Olympic Caffeine Consumption

7,269

Number of Starbucks cafes Winter has visited since 1997.

28

Winter’s single-day record before he was filmed as the subject of the 2007 documentary Starbucking. The most memorable part of “Starbucking” is watching as Winter goes for his record 29 in a single day in the Los Angeles area. Winter, who has to drink a coffee at each location he visits, shakes and dry-heaves his way to the finish line.

171

Starbucks cafes — every Manhattan location — that Mark Malkoff visited in a single day.

7

Mark Malkoff had to average a Starbucks every seven minutes to pull off his feat. Doing this in Manhattan is brutal logistically.

So which is the more impressive feat? Logistically, Mark Malkoff’s 171 is the winner — getting around Manhattan at a Starbucks-every-seven-minutes rate is a brutal challenge. Mark rode a bike for most of it, and bummed a ride off a friend with a car for some of the later spots.

For an Olympic caffeine-consuming feat, though, I’m sticking with Winter. Mark’s rule was that he had to make a purchase at each store and consume part of it — he ordered biscotti at some locations, and I’m betting he didn’t finish a lot of his coffees.

Winter, on the other hand, sets strict ground rules for each Starbucks visit. He must drink at least one 4-ounce coffee at each place he visits (he can substitute an espresso shot if he’s in the mood). He's either suffering greatly to accomplish his single-day record, or he's doing an impressive acting job. Plus, Winter's been at it for years. His Starbucks-visiting hobby is more than a decade old, so you have to give some credit to the original.