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Need Coffee Fix ASAP? Definitely Skip Starbucks

Famous chain loses in Slate taste test

By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 4, 2009 2:57 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Coffee snobs may “talk about the subtleties of macchiato” and scorn the chain stores, but “even sanctimonious coffee bores must lapse: The flesh is weak, the day is full, and Starbucks is just half a block away,” writes Nathan Heller for Slate. Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s also offer a quick fix, so six “notorious coffee addicts” set out to compare, judging taste, consistency, presentation, and process:

  • Starbucks: Tied for last, black coffee; second place, cappuccino. “Comments following my colleagues’ first sips of Starbucks’ black coffee included ‘Oof!’ ‘Yeesh!’ and—most tellingly, I think—‘Blawl!'"
  • McDonald’s: Tied for last, black coffee; first place, cappuccino. Despite the stigma, “McDonald’s cappuccino was, almost unanimously, our favorite. Our critics thought the McCafé cappuccino had the ‘most coffee taste’ with more (albeit the most bitter) espresso flavor.”
  • Dunkin’ Donuts: First place, black coffee; last place, cappuccino. “Although we found the coffee more watery than we would have liked, it was the least oily of the three samples and—more to the point—the least unsettling to behold.”
In conclusion, Heller makes sure to add, “It’s worth noting that all three chains scored less than half of all possible points.”

McDonald's McCafe cappuccino had the most coffee taste, Slate panelists agreed.
McDonald's McCafe cappuccino had the "most coffee taste," Slate panelists agreed.   (Getty Images)
A customer's Hazelnut Caramel Latte sits on a counter at a new McCafe inside a newly constructed McDonald's restaurant May 26, 2005 in Oak Brook, Illinois.
A customer's Hazelnut Caramel Latte sits on a counter at a new McCafe inside a newly constructed McDonald's restaurant May 26, 2005 in Oak Brook, Illinois.   (Getty Images)
Coffee drips into a pot at a Dunkin' Donuts store.
Coffee drips into a pot at a Dunkin' Donuts store.   (Getty Images)
A cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee and a donut bag sit on a counter September 7, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois.
A cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee and a donut bag sit on a counter September 7, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois.   (Getty Images)
A Starbucks Coffee is seen on January 28, 2009 in Miami, Florida.
A Starbucks Coffee is seen on January 28, 2009 in Miami, Florida.   (Getty Images)
Dunkin' Donuts' coffee concoctions beat Starbucks and McDonald's among Slate panelists.
Dunkin' Donuts' coffee concoctions beat Starbucks and McDonald's among Slate panelists.   (Wikimedia Commons)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 14 comments
cochiserocks
Aug 6, 2009 10:23 AM CDT
Don't Macdonalds own Costa Coffee too?
cochiserocks
Aug 6, 2009 10:22 AM CDT
You're way better off buying your hot beverages from a small family run deli where; 1. They give a crap 2. Your money will go to a family, not some weird corporate global web 3. They actually know what coffee is meant to taste like and drink it themselves enough not to serve bad tasting water. 4. They give a crap
lonewolf17
Aug 6, 2009 3:30 AM CDT
timmies is where its at

 
Starbucks • McDonald's • coffee • Dunkin' Donuts • Jay-ZTV

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