After months of getting bombarded television commercials, billboards, tickers, and flyers about the “hip” java offerings at McDonald’s, I caved in and bought an iced latte. At $2.79, the McLatte is more economial than its Starbucks or Peet’s counterpart (usually $3.99+), but how does it compare in quality?

Frankly, I haven’t had an iced latte in at least a year. One, because they’re expensive. Two, because vendors these days mix in insane amounts of sugar to appeal to the masses. If I wanted to have my coffee as a dessert, I’d rather eat ice cream. Nonetheless, I think McCafe achieves its purpose in expanding its empire. I’m not sure where the McDonald’s java beans originate from, but I’d imagine they’re from the same batch that is used for all of their coffee. Their coffee brew is actually decent, mind you (as long as the employee isn’t combining old brew with the fresh). The clear, hemispheric lids for their iced coffees are the same as those used in the McFlurry and sundaes–this makes great economical sense. The coffee itself is slightly more dilute than the Starbucks rendition. They may have not considered the ice dilution factor in the iced coffees, or it may not have been practical to make two different concentrations given the overall sales volume. I actually prefer a more dilute drink anyway–caffeine is too addictive anyway.

I give them a thumb’s up. It’s good to see competition.

misc food