Coffee drinks prepared by Starbucks and McCafe failed to impress coffee experts at The Coffee Review, an online publication that rates and reviews coffees. In a recent taste test, the Starbucks' coffees scored higher than their McCafe equivalents, though neither company's offerings earned gold stars.
Berkeley, CA May 28, 2009 -- In a recent tasting of McCafe and Starbucks coffee drinks conducted by editors of The Coffee Review, Starbucks coffees earned higher marks than those from McDonald's, though none of the drinks truly impressed the expert tasters.
The Coffee Review, led by editor Kenneth Davids, sampled four different hot, espresso-based beverages in two McDonald's Northern California locations offering the new McCafé menu, and the analogous four beverages at two nearby Starbucks locations: a cappuccino, caffè latte, caffè mocha (espresso, frothed milk and chocolate syrup) and caramel latte.
The quality of the products varied by the type of drink. According to Mr. Davids, who has published three books on gourmet coffee, for the cappuccinos "We gave a slight edge to Starbucks, though some may prefer the more coffee-muted McDonald's version with its larger proportion of milk to coffee." He added that "the difference in caffè lattes was subtle, perhaps not worth fussing over for most palates, although we found the Starbucks version livelier and more nuanced."
However, when it came to flavored coffees beverages, Mr. Davids found "the superiority of the Starbucks versions of caffè mocha and caramel latte was dramatic, and significant, given consumer preference for espresso beverages involving added syrups." Mr. Davids noted that the Starbucks versions cost 44 to 76 cents more than those from McDonald's, leading him to conclude "It appears that at this front of the coffee war you get what you pay for, particularly when it comes to drinks that include syrups and whipped cream."
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