McDonald's Coffee Not on Par with Starbucks

I worked for Starbucks for right at a year. I started out as a barista in December 2005, was asked to train for shift manager in March 2006, and became a learning coach in April 2006. I finished my training for shift manager in August 2006, but transferred to a new store a few states away, and my promotion was put on hold until a spot opened up. Before a spot could open up for me, I ended up getting recalled to active duty with my military reserve unit. I ended my employment with Starbucks just a few days shy of my one-year anniversary in December 2006.

At Starbucks, employees are given extensive training on Starbucks' coffee, including how it's grown and roasted. Employees are also given a "Coffee Passport." The goal is to taste each and every coffee offered, and write down observations about the aroma, body, acidity and flavor of each coffee. You can taste each coffee more than once and record each tasting, as your passport is not complete until each coffee has been tasted once. When I left Starbucks, I had finished one coffee passport, and was halfway through a second. So, as you can imagine, I know a LOT about Starbucks coffee.

When I heard that McDonald's had come out with a new espresso, and that they were testing it in the Kansas City market, I was intrigued. I also had read an article online that said Starbucks was running scared in the face of this new competition. When AC put out a call for a comparison between McDonald's new product, and Starbucks' old stand-by, I decided to drive in to Kansas City to see what all the fuss was about. So, I did.

I arrived in Kansas City early this morning, and stopped at a McDonald's and ordered a Café Mocha. Unlike Starbucks, there was no pastry choice offered that would pair well with the drink, so I had to taste the drink by itself. Since I left Starbucks, I have been drinking coffee from my local QuikTrip in the mornings. So, as you can imagine, upon first taste, the Café Mocha from McDonald's did not taste right. I gave my taste buds a couple of minutes to adjust, and tried again. The second and subsequent tastes of the drink were much better than the first.