Who makes the best coffee: Starbucks, McDonald’s, Burger King, or Dunkin’ Donuts? Consumer Reports did a taste test and found out that (surprise!) it wasn’t Starbucks!
The magazine proclaimed McDonald’s Premium Roast Coffee had "no flaws" and was easiest on the wallet. "Try McDonald’s, which was cheapest and best," Consumer Reports says in its March issue. "Or make your own coffee."
Phil
McDonald’s also had the best ad campaign: “Try our coffee, it doesn’t suck like it used to!”
Vexorg
Up here, McDonald’s actually sells Seattle’s Best Coffee, which just happens to be owned by Starbucks. On the other hand, I don’t drink coffee at all, so I can’t really say if it’s good or not.
Anita
Phil – is that really their new ad campaign? That would be really creative if so!
Phil
I paraphrase, but that was the gist of their TV campaign when they introduced their new coffee. It made feel sad for all the poor suckers who’d been drinking their coffee for years and enjoying it.
Check out this video:
beajerry
Listen, when you pay $3 for a cup of coffee, it instantly tastes the best!
Skysurfer
They should do the same tests here in the U.K. MacDonalds and Starbucks would have no chance against the likes of Pret a Manger.
g
i’m with skysurfer… starbucks is sooo horrible, i can’t believe people actually like the stuff…
the other chains (nero etc.) are so much better…and we’re meant to be a nation of tea drinkers!!
Denita TwoDragons
I prefer TwoDragons HomeBrew brand coffee, myself… 
–TwoDragons
Alex
Vexorg, Consumer Report did acknowledge that many McDonald’s sell Seattle’s Best Coffee – but the stores they tested didn’t (so it was McDonald’s own).
biltmore
WTH is “TwoDragons HomeBrew”? You grow and roast your own beans at home then? Pretty impressive. I like how you mention your own screen name 3 times in your post, interesting.
Presonally, I prefer the Biltmore Homebrew as it’s gown and roasted by the Biltmore family. Perhaps you’ve heard of us Biltmores before, we have this estate in North Carolina. Yup, that’s right … the Biltmore Estate. Ahh, nothing like my cup of Biltmore.
- Biltmore
biltmore
Sorry, I just find it annoying that someone self-references their name at the end of their posts, when it’s already there in the name box. I haven’t had my cup of Biltmore coffee yet, obviously I’m a grumpy one.
Lenka
I think some of the difference between people who prefer Starbucks (or Caribou, or Seattle’s Best) and those who prefer the McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts variety of coffee is a matter of strength preference. McDonald’s and DD seems to be a much milder/weaker brew than the more heavily roasted, concentrated Starbucks-type coffee (which partly explains the price difference – McDonald’s and DD use less coffee per cup brewed – but still, Starbucks is quite overpriced). Holding time matters, too – if you allow a coffee carafe to sit on a heating element, as it does in many restaurants, the flavor goes downhill quickly. Weak or strong, the key is consuming coffee within about 15 minutes of brewing; most commercial coffees like McDonald’s probably taste best during morning rush for that reason.
Dave
I like a good burly cup of coffee, so Starbucks (or Caribou or other high end shops) works well for me. But I hate paying through the nose for it. I tried a cup of Burger King’s Turbo Joe a while back, and was very impressed. Add to that it’s about 1/3 the price, and they add half & half and sugar for you when you’re in the drive-thru, and I keep coming back.
I’d like to make the coffee on my own, but haven’t figured out how to make it strong enough… what do people use for equipment & blend for a cup that compares to Starbucks?
Mike
Santa Cruz Roasting Company sells two coffees I really like, both light roasts – both are packed with caffeine: the longer a coffee is roasted the less caffeine it has because heat breaks down caffeine. Indian Malabar and Zoom are the two I recommend, smooth, not bitter in the least, I could talk about these coffees like some people talk about wine!
peter
Per Consumer Reports rating, I had tried McDonald’s Premium Coffee in San Mateo last December, and it tasted very good, strong to my liking.
Recently, a few other locations (in Southern California and Las Vegas)I bought the same premium coffee which did not have the same strong taste any more. It tasted less strong, and almost like the coffee They used to sell before the so-called PREMIUM.
Why does McDonald’s Premium coffee taste so inconsistent? Does Anyone notice the same?
I do not know if McDonald has instructed all their franchises to brew coffee less strong like that or just because each McDonald’s restaurant has their own way of brewing coffee based on their local customer’s taste.
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