What Most People Don’t Know About Venti Lattes at Starbucks

Get the most caffeine for the least money by putting this tweak on your order.

heres-why-a-venti-latte-is-a-waste-of-money-for-caffeine-addicts-686590039-BoylosoBoyloso/shutterstockSome of us run on sleep; some of us run on coffee. While becoming a coffee addict might not be the healthiest way to make it through the day, a caffeine kick is sometimes the only way to stay energized when there’s no time to nap. You might not be getting what you want from your Starbucks stop though.

Ordering a Venti (or “large” as other cafes would say; find out why Starbucks has different size names) latte sounds like a natural choice to pack in the most espressos into one handy drink. But that massive drink in your hand is a bit misleading.

A Tall hot latte is made with one shot of espresso, and a Grande comes with two shots. The logical conclusion would be that a Venti will contain three shots, but that’s not the case. A former Starbucks employee reveals to Business Insider that a hot Venti latte contains just two shots of espresso—no more than a Grande. Nutrition facts from Starbucks confirm a Grande has 150 milligrams of caffeine…and so does a Venti. (Don’t miss this breakdown of caffeine content in your favorite coffee brands.)

So when you pay extra for the larger size, you aren’t getting a bigger buzz—you’re just getting more milk and flavored syrup. (Learn the other coffee drink Starbucks employees say you should never order.)

Of course, you could always shell out for an extra espresso shot (annoyingly, a Grande with an extra shot costs $4.45 instead of the $4.15 for a Venti), but the ex-barista has another insider tip. “If you’re most concerned about a necessary java buzz…order your Venti iced,” she writes. Even though a hot Venti only contains two shots, the iced drink version is automatically boosted with that coveted third shot. More caffeine, less money—we can roll with that. (But because we worry about your health, read these 7 signs you drink too much coffee.)

If you’re more concerned with health than caffeine, find out which Starbucks drink is the healthiest.

[Source: Business Insider]

Marissa Laliberte
Marissa Laliberte-Simonian is a London-based associate editor with the global promotions team at WebMD’s Medscape.com and was previously a staff writer for Reader's Digest. Her work has also appeared in Business Insider, Parents magazine, CreakyJoints, and the Baltimore Sun. You can find her on Instagram @marissasimonian.