How big can a coffee cup get? These days, very big! Reporting in The Journal of Queen’s University, Tim Hortons in Canada recently unveiled a new 710-ml (24 oz) Extra Large coffee cup. It is larger than a Starbucks 20 oz Venti and a McDonald’s Extra Large coffee. (See photo graphic by Justin Chin of The Journal.)
There seems to be a trend toward larger coffee cups. Last year, Starbucks USA increased its iced coffee by introducing a Trenta, 31- oz size. This may have been done to compete with McDonald’s 32-oz sweet drinks. Tim Hortons USA already offers Extra Large sizes for drinks.
So, what are we to make of these jumbo coffee drinks? While it may be cheaper to purchase a larger size, which is why we are so often enticed to buy them, there are many health implications from buying such sizes. First off, it is full of caffeine, with 240 mg. (A standard 8-oz size contains around 100 mg caffeine.) Secondly, while black coffee provides no calories, opt for the French Vanilla Cappuccino and you’ve just guzzled down 600 calories, more than 19 grams of saturated fat, and 74 grams of sugar. And the drink contains virtually very few vitamins and minerals. According to The Journal, that is the equivalent to eating “two tablespoons of bacon grease and 19 sugar cubes.”
“Small” anyone?! Or at Starbucks, that would be the “Tall.”
