Imagine driving down the street, craving coffee. You drive past a McDonald’s and Starbucks. Your mind is calling Starbucks, however, your wallet is yelping for McDonald’s. Which one would you choose? To settle this ongoing debate on which ubiquitous chain has better coffee—McDonald’s or Starbucks—students at St. Edward’s were asked to test which coffee they preferred. However, they weren’t given prior knowledge on where the drinks were from, so they gave their most honest opinions.

This experiment was conducted in the cafeteria at St. Edward’s. Three of the same flavors were chosen from both Starbucks and McDonald’s: iced peppermint mocha coffee, caramel iced coffee, and mocha frappuccino. Iced peppermint mocha was chosen because of its seasonal appearance for the Christmas season, while caramel iced coffee and mocha frappuccino are known to be commonly popular among coffee lovers. The drinks were poured into separate cups, and students were able to drink the same flavor from both chains, then compare each taste in the end. They had no prior knowledge of the where the drinks were from, so their opinions weren’t biased towards one chain.

Iced Peppermint Mocha
Gabby Sarullo: McDonald’s: I liked it and it was peppermint; rating: 8/10.
Starbucks: This drink wasn’t as flavorful, and it was watered down and didn’t taste like coffee; rating: 5/10.
Tom Reeder: McDonald’s: This drink tastes decent. There is a slight peppermint flavor but not too strong; rating: 5/10. Starbucks: This drink tastes way better than the prior one. There is a hint of chocolate and a stronger peppermint taste; rate: 10/10.

Caramel Iced Coffee
Grace Crumpley: McDonald’s: It tastes watered down yet sweet, but I kinda like it; rating: 6/10. Starbucks: Definitely tastes stronger yet bitter; rating: 3/10.
Katie Ellsworth: McDonald’s: The drink tastes bad while drinking it, and it tastes like eggnog. However, the aftertaste is good; rating: 4/10. Starbucks: I like it better, but tastes kind of “smoky” and caramel doesn’t come through; rating: 5/10.
Chloe Davies: McDonald’s: It tastes like spoiled milk; rating: 3/10. Starbucks: This drink has a lot less milk, so you can taste coffee more, but you can taste less caramel than the drink before hand; rating: 6/10.

Mocha Frappuccino
Maddie Ellsworth: McDonald’s: This drink has the texture of ice and Hershey syrup; rating: 2/10. Starbucks: This drink tastes way better and you can actually taste the coffee; rating: 8/10.
Alec Dunbar: McDonald’s: The taste is light, and has a good coffee flavor; rating: 8/10. Starbucks: This drink tastes better than the last drink and is much sweeter; rating: 9/10.
Gabby May: McDonald’s: The drink is sugary, and tastes exactly like a light brew coffee; rating: 7/10. Starbucks: This drink tastes a lot better and stronger; rating: 8/10.

As you can see, there is no doubt Starbucks took the “W”, while McDonald’s took the “L”. Many students enjoyed the taste Starbucks brought to the table, while McDonald’s was lower with their standards. Even though Starbucks is a few dollars more than McDonald’s, the taste would be more enjoyable. Happy coffee drinking!