Starbucks Possibly Adding More Ice Than Coffee—And the People are Noticing: ‘Shrinkflation is Real’

Starbucks is possibly adding more ice than coffee, and the people are taking notice. Videos of individuals testing out that theory have been going viral on the internet. This has prompted many to believe that “shrinkflation” has become a very real possibility. 

The popular verified account @WallStreetApes recently shared an example of a duo trying out the viral hack. The hack involves buying a Starbucks drink, removing the ice, and then measuring whatever you’re left with after. 

While some hacks resulted in a good coffee-to-ice ratio, others had significantly less coffee compared to the ice. The duo was met with the latter. According to the video shared by the verified account, the duo bought a Venti latte from Starbucks. 

The woman in the video showed viewers how much ice was in the tumbler; it was filled to the brim with both ice and coffee.

Before carrying out their experiment, the woman measured just how much coffee would remain after removing the ice with a sharpie. Her friend did the same. 

After measuring it out, they emptied all the coffee from the Starbucks tumbler into another glass container. After all the coffee was in another glass, the woman proceeded to discard the ice from the other container. 

Next, they poured back the coffee inside and turns out there was substantially less coffee than it appeared to be. Instead of being full and it being a venti, the coffee measured only halfway.

The woman’s friend turned out to be a winner for getting the measurement right. He was right, just by a few centimeters above her marking. 

Internet Thinks Shrinkflation is Real After Videos of Starbucks Possibly Adding More Ice Go Viral

The videos have been going viral on both TikTok and X. Many claim to have personally tried out this hack and agree that Starbucks might possibly be adding more ice in drinks. However, the comment section of the X post has mixed opinions. 

Firstly, a user on the X post quoted the video and said, “Shrinkflation is real!” But what is shrinkflation? It is an unofficial term coined by netizens for establishments that have resorted to selling drinks in smaller packages.

Recently, McDonald's also went viral for a similar discovery. Users also had other thoughts behind why Starbucks might be doing this, with a subtle nod to shrinkflation.

One such user suggested, “They want to earn maximum profits and less cost price. That’s what everyone is doing right now…” 

Another individual said Starbucks does it because it’s “easy ice.” The user explained, “They give you about 1/3rd ice.” Similarly, one more said, “Baristas are trained to fill the second line with ice.”