When most of us think of McDonald’s, we would typically picture burgers, fries, milkshakes, not necessarily gourmet coffee. However, the fast-food giant makes outstanding coffee, and people are talking about it.
Mcdonald’s uses 100% arabica beans, Gavina gourmet coffee is their leading coffee supplier, but they also have some others supplying them in the USA. Mcdonald’s strives to offer their respective customers their preferred Roast. The company has partnered with rainforest alliance certified farms that maintain optimum ethical and environmental practices worldwide.
Fans of their coffee have described the flavor as nutty and slightly bitter with chocolate notes. It’s no wonder their coffee tastes exquisite when they only use high-quality coffee beans, excellent coffee machines, and well-trained baristas.
Let’s inspect a little further into what makes McDonald’s coffee tastes so great and how you can enjoy the McDonald’s coffee experience at home.
What Kind of Coffee Does Mcdonald’s Use?
As we mentioned, Gavina Gourmet Coffee is McDonald’s leading supplier of coffee beans; but we will look at three others that supply them their coffee in the United States.
GAVINA GOURMET COFFEE has its main headquarters in Vernon, CA. A family of Cuban migrants founded the company, and it remains a family-run business to this day.
They are passionate about producing the finest quality coffee to their customers. Gavina sources its coffee from 19 different countries in Central and South America, and they carry four certified organic lines.
The company has supplied McDonald’s for over thirty-three years; its partnership produced McDonald’s Premium Roast Blend. Their coffee is famous for its crisp acidity, sweet undertones with spicy citrus notes.
SEATTLE’S BEST has its main headquarters in Seattle, Washington. Their history dates back to the 1970s with the Stewart brothers, who began brewing coffee on Seattle’s Pier 70.
They called their business the Wet Whiskers back then. They changed their brand name to Seattle’s Best Coffee upon entering a local taste test competition.
The name they chose proved lucky as they won the competition. They use 100% Arabica beans, sourced exclusively from Latin America; they also work closely with the farmers to ensure consistent quality.
NEWMAN’S ORGANICS Blend is part of Newman’s Own food company established in 1982, and every after-tax profit is donated to Paul Newman’s chosen foundation.
They use only 100% Arabica beans, and it is a blend of dark-roasted Indonesian and medium-roasted Central American Coffees. Their coffee contains a delicious blend of three different flavors; caramel, hazelnut, and Vanilla.
People have described their coffee as clean, smooth, with a perfectly balanced body, which you can enjoy hot or chilled. They also serve a decaffeinated option.
MCDONALD’S/ McCafe is a food and drinks chain owned by McDonald’s. The company’s headquarters are in Oak Brook, Illinois.
The brainchild of McCafe coffee-house-style food and beverages was conceptualized and launched in 1993 in Melbourne, Australia. It was made public by McDonald’s then CEO Charlie Bell and the next CEO, James Skinner.
The franchise represents a consumer preference towards espresso coffees. They also use 100% Arabica beans. Mc Cafe blends many coffee beans to make their ground coffee; they source their beans from Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Colombia.
Why Is McDonald’s Coffee So Good?
McDonald’s uses superior-quality beans that are 100% Arabica, which they roast to the tastes of their respective customers.
They use a three-bean blend to smooth out the harsher flavors of one bean over another. Blended coffee means more consistency despite the weather and soil conditions that could affect the taste. The beans are also not over-roasted, so you’re getting a smooth well-blended coffee.
The milk in lattes and cappuccinos is always at the right temperature. Much of this is because they have well-trained baristas.
They are trained specifically to focus on coffee grind, milk, temperature, froth, and the cleanliness of the machine.
The baristas primarily work in the cafe section of McDonald’s restaurants, so their attention is not diverted from the task of making flavorsome beverages.
McCafe also uses superior espresso coffee machines to ensure a high-level coffee quality regardless of a change in personnel.
These machines display the same ability as a portafilter machine. The unit is so efficient that it can meet the needs of all customers even during the highest turnover periods in each restaurant.
What Are The Best Coffee Beverages On The McDonald’s Coffee Menu?
McDonald’s McCafe serves a wide range of coffee beverages from caramel frappes, French vanilla lattes, and caramel macchiatos.
These drinks are undoubtedly a work of art but extremely calorific and sugar-laden. These drinks also take away from the authentic flavors of the coffee beans, so it’s best to keep things simple. The best five coffee drinks at McDonald’s are:
1. AMERICANO – A simple Americano is enough to jumpstart your morning with its strong and bold flavors. This espresso-based drink is sure to make you fully awake in an instant.
2. LATTE – Lattes are deliciously milky made with one shot of espresso. The sugar in milk is full of nutrients that can make your body healthy, like calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, riboflavin, and protein. The macronutrients in milk help to lower your blood sugar levels.
3. CAPPUCCINO – Cappuccino is a real morning zinger. It’s made using two espresso shots; it’s simple and delicious.
4. MOCHA – How does McDonald’s make such delicious mocha with such a great balance of espresso with the other ingredients? This beverage is a real treat!
5. ICED COFFEE – When plain black coffee won’t suffice on a warm day, iced coffee is just what you need. It’s delicious in its simplicity.
Can You Buy McDonald’s Coffee Beans To Use At Home?
If you would like to enjoy the taste of McDonald’s McCafe at home, bags, pods, and cans in various blends are available for you to purchase at the following retailers:
- Keurig.com Walmart
- Walgreens Amazon
- Publix Target
- Food Lion Meijer
- Instacart
- Kroger
- Sam’s Club
- BJ’sKeurig.com Walmart
- Walgreens Amazon
- Publix Target
- Food Lion Meijer
- Instacart
- Kroger
- Sam’s Club
- BJ’s
- CVS
McCafe products are also Kosher. Let’s explore the McCafe home products:
1. Premium Roast
The premium roast is a medium roast blend using 100% Arabica beans. The flavor is rich, clean, with a smooth body.
2. Premium Roast Decaf
The premium decaf is also a medium roast blend with a rich aroma and clean finish.
3. Breakfast Blend
This is a bright, light roast blend and a great way to get your morning in gear. It has a citrusy and tasty aroma.
4. Colombian
The Colombian medium Roast is complex and crisp. Exclusively sourced from Colombian coffee farms, the flavors are mild and fruity with a clean finish.
5. French Roast
The French Roast is a dark blend with an intense aroma and has dark chocolate notes.
6. French Vanilla
This is a light roast coffee with a smooth, sweet aroma.
7. Mocha Collection
Explore the various chocolate mocha flavors that include salted caramel and cinnamon.
How To Make McDonald’s Coffee At Home
If a McDonald’s coffee at home is your guilty pleasure, you must try making the following delicious recipe using McCafe homebrew.
The recipe we are going to look at and hopefully attempt to make is Iced Coffee. McDonald’s iced coffee is a popular caffeinated summer beverage.
It has everything you need to put a pep in your step while keeping you cool. Let’s look at the ingredients and the method:
McDonald’s Iced Coffee Recipe
INGREDIENTS
* 2.5 cups of brewed coffee
* 2/3 cup of half and half
* Ice
* 1/2 cup of syrup
To make the plain syrup, you will need 1 cup of granulated white sugar and 1 cup of water.
METHOD
MAKING THE SYRUP
* Pour the water into a small pot, then add sugar and allow to simmer.
* Make sure the sugar has completely dissolved before it begins to thicken. Stir for about ten minutes until it’s quite thick.
* Remove from the heat and let it chill before transferring the syrup into a glass container.
* Put it in the fridge. It should last about a month.
MAKING THE ICED COFFEE
* Brew a strong pot of McCafe coffee.
* Pour ice into a pitcher, fill to the top.
* Decant the brewed coffee to the pitcher, add the homemade syrup or any flavored syrup you prefer, the half and a half, and stir everything in the pitcher.
* Fill two 16 ounce glasses with ice, then pour the coffee mixture into each of them. It will taste better with a straw.
Final Thoughts
The next time you can’t decide where to go for gourmet coffee, think of McDonald’s. Their coffee is delicious, authentic, and now you know that they source superior quality beans.
The baristas are well-trained, and their coffee-making skills are equal, if not better, to any top-quality coffee house.
Their espresso machines are more than capable of making multiple drinks at once to meet customers’ demands on their busiest days.
If you want to try making McCafe coffee at home, their products are available to buy at selected retailers for you to try making one of their delicious recipes from their menu.
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