msnbc.msn.com

The new size will be used to serve iced coffee, iced tea and iced tea lemonade drinks. The Trenta cup is 7 ounces larger than ‘Venti’, which is currently the largest cup for iced drinks available on the Starbucks’ menu. According to the image below, it equals the average volume of adult human stomach.

Image courtesy: www.news.nationalpost.com

Msnbc.msn.com reports that last year the brand tested the new size in several U.S. markets, and assures it was responding to customer demand for larger volume of cold beverages. The trend of using big volume cups seems to become popular lately, since, according to MSNBC News, «U.S. convenience stores, which have been taking on restaurant chains with an expanded selection of low-cost, quick-serve fare, for years have sold fountain drinks in large sizes, including 32 ounces and 64 ounces». And so has done McDonald’s since the restaurant chain now attracts the customers by selling 32-ounce sweet tea drinks for just $1 each.

According to Starbucks, Trenta portions will cost 50 cents more than the ones served in Venti cup. Large size unsweetened drinks will have less than 90 calories, while nutrition value of the sweetened drinks will not exceed 230 calories.

Another great news revealed by Starbucks is that now its additional mobile payment service is available in all restaurants across the US.