A few weeks ago, a guy I communicate with regularly on Twitter asked me if I’d been to McCafe and tried the coffee there. He’s not much of a coffee drinker but I think I was complaining about Starbucks prices and he mentioned it as an option. I’d never really considered going to McDonald’s or their McCafe for ‘premium’ coffee before. I mean, how great could a latte or cappuccino from McDonald’s be?
He was telling me that a lot of his friends go there instead of Starbucks because the prices are cheaper. I happened to be in the mall at the time (using Twitter on my phone) so I stopped by the McCafe there to have a look for myself. I wasn’t impressed.
I’m not sure if this is another case of Singapore overpricing anything that even hints at being a luxury item, or if it’s simply a matter of currency conversion and the fact that this is an imported item. Either way, the prices didn’t seem too much different from what I could find at a Starbucks here, so I kept going.
Yesterday I decided I might as well give it a shot. I wanted something cold and coffee-like, and I happened to be by this same McCafe in White Sands Shopping Mall in Pasir Ris, so I walked up to the counter and ordered their “double chocolate frappe”. Ok, so that’s not exactly a coffee drink, but it should still have some coffee in it.
The presentation was nice. It certainly looked good:
So, it was time for the real test. The taste test. I took a sip through the straw and… fail. It was watery tasting. Even if it had a low coffee content it should have still tasted … thick… since it’s a frappe, but what I tasted most was crushed ice. There were a few pieces of chocolate shavings in the bottom of the cup that were nice, but overall the drink was unsatisfying. I couldn’t even taste coffee in it. Is there any coffee in it? I’m pretty sure that chocolate frappes from Starbucks have espresso in them. Maybe I set my standards too high. I was hoping for something like this McCafe in Italy. Nonetheless, that’s the last time I’ll be going to McCafe for fancy coffee drinks. I’ll stick with Coffee Bean or Starbucks when I get that urge. Still, though, the best coffee I’ve had so far from a restaurant is the plain old Kopi O from the hawkers.
I’ll have to try to get out more and find some real premium coffee shops.
Bradley Farless 
Well now you know that I just have to buy the exact same drink at the McCafe here so I can taste it for myself. Perhaps it's because of the culture? Not coffee maniacs like italians? Well even if it is for that reason, I wouldn't hold my breath for the Lecco version. If they're in business for the tourists, then I'm sure they'll have watered down the coffee as well for these drinks.We shall see…
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McCafe isn't bad for some of their drinks. But for better coffee, I prefer going to Geekterminal – http://www.geekterminal.com/web/They use Illy Coffee which Cart (and pretty much most Italians I know) vehemently believe to be the best coffee in the world. Also, if you like, you can you could ask for your coffee ristretto style – a shorter, stronger, concentrated coffee.Its a spot where many bloggers like to be at since there is free hi speed wifi. I'd always usually see a familliar face there :]
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