Rich flavor. Arabica coffee beans. Affordable prices. With all of this and more, is McDonald’s coffee good? With coffee dominating the fast-food marketplace, many wonder if they should snub the dedicated coffee houses and turn to the Golden Arches.
Speedy Brewing
Overall, McDonald’s coffee isn’t bad, but it isn’t the best drink choice on the market. If you need a caffeine kick at any time of the day, McDonald’s coffee will do. The fast-food giant brews its hot drink quickly, so it doesn’t always have the same flavor as restaurant coffee. If you’re in a hurry, then McDonald’s coffee should do.
McDonald’s pre-ground coffee arrives at each restaurant in a pre-packaged foil wrapper. The foil bags do not have a one-way CO2 valve. Without the valve on the package, the pre-ground beans oxidize, which removes some of the flavors.
Purified Water
McDonald’s fans know that the fast-food giant uses highly-filtered water to make their sodas taste delicious. They use the same water for their coffee. Despite the pre-ground, foil packaged beans, McDonald’s does what it can to use clean water, filtered through its reverse-osmosis machines.
Coffee aficionados recommend filtered water over tap water. Since coffee is nearly all water, the quality matters. McDonald’s can hide flavor flaws with highly filtered water and add a bit of brightness to the cuppa.
Employee Focus
Like the popular coffee-themed franchises, McDonald’s offers a robust menu of caffeinated beverages. What the fast-food giant does not have are employees who care about serving a quality cup.
Employees at Starbucks coffee shops choose to work there because they enjoy coffee. People who work at McDonald’s do not have a focus on coffee. Making coffee at McDonald’s is another part of the daily grind, along with making Big Macs, chicken nuggets, and milkshakes. For McDonald’s employees, quickly moving customers through the line is the focus.
However, if you are in a hurry, McDonald’s might be your best choice for your morning coffee. McDonald’s trains its employees to run the coffee machines and prepare the beverages. But, the workers are McDonald’s employees more than dedicated baristas, like those at Starbucks and other coffee houses.
Different Choices
McDonald’s offers the same delicious cafe-style drinks as coffee houses. The McCafe coffee menu includes gourmet drinks like hot lattes, Americanos, cappuccinos, macchiatos, frappes, espresso drinks, and more. They do not have the same variety of flavors as coffee houses, but you can have mocha, vanilla, or caramel-flavored drinks upon request.
Like coffee houses, the flavored beverages often include hefty amounts of sugar, whipped cream, and drizzle to make the taste sweet and look lovely. You can order your coffee drinks hot, iced, or blended, too.
Coffee App
Another benefit of drinking McCafe beverages is the app. McDonald’s has a MyMcDonald’s Rewards program that awards points each time you buy food or beverages. While the app is not just for coffee drinkers, it works with coffee, fries, burgers, and everything else on the menu. As you build your points, you can use them for free food or drinks, like the French Vanilla Latte.
McDonald’s did offer a rewards program only for McCafe beverages, but the MyMcDonald’s app absorbed it and the points.
Does McDonald’s Coffee Taste Good?
In short, yes. McDonald’s does have its branded coffee beans, and shoppers can buy them in their local grocery stores. But, the giant also uses beans from popular suppliers like Newman’s Own and Seattle’s Best. McDonald’s also uses coffee beans with the Rainforest Alliance Certification.
The coffee has a subtle flavor because McD’s uses medium-roast beans. Aficionados notice that McDonald’s coffee has a nutty flavor with a bit of chocolate. Some people report that the coffee is bitter, too.
Because McDonald’s is so busy, they change their coffee grounds several times throughout the day. You run the risk of getting the last coffee in the maker, but you can trust that McDonald’s changes the beans regularly throughout the day.
If you want to experience it for yourself, order a basic black coffee or an Americano coffee drink. Otherwise, try the Cafe Latte, the McCafe Cappuccino, or the mocha to enjoy a sweet, milky beverage. The signature Frappe is a delicious choice for a dessert coffee.
Conclusion
McDonald’s coffee is good. It’s not the same as you would find at expensive restaurants, but the fast-food giant uses quality beans, although they aren’t packaged ideally. Since McDonald’s has so many customers, they move through coffee beans quickly, so nothing sits on the shelf for long.
To make their fresh coffee drinks taste so good, McDonald’s uses filtered water as well as appropriately chilled water and other yummy ingredients. The Golden Arches also offers an app for frequent customers. If you want a quick cuppa that tastes good, McDonald’s coffee will do.
Happy McCaffeinating!
