McCafe Latte Taste-Off

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Story Published: Jun 29, 2009 at 4:50 PM PST

By Heather Reese

The coffee wars are on! McDonald's has launched a new line of McCafé espresso drinks, taking aim at Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts, spending an estimated $100 million on advertising. Consumer Reports just tried out a couple to see how they stack up.

Consumer Reports' sensory staffers visited several locations in the New York area as part of a coffee taste-off, pitting McDonald's hot and iced lattes against ones from Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts.

Sensory staffers drank hot lattes and iced lattes made with whole milk, no sugar or flavoring, to evaluate the differences. So how did the McDonald's McCafé challengers do?

Consumer Reports found that the hot McCafé lattes tend to have more coffee flavor than those from Dunkin' Donuts or Starbucks, but they also taste bitterer. And which brew should a real coffee enthusiast consider? None of the lattes from McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts, and Starbucks were outstanding. But they were all tasty enough to try.

Consumer Reports also tested the Colombia version of the new Starbucks instant coffee, Via Ready Brew, available on line. Taste tests show Via has a more subdued flavor than Starbucks brewed coffee and is not quite as bitter tasting. But if you like darker-roast and the somewhat bitter character of Starbucks' brewed coffee, Via might not be the way to go.

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