TASTE TEST: Sipping The Fast Food Coffee Game

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According to a recent study the average American drinks 3.2 cups of coffee a day.

If you're like me, you could use a change of pace- or beans- every now and then. Now not all of us are Wall Street stockbrokers and can afford the burly roasts of Starbucks three times a week... let alone three times per day.

​Dunkin well...I'll be honest I despise D&D. Some of their fancier Coolatas and Dunkin Lattes aren't terrible, but for this piece I'm focusing on the straight forward regular cup of Joe. Now if I haven't totally lost you with my distaste for America's fave, here's how I rank the leading fast food chain's brews. ​

Taco Bell
Yikes! Taco Bell is known for being the "healthiest" of all the drive thru options so with that I guess a watered down cup of what in theory is coffee would be somewhat healthy. I tried their morning go-go juice out of necessity one day. I ordered an iced regular and it tasted as if someone had tried to use a K-cup for a second time. The color was far to light and the taste matched my initial impression. However my colleague ordered a hot regular which out of curiosity I sipped from. The color was right, the taste wasn't much better yet it was drinkable. There is no roast flavor, no aroma just bitter burned water with a hint of dry beans comparable to a cheap cup of motel swill. 
 Rating
 1/2 cup out of 3.

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Chik Fil A
Just about everything that comes out of a Chik Fil A kitchen is delicious gold. Their chicken is superior, their service is stellar and I could do a whole piece on their shakes. Unfortunately when it comes to the morning coffee they come up far short. If Taco Bell's brew tastes like a K-cup used a second time Chik Fil A's would be the single servings fourth or fifth go around. No flavor, no punch just bitter dry roasted nothing. It's a shame because I highly recomend the Chik Fil A breakfast just not the joe. 
0 cups out of 3

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McDonald's
We've all grown to love the golden arches for one reason or another. Perhaps it's as simple as their delicious fries or maybe it's a childhood recollection thing. Now I have a whole new reason or rather reasons to fall in love with McDoanld's. I may not order off their value menu these days but I do frequent their drive thru for a cup of coffee far more often than I used to. Delicious hot or cold McD's brew goes down smooth with just the right amount of punch for your second or third cup of the day. The McCafe offers a wide variety of sipping delights to choose from unlike it's competitors. I'll enjoy a nice iced regular midday but I'll rarely start my day with Ronald. Although there is certainly a fair amount of human fuel in their brew it's not overwhelming or even powerful enough to get an old tired motor going from a stop. Yet McDonald's can keep your day going with a taste of Arabica beans, You will be loving it. 
2 cups out of 3

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Burger King
The King does indeed reign supreme in the coffee game. According to their menu "BK Café Iced Coffee starts with 100% Arabica beans combined with silky cream and a choice of flavored syrups – Vanilla or Mocha - for a deliciously cool iced coffee experience" and that is not false advertising. Cheap, strong, and flavorful. What else do you need? Now BK isn't Starbucks or Seattle's Best but it does pack that powerful punch you need to start your day or relight your spirits in the late afternoon. They don't offer the menu optins of their chief rival but they don't really need to. Sometimes simple is better and he King recognizes that point to near perfection. 
2.5 cups out of 3

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Did I miss any? Let us know at [email protected] ​

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