On my way to work, I recently noticed that McDonald's was advertising that they had a full coffee bar going. I'm not a coffee snob, so I decided to check it out one morning.

Outside was a poster of what I was to expect from McCoffee. Didn't look half bad, but the proof would be in the drinking, not the photography.

At the left of the counter was a little display of coffeeness. They even had a jar of biscotti, just like Starbucks. Behind the counter was a full coffee bar. They had special machines to make the various drinks. It was halfway between what you see at other coffee shops and a soda dispenser. The woman that was making the coffee had a special shirt on that said 'barista' on it. McDonalds has made serious commitment to getting into the coffee business.

A close-up of the sign that descibes for the customer what McDonalds says goes into the various coffee drinks. I found this more helpful than the signs at any other coffee shop I've been to before.

I decided to get a cappuccino, a mocha, and a cup of regular coffee. I also decided to try the biscotti. I watched the barista make the coffee and she bascially did the same things they do at every coffee place. It took a bit for her to walk to the back of the store to get the can of spray whipped cream for the mocha.

The packaging didn't look half bad. The store didn't have the same kind of little area to mix up your coffee with creamer and sugar but I was able to grab a few packets of sugar.

When I got the coffees home, I opened up the lids and took a look. I was suprised to see that all the whipped cream and sprinkleshad melted away completely. The froth on the cappuccino was still there.

I tried the straight coffee first. Just like traditional McCoffee, way to hot and just a little bitter. With a packet of sugar and a dollop of creme, the coffee was fine.

I tried the mocha next and it was pretty good. It's kind of hard mess up basically coffee and chocolate milk. The whipped cream whould have been nice, but it was still good without it.

The cappuccino was OK. I'm not a big cappuccino fan, but I guess it was fine. Nothing spectacular to be sure. I'm not really down with the frothy foam thing, so it was a bit distracting to me.

Lastly, the biscotti was exactly the same as the other factory mass produced cookies that you get everywhere else. Not that it tasted bad, but I'd rather get a hash browns from MickeyDs than have a cheap cookie. A warm hash browns and cup of coffee on a winter morning is a good way to start the day.

Overall, the McCoffee experience is firmly mediocre. If you are a coffee connoisseur, you probably won't be happy. If you are a regular coffee drinker like me, and you want a quick cup, McDonalds is just fine.

Posted by michael at November 06, 2005 01:43 PM