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Troll_Bait
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: [T]eaching experience doesn't matter much. -Lee Young-chan (pictured)
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 Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 7:20 pm Post subject: Which chain has the best coffee? |
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http://food.yahoo.com/blog/edlevineeats/2922/national-chain-coffees
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National Chain Coffees
When we at Serious Eats read earlier this month that McDonald's had taken the top spot among chain coffee purveyors in a Consumer Reports tasting, beating out even Starbucks, we were amazed. It goes against conventional wisdom. For far too long, the hamburger chain served a weak, albeit very hot, cuppa joe. But with the rising demand in the last decade for better-tasting coffee, everyone in the business has had to step up their game. Since I don't drink coffee and don't have much of an opinion on it, I asked my fellow Serious Eater, Adam Kuban, to try out some of the national chain brands and report back to me. Over to you, Adam....
Thanks, Ed. I, too, was surprised at the news. For years, McDonald's coffee was something I drank only by default since it comes with the breakfast value meals. At best, it was a caffeine-delivery vehicle and not an end in and of itself. I wanted to see for myself how it stacked up. So I gathered five coffees from national chain coffee purveyors and went to town. Coffees tasted were from Burger King, Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's, Seattle's Best Coffee, and Starbucks. I bought the size closest to 12 ounces when possible, and, if given a choice between a mild or strong roast, went with the mild. What follows are the results, in ascending order of strength.
Dunkin' Donuts (Regular)
Price: $1.40 for 8 ounces
Price per ounce: 17.5�
Sizes available: Small, Medium, Large
Color: Reddish-brown; the lightest of the coffees sampled
Aroma: Faint, barely discernible coffee aroma
Taste: Like coffee-flavored water.
Notes: If "America Runs on Dunkin'," as per the chain's slogan, we must not be running very far. This was the weakest of the coffees, with no zing. Stick to the sugar rush from the doughnuts if you need a pick-me-up from Dunkin'. Disappointing, since coffee and doughnuts go together like milk and cookies.
Burger King BK Joe (Regular)
Price: $1.39 for 12 ounces
Price per ounce: 11.6�
Sizes available: Medium and Large
Color: Medium-brown
Aroma: Moderate; not very eye-opening
Taste: Very mild with hints of chocolate
Notes: I had higher hopes for Burger King's BK Joe, which the company launched in late 2005. After all, there's no denying that the company's burgers, compared to McDonald's, have added oomph from flame-broiling (and/or a little Liquid Smoke). Served in a styrofoam cup that only helps remind you of all the bland coffee you've consumed in the pre-coffee-snob era.
McDonald's Premium Roast (Smooth Blend)
Price: $1.09 for 12 ounces
Price per ounce: 9.1�
Sizes available: Small, Medium, Large
Color: Dark brown
Aroma: Strong, easily discernible as coffee. On the elevator up to the office, a fellow passenger remarked "You got black coffee in that bag? Boy, I can smell it."
Taste: True to its name, this cup goes down smooth. It's adequately strong with no offensive bitterness or over-roasted flavor.
Notes: People used to Starbucks or a neighborhood coffeeshop where bold, dark-roasted coffees rule might find it a bit weak, but it's a marked improvement over the previous coffee at McD's. Gives early birds a reason to choose coffee instead of OJ to go with the McMuffin value meal.
Seattle's Best Coffee (Mild Roast)
Price: $1.70 for 12 ounces
Price per ounce: 14.2�
Sizes available: Medium, Large
Color: Can't-see-through-it black -- almost a bluish-black
Aroma: Strong, nutty
Taste: Bitter notes that pop at the beginning of the sip, yielding to a mellow, deeply roasted flavor
Notes: Of the five cups tasted today, Seattle's Best is my favorite. It's much farther along the dark-roasted continuum than McDonald's, opening my eyes with its initial bright flavoring. It has a depth and subtlety that the other cups lacked.
Starbucks (Regular)
Price: $1.70 for 12 ounces
Price per ounce: 14.2�
Sizes available: Tall, Grande, Venti. Translation: small, medium, and large. There's also a "Short" size available (8 ounces), but it's not on the menu displays
Color: Rich, inky dark brown
Aroma: Very strong. Can you get a caffeine buzz through inhalation alone?
Taste: Very strong and highly roasted -- too roasted, however.
Notes: Has a bitter opening similar to Seattle's Best, but it doesn't mellow out throughout the sip. Goes down too bitter. I was surprised to find I didn't like it after comparing it to the other coffees in the lineup today, since I regularly go to Starbucks by default -- there's one on every corner. Back to you, Ed.
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DRAMA OVERKILL
Joined: 12 Apr 2005
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| Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:19 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm a big fan of both Starbucks and Dunkins... Used to drink more of Starbucks, but lately it's been Dunkins all the way - as unfavorable as the review was, I still like it... |
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cbclark4
Joined: 20 Aug 2006
Location: Masan
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| Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:47 pm Post subject: |
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I like Dunkin'.
I have noticed an improvement in McD and BK coffee.
Never liked the Charbucks. |
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Qinella
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Location: the crib
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| Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 11:34 pm Post subject: |
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Starbucks is about the only coffee I like anymore. I got used to the burnt taste, so anything else seems too weak in comparison.
When I was in the US a few months ago, my dad kept raving about how good the new McDonald's coffee is. So I stopped by one day to get one and it was terrible. I couldn't even finish it.
The 7-11 dark roasts are pretty good.
Dunkin Donuts also a joke. It's all hype. |
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The Perfect Cup of Coffee
Joined: 17 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 1:47 am Post subject: |
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| Tie between Starbucks and The Coffee Bean. Dunkin' is kind of low-rent coffee...like when you can't find a major chain and you don't want to drink that nasty sh*t from 7-11 / Family Mart. |
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tigerbluekitty
Joined: 19 Apr 2007
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| Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 3:07 am Post subject: |
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Starbucks coffee can be a bit overroasted and bitter at times. Hate having to stir in alot of sugar and cream to make it drinkable.
To me, McDonald's coffee is fine. Didn't have to put anything extra in it and could drink it black. |
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pharflung
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 3:27 am Post subject: |
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Is this an exercise in sadism or in masochism?
This is Korea, and aside from McDonalds, there's not a one of these within 100 miles of me. And besides, the prices are in dollars. |
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Bondgirl
Joined: 26 May 2007
Location: in my Aston Martin
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| Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 3:38 am Post subject: |
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I don't get it.
Who would actually write 'I like MacDonalds' coffee".? or "I only like Starbucks."?
Have you ever drunk proper coffee? I mean, Illy, Lavazza, or Segafredo? Made by a trained barista with 25 years' experience?
A dirty early-morning Italian espresso that clears your nostrils and sends your head spinning? You sure as heck wouldn't spend 5000 won on a nasty weak boiling-hot Starbucks made by a dribbling part-timer.
Buy a macchinetta and make your own.
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pharflung
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 3:45 am Post subject: |
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I don't get it.
Who would actually write 'I like MacDonalds' coffee".? or "I only like Starbucks."?
Have you ever drunk proper coffee? I mean, Illy, Lavazza, or Segafredo? Made by a trained barista with 25 years' experience?
A dirty early-morning Italian espresso that clears your nostrils and sends your head spinning? You sure as heck wouldn't spend 5000 won on a nasty weak boiling-hot Starbucks made by a dribbling part-timer.
Buy a macchinetta and make your own. |
That, too, Bondgirl. But then this is Korea. 
(Just for the record, I left my Saeco pump espresso machine, grinder and coffee roaster at home. I figured I would just drink tea, since they grow it here. But then I found out that most everything they call tea isn't.)
Last edited by pharflung on Fri Sep 07, 2007 5:57 am; edited 1 time in total |
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mehmeh
Joined: 23 May 2007
Location: South, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 3:47 am Post subject: |
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Has anyone else noticed that Korean stores often cut the drip coffee with hot water? Even after brewing a fresh batch, they only fill the cup halfway with coffee then top it off with hot water. This is a regular occurrence at Dunkin Donuts and I even caught the Starbucks guy doing it the other day.
I've always had a soft spot for Dunkin Original but after the fifth time they did this I've stopped going there. This oozes of needless penny-pinching and gets under my skin when I consider how much I'm paying compared to 7-11. |
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Qinella
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Location: the crib
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| Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 4:31 am Post subject: |
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| Bondgirl wrote: |
I don't get it.
Who would actually write 'I like MacDonalds' coffee".? or "I only like Starbucks."?
Have you ever drunk proper coffee? I mean, Illy, Lavazza, or Segafredo? Made by a trained barista with 25 years' experience?
A dirty early-morning Italian espresso that clears your nostrils and sends your head spinning? You sure as heck wouldn't spend 5000 won on a nasty weak boiling-hot Starbucks made by a dribbling part-timer.
Buy a macchinetta and make your own.
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Americans have traditionally viewed coffee as a means to an end. It's a caffeine buzz so we can keep busy with our pointless routines. For most of us, when Starbucks got in the public eye it was something special. Before Starbucks, you don't wanna know what coffee was like. Ugh.
If you would like to point this American in the direction of "real coffee", I'll gladly try it out. (Options available in Korea, or perhaps shipped in if it's really that good.) |
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Bondgirl
Joined: 26 May 2007
Location: in my Aston Martin
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| Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 5:24 am Post subject: |
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I brought my macchinetta along with me, but you can get them in Korea online from either http://www.caffe.co.kr/
or gmarket (they are mighty expensive here though).
Wake up in the morning, set your gadget a-boiling on the stove-top, jump in the shower- by the time you are dried off, it is fizzing away and your apartment smells terrific. It really is a great way to start the day. Nothing can go wrong when you have started the day with an entire 3 person macchinetta all for yourself. It's powerful juice and puts a spring in your step.
You can buy 1000g bags of coffee for about 20 000 on gmarket (Segafredo and Lavazza) which would keep you going for weeks. (Although these ones here aren't their top lines, they are very good and reasonably priced http://www.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=119557328&pos_shop_cd=SH&pos_class_cd=111111111&pos_class_kind=T&search_keyword=lavazza )
Illy costs a lot more, but it is wonderful stuff and still, if you spend 20 000 for 250g of Illy, you will have a better morning coffee (and it only costs the equivalent of 4 Starbucks coffees).
I do like the atmosphere of Starbucks and the realistic philosophy of the big bosses that they aren't selling 'coffee' exactly, but the 'experience'. And on hot summer days I did enjoy a frappuccino occasionally, although Tea Leaf and Coffee bean do those a bit better.
I am certain there would be great coffee houses around Seoul with talented staff. I haven't had a look. I just brew at home these days.
(And if you do decide to buy a macchinetta, buy a Bialetti one, and buy it online from somewhere else where they are cheaper. bialettishop.com might post overseas).
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 5:51 am Post subject: |
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Starbucks: good basic cuppa joe. Good stores. Fancy drinks are growing unimaginative.
Coffee Bean: Has a stamp card, get 'er stamped up buying coffee then order a venti double plus frap drink with extra whip cream. Many have an open patio. I don't like the coffee but I like the iced drinks. I like their ice water.
Pascucci: Don't like many have smoking sections. The black and red plastic hurts my damn eyes. Many seem to have free wireless.
Angels In Us: Nice summer drinks. Weird ass Korean coffee chain. I think they have a stamp card.
Holly's Coffee: Wins most improved. Used to be the only chain in town after Starbucks. Crappy stores, crappy coffee. But they've really pulled up their socks in the last year or so. Iced drinks cheaper than Starbucks.
7 Monkeys Coffee: A japanese chain. Monkeys + coffee + the japanese asthetic + tomato coffee. CAN'T BE BEAT.
Caribou Coffee: Different interior design. I like they have a tip cup.
Tom N Tom: Stupid name. Never been there.
bondgirl: your url is too long and screws up the page width. Solutions:
Use the url= tag.
[ url=http://www.longurl.com]Click[/img] (remove the space after the [ of course)
Or go to www.tinyurl.com, paste in the long url, paste back the tiny url here. |
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mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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| Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 6:09 am Post subject: |
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| Bondgirl wrote: |
I don't get it.
Who would actually write 'I like MacDonalds' coffee".? or "I only like Starbucks."?
Have you ever drunk proper coffee? I mean, Illy, Lavazza, or Segafredo? Made by a trained barista with 25 years' experience?
A dirty early-morning Italian espresso that clears your nostrils and sends your head spinning? You sure as heck wouldn't spend 5000 won on a nasty weak boiling-hot Starbucks made by a dribbling part-timer.
Buy a macchinetta and make your own. |
Yeah, but then you're just sitting in your house. |
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DRAMA OVERKILL
Joined: 12 Apr 2005
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| Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 11:15 am Post subject: |
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| The Perfect Cup of Coffee wrote: |
| Tie between Starbucks and The Coffee Bean. Dunkin' is kind of low-rent coffee...like when you can't find a major chain and you don't want to drink that nasty sh*t from 7-11 / Family Mart. |
Being a regular customer, my local Dunkin's puts on a fresh pot as soon as I come through the door (I go there because it's closest to my jib) - I always get a decently strong tasty large (though I always have to wait). I prefer other coffee (Starbucks first), but the local Dunkin's have been so good to me - they know what I like and rarely have I been disappointed. |
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