Starbucks coffee shops have become cultural icons in America. Not just a coffee shop, Starbucks has become a hang out for the hip young and the hipper older crowd. With the great aromas of exotic coffees lingering in the air and all of favorite tunes playing, it’s no wonder that Starbucks is so hugely popular. With plenty of places to congregate and such great ambiance all around why would a customer leave? The economy! People are abandoning their one time cool hang out to save a buck or two, or more. We decided to check it out for ourselves by issuing a challenge. It’s a McDonald’s VS Starbucks coffee review. Would the titan industry Starbucks be able to stand up to the challenger? Will McDonald’s be able to shed it’s kid loving image to meet the needs of coffee lovers?
Our journey began at the local McDonald’s. We were surprised to find the changes to the menu to be so varied. Besides just coffee they offered lattes, cappuccinos and many flavored coffees. Iced or frozen coffee was listed to. For the purposes of our research, we decided to try a cup of Classic Roast coffee. It was a simple dark roast of coffee. McDonald’s offered two sizes, regular and large. No uptown ordering here. It came in a flashy new cup that says McCafe on the side. We were offered cream and sugar. We settled down to allow our cups time to cool. It smelled terrific but to be fair, have you ever smelled a bad cup of coffee?
After a few sips I knew this was good stuff. My friend agreed. The Classic Roast was a medium to dark color that tasted fresh and good. There was slight sheen to the cup showing that the coffee was indeed freshly roasted and probably freshly ground. It had good body and wasn’t bitter at all. Best of all it was only 99cents. I loved it. There was no hip couch to sit on and no piped music, but the coffee was really good.
The next day we headed over to the neighborhood Starbucks. I was the only customer in the place at first. I wondered to myself wryly if everyone else as at McDonald’s. The place smelled inviting, the aroma of brewed coffee filled the air. To be fair in my McDonald’s VS Starbucks coffee review I chose a cup of house blend. As did my friend. Of course there is the challenge of ordering a tall (which is the smallest) venti (medium sized) or grande (largest size). After slapping down almost $3 a piece for our coffee we sidled into a cool looking booth to drink our coffee. The House Blend was great. Smooth, not bitter. It was a great eye opener. We enjoyed the java but we couldn’t’t stop talking about the fact that we were drinking $3 as opposed to 99 cents.
While I enjoyed the taste and flavor of both coffees, I chose the McDonald’s Classic Roast as the winner. So did my friend. Why? A couple of reasons. Number one was the tastes were comparable and for the price? It was kind of a no brainer. Sure the cool couch and booths were missing. No great tunes played over head, but we walked out of the big M’s with a few more dollars in our pockets.
