PrintMcCafe: McDonald's New Fancier, Pricier Coffee
For McDonald's, this is the biggest roll-out since they birthed Egg McMuffins and the rest of the breakfast line. McCafe, the new beverage-based initiative that's supposed to quiet the drip coffee haters, will eventually be located in 85 percent of McDonald's stores (the other 15 includes the tiny branches in airports and the like).
"Medium is the new grande" is one of their taglines. As if to say, take that, Starbucks. We're not espousing your silly coffeespeak shenanigans. It's a medium, period.
In New York City, McCafe officially launched this week. The city was busy rolling out the Angus burger first, while the rest of the nation probably saw the McCafes popping up sooner.
Since I don't have fancy coffee chops, I asked Allison Hemler, a former Serious Eats intern and current barista at Joe the Art of Coffee, arguably one of the most beloved artisan coffeeshop mini-chains in Manhattan, to give the iced mocha and cappuccino a try. We realize that McDonald's is not trying to compete with the handcrafted coffee world, but their prices are pretty comparable, so we put them to the test.
Iced Mocha
So far this has been the most popular drink, and the one they're really pushing in ads. Available only in a medium (16 ounces), as with the Iced Latte.
Allison's response:
The chocolate is intense...the espresso flavor is very light. Hard to taste much else beyond the chocolate. These drinks aren't made for espresso experts (not like I am or anything). Here, it's four pumps of chocolate syrup and one shot of espresso for a 16-ounce, while at Joe the Art of Coffee, we do four shots espresso and light chocolate pumping.
You can tell they don't know too much about coffee because they weren't totally sure how much espresso was in the drink when we asked. It begins to taste like chocolate milk.
Cappuccino
Available in small, medium, and large.
Allison's response:
This isn't bad. Though the beans taste pretty burnt and there's WAY TOO MUCH foam (and bad foam at that). But that's pretty typical of a chain. Starbucks is like that too. Also, TOO HOT.
New Lids
Snazzy! (We agreed.)
Other Notes
A screen lists the orders, instead of taking names and calling them out as per the Starbucks model.
A New Dunkin' Donutsian Policy: They now ask you how much sugar and milk you want, and mix it all up behind the counter. Something about this always made me pretty happy.
Syrups Available: Hazelnut, caramel, vanilla, and sugar-free vanilla.
Speediness Factor: The machines are extremely automated. They kinda look like ATMs. Eventually, McDonald's will have printing mechanisms so they can stick the typed-out orders right onto the cups. None of that dinosaur age black pen business!
Sizes
Small (12 ounces)
Medium (16 ounces)
Large (20 ounces)
Final Thoughts
While prices vary depending on the McDonald's, the drinks hover in the $2 to high-$4 range. It's a step up from the drip stuff, but I'm curious if the dude who gets the Big Mac and fries everyday will be into it.
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33 Comments:
sounds horrible.
mrstkach at 4:47PM on 05/06/09
Tried Dunkin Donuts for the first time while visiting Boston last year and I HATE that they want to mix everything for you. I want to add the cream to make the perfect color.
I did try the McDonald's plain coffee last weekend and thought it was ok. Though over the last year I've gone from buying local hand roasted beans to developing an affinity for Chock Full O Nuts. I don't trust my tastes any more.
hellojodi at 5:08PM on 05/06/09
They've had these for awhile in California (or at least at the few random McDonalds' I've been to there). The Iced Coffee is pre-sweetened, and too sweet for me.
In Boulder, where I live, there are about 50 coffee places (chain or otherwise) for every McDonalds, so I doubt this will take off.
rheogs at 5:09PM on 05/06/09
In Europe the McCafe's are amazing, and they serve Lowenbrau!
StarvingArtist at 5:21PM on 05/06/09
McCafe is lame-o, but Dunkin' will forever be in my heart. I love that you can say, "Light and sweet" and not get weird faces from the fellow customers. I know I'm from New York, Italian background, and should only drink the real stuff, but Dunkin is a nice treat.
allistew at 5:26PM on 05/06/09
Hey you know what? McD's has plenty of buying power and could POSSIBLY have laid their hands on a good quality coffee product. I won't judge it till I've tried it. What concerns me is that I want good coffee and not necessarily a bunch of fat laden dairy product to disguise something else. I'll check the calorie count and if I can get it "light" I'll try it.
I'd become used to having coffee mixed for me as a teenager when I worked in Manhattan for the first time. In NY, Coffee Regular meant milk, no sugar. Light meant more milk, still no sugar. Black meant... Black. If you wanted sugar you had to tell the person how much you wanted. It wasn't a bad arrangement especially when you went to the same place every day and they had your brew made by the time you reached the counter. (No, Starbucks was not the first to invent that.)
I loved Chock Full O'Nuts coffee - when they had restaurants and you could get it brewed in those ginormous urns. Always got a Large Regular. Always loved it.
therealchiffonade at 5:31PM on 05/06/09
Note the liquid levels well below the rim of the cup. Just because the "medium" coffee comes in a 16oz cup does NOT mean you get 16oz of coffee. At least at Starbucks, Dunkin, etc they endeavor to fill your cup unless you ask them to "leave room"...
fiveforefun at 5:54PM on 05/06/09
the McDonalds drip coffee gives me nightmares. even when you milk and sugar it down. yuck.
Allison Hemler at 6:35PM on 05/06/09
I'll second rheods and say we've had McCafe in Cali for over a year now. Love the lids, but they've had those for drip coffee for a while. And all of the non-drip drinks (cap, etc.) seem low on espresso and high on everything else. Vanilla latte was more like warm vanilla milk with a splash of espresso. Most aren't terrible, if you don't love espresso. Overly sweet maybe, and sometimes burnt.......ok, so it's not great coffee. But if you don't care, $2 is pretty cheap.
amanda0730 at 7:03PM on 05/06/09
I have never tried it that I can remember, but I had always heard that McDonalds was pretty passable for non-gourmet coffee and that Dunkin Donuts is good. Personally, wasn't blown away when I tried DD. I love coffee, and do not consider myself a snob. I used to buy beans from Porto Rico Import Co but moves to a different neighborhood and got lazy. Now I buy from a coffee cart by work 4 days per week, get Starbucks 1 day, and get Cafe Grumpy 2 days.
One coffee discovery really surprised me. When I went to coffee heaven #1, Indonesia, with my Javanese gf I was surprised that most people were drinking Nescafe (made with Indonesian beans)... there was ground coffee to be had, albeit unfiltered, and both tasted pretty good. I was further surprised when every day I have seen my coworker, who is from coffee heaven #2, Colombia, also drink Nescafe every day (made from Colombian beans). Interesting.
Big B at 7:05PM on 05/06/09
Oh woops forgot about the McD's. I think this will do well. Most people don't want to stop at both McDs for their egg mcmuffin and starbucks for their coffee. If it were a rare morning where I got McD's breakfast I would grab coffee there. But remember the appeal of McDonalds is a lot broader than for Starbucks. I think a lot of people who have never tried a latte or capp before are going to pop their cherry while stuffing their face with hash browns. A good breakfast upsell.
Big B at 7:07PM on 05/06/09
Every McD's I see in Chicago has had McCafe's for a while. I tried the mocha once, and only once. I found it to be way too sweet. I'm a big chocolate fan, but to me it tasted just sugary and not so chocolately. Not trading in my Starbucks.
July at 7:13PM on 05/06/09
I tried a vanilla latte. It was a vile chemical laden noxious brew that coated my entire mouth with a weird film.
lovetoeat at 7:21PM on 05/06/09
I don't drink coffee much, so when I do, it's a treat. I'll be damned if my treat comes from McDonald's. I prefer to make it on my own. The one thing I do like, is that they don't ask you to observe those stupid arse trendy names that Stupidbucks does.
Raiders757 at 7:53PM on 05/06/09
I can't imagine drinking coffee from McDonalds. The only coffee I really like that isn't made at home, is Tim Hortons. When it's really fresh it is amazing, otherwise it is horrible and tastes like dirt and burnt coffee grounds whirled in some hot water.
xwafflesx at 10:05PM on 05/06/09
I'll give it a shot if the occasion arises, but I won't seek it out. Especially at those prices -- seriously, McD? You're supposed to be cheap.
And while I love my Tim's, I can't say they're any better than McD. Both are chains, both cut use premixed ingredients. At least Tim's coffee costs $1.25.
piccola at 10:48PM on 05/06/09
I don't typically have anything positive to say about McDonald's, so I'll take the time to give them props for using "small," "medium," and "large." I hate the "fancy" words that Starbucks is fond of - particularly since they don't even make sense any more (as a direct translation).
That said, I don't see myself any more likely to buy an espresso drink at McD's than I am at a gas station (which is really, really unlikely).
peachypear at 12:16AM on 05/07/09
While it's hip to complain about anything McDonalds, considering the demographic they're targeting, and especially the accessibility - take-out coffee is still not quite popular enough here in Holland - it wasn't bad at all. I stopped at one in Germany, just over the border, and it was MILES, errr...KILOMETERS (x1.6) better than the Douwe Egberts brown battery-acid served in virtually every Dutch take-out. I had a double-shot cappuccino and yes, too much foam (it's not to be served like Guinness!) but the taste was pretty agreeable...again - considering the competition.
JimInHolland at 2:43AM on 05/07/09
They, to my knowledge, make the only one that is sugar-free and that is fine with me.
ArchieLeach at 10:38AM on 05/07/09
It's too bad the McDonald's in Hawaii stepped down from using Kona coffee years ago to what they currently use. They didn't charge a premium price for it.
Cassaendra at 11:51AM on 05/07/09
Big B,
Do the Indonesians and Colombians drink Nescafe coffees because they are cheaper than the ground coffees? Maybe sugars and milks aren't readily available to them if they have brewed coffee.
lunaire at 5:16AM on 05/08/09
Sure Dunkin asks you how much sugar and cream you want, but they suck at following through. I don't like my coffee black, but I don't like a lot of cream. I always ask for a small amount of cream or even just a splash of cream.
There's been times when what I get back is almost cream with a splash of coffee. It's ridiculous. They should really do what Starbucks does and just have the cream and sugar out for you to adjust yourself.
Before someone tells me that maybe I should try not going to Dunkin for coffee, let me say...I can't...it's the only coffee available at the hospital I work at.
wunami at 3:45PM on 05/09/09
I went cross border shopping once (I live on the Canadian side) at a mall in New York state, and one of my friends went to Dunkin Donuts and ordered a coffee and the person asked him "What would you like in it?" My friend said "double double", and received a blank stare from the person, which my friend returned with another blank stare not realizing Double Double is a Canadian term. I was in earshot and explained double double means two creams, two sugars.
Anyways, I had a cup of coffee at mcdonalds when they were offering them free in the mornings and it wasn't bad. Not too bitter or acidic which is my main problem with a lot of coffee, too acidic.
ag3208 at 10:00PM on 05/09/09
Lunaire, not sure but I know that powder creamer is generally used but you could use that for either of the coffees. My girlfriend had both but maybe she got the ground beans for my benefit, I am not sure. I wouldn't think that the ground coffee could be too expensive at it's source.
On a side note, interesting read on NYC *finally* catching up to other city's high end coffee: http://www.ediblemanhattan.com/content/index.php/issue-5/bean-scene-groundswell.htm
Big B at 11:14PM on 05/09/09
yeah, as said above, we've had mccafe in MN for a year and a half, two years now. its crazy that its just coming to NYC. personally, their iced coffees are my saving grace... like 1.75 for a medium and for just over 2 bucks you can get a large that will last you forever... its not too shabby and it keeps me awake at work or on a long drive, and i can grab on in the drive thru, sooooo easy.
i get the mochas sometimes, but its like paying 3 bucks for a chocolate milk with whipped cream, plus their medium mocha seems REALLY small, or like they put too much ice in it, because i always drink it in like three gulps. so its not really worth the money, but sometimes i just NEED one. with the cinnamon melts, its a pretty rad combo [can you tell i have mcdonalds often? its one of only three options near where i work, the others being subway and a gas station, so MCCAFE YAY].
redzerostar at 1:04AM on 05/10/09
@chiffonade: I thought regular coffee (from a deli, diner, or coffee truck) was milk & sugar, and light was milk, no sugar. And, I am a native NY'er, BTW (ooh, sorry, wasn't trying to be snarky).
foodplease at 10:39AM on 05/12/09
I got an iced mocha on my way to work on Sunday morning as I was running too late to make my own coffee at home. I thought it was swill... and for almost $3, was NOT worth it. It was completely full of ice so I probably got about 5 ounces worth of actual beverage. Like the article mentioned, I too thought it tasted more like chocolate milk than anything else.
I noted this morning though, I got a 32 OUNCE vanilla iced coffee at Einstein Bros for $1.79 (which is mad cheap for coffee around here - Philly 'burbs). And their coffee at least tastes half decent, as far as chains go.
paMom at 3:30PM on 05/12/09
I tried a latte, which I ordered just plain, which I thought would have meant just espresso and milk, but what I got was still cloyingly sweet. Do they not offer just plain lattes, unsweetened? On top of that, it had a bad, artificial, chemical-like aftertaste.
I don't care how cheap it is, I can't say I'd be willing to pay for that again. I'll stick to Starbucks and the Allegro coffee bar at my Whole Foods.
Control at 9:00PM on 05/13/09
You may as well seek out some really good coffee, there is barely a price difference between McCafe and a good cafe and the quality and flavor is obviously worlds apart. In NYC, Gimme!, Joe and 9th Street Espresso all offer the same drinks in the same price range--and it will be a drink to savor.... otherwise, check out http://www.espressomap.com to find quality obessed coffee shops in the US.
MissMae at 8:51AM on 05/15/09
I like McD's REGULAR coffee .. alot. But their McCafe stuff is horrid!
TeriN at 3:08PM on 05/15/09
Make your coffee at home, put it in a travel mug (preferably stainless steel---I got a nice one at Target) and have your coffee or espresso exactly the way you like it while saving money and the environment (all those throw-away cups and lids)
brigittesm at 11:09AM on 05/18/09
I'm from Australia and I work at a McDonalds here. The McCafe looks totally different to what we have here. McCafe in Australia is more closer to a traditional cafe, where the barista is more involved in making the coffee (steaming the milk etc). If you're lucky, you'll get a properly trained barista (like me...) and a pretty decent coffee.
The McCafe in the US looks more similar to what we call 'EspressoPronto'. All the drinks come made from the machine and the iced coffees come pre-prepped, all we have to do is either press a button or pour it straight into the container. The coffees are not filled to the top so that customers who get it through drive thru don't have it spilling everywhere as they drive (that's what I think anyway, seems to make sense). I haven't tried it yet but I don't expect it to be the same level of quality as McCafe.
muki89 at 5:21PM on 05/19/09
I tried the Iced Mocha and it was a complete waste of nearly $3. It was WAY too sweet and although I could taste the coffee, I wouldn't want to because it had a harsh, burnt flavor.
jo_wang at 4:16PM on 05/20/09