If you're in a rush and seriously craving
a cup of coffee, sometimes stopping by a fast
food joint is your best bet, and if you pick
the right place, it might not taste so bad,
either.
So where should you go?
Here are America's fast food coffee spots,
ranked from worst to first.
In March 2019, Burger King announced that
it was upping its coffee game by launching
the BK Café coffee subscription service through
the store's official app.
For $5 a month, subscribers get one small
cup of coffee each and every day.
Seems like a great deal, if you live or work
near Burger King and want to grab a cup of
Joe every morning.
But...it's not.
Not unless you seriously love weak, bland
coffee with a decidedly burnt aftertaste,
that is.
"My mouth tastes so bad all of a sudden."
Burger King supposedly uses high-quality beans
in their coffee, so you've gotta assume something
goes really wrong in the brewing process.
Hard pass for this one.
Yes, Taco Bell has coffee and no, it's not
good.
While it's not quite as greasy and unsettling
as some of the other things you'll find on
the chain's menus, this stuff still isn't
going to start your day right.
Mostly, Taco Bell's coffee is just really,
really weak.
In fact, their standard coffee is basically
just hot, discolored water.
Somehow, the iced coffee has even less flavor.
Taco Bell claims that 60 percent of their
coffee is Rainforest Alliance Certified, too,
which presumably means that a good 40 percent
of the mud you're drinking doesn't just taste
bad, it's bad for the environment, too.
Subway has been trying to catch the attention
of coffee connoisseurs in recent years, but
don't be fooled, they don't have much to offer
here.
Subway Cafes are a branch of Subway restaurants
that serve not only their famous sub sandwiches,
but also a wide variety of coffees.
And to be fair to them, the selection they
offer is genuinely impressive.
But while the quantity may impress you, the
quality won't.
None of the coffee options are better than
mediocre.
The sugary coffees are too sweet, the iced
coffees are too watery, and the cappuccinos
and lattes are generally underwhelming.
If it's coffee and a sub you're after, you're
gonna want to stop by somewhere else.
Once upon a time, Jack in the Box actually sold great coffee.
Back then, about ten years ago, they used
genuine Kona coffee beans sourced from Hawaii.
Unfortunately, Jack's bean counters evidently
decided that Kona beans were too exotic and
switched to Arabica beans, which is the go-to
choice for generic drive-thru coffee these
days.
While Jack in the Box has decent enough coffee
now, there's nothing special about it anymore,
and there's certainly no reason to go out
of your way to acquire it.
If you're already in there and find yourself
really craving a cup of joe, go ahead and
get one.
No one's gonna judge you.
Although Tim Hortons used to be a dearly-loved
institution in Canada, things have changed,
and now everyone's pretty much in agreement
that the place is going seriously downhill.
So what went wrong with the coffee place that
used to be so beloved in the Great White North?
Many speculate that the drop in quality started
when the chain was bought by Burger King back
in 2014.
And you know how Burger King feels about coffee…
"Put that coffee down."
Sadly, the coffee at Tim Hortons is nothing
to write home about.
It's pricey too, which only adds to the disappointment.
If you're stuck in Canada and Timmies is your
only option, however, go with the dark roast
coffee.
It's not great, but it's the best they have
to offer.
Tim Hortons has been serving coffee all the
way back since 1964, and once upon a time,
they might just have had the best fast food
coffee in the world.
But those days are over, and Tim Horton's
ain't the king anymore.
When it comes to fast food coffee, Krispy
Kreme is the real try-hard of the bunch.
And while its coffee isn't particularly notable,
the effort put into it is commendable.
What Krispy Kreme calls its Rich Brewed Coffee
is made with Central American, African, and
Indonesian blends.
Krispy Kreme has a more forgiving version
called Smooth Brewed Coffee too, that's made
with a blend from South America.
The chain also offers lattes of various flavors,
including hazelnut and caramel.
Krispy Kreme's try-hard ways extend to the
other end of the thermometer, too.
They have iced coffees and iced lattes with
flavors such as mocha and vanilla.
It doesn't stop there, as you can also order
a frozen latte, which is basically their iced
coffee taken for a spin in the blender.
While the execution of each option is only
a few shades above satisfactory, Krispy Kreme
earns bonus points for variety.
And hey, if you're not completely satisfied
with the coffee you just ordered, you could
just stuff your face with donuts until you
forget it ever happened.
What's not to like?
One thing you should know about Sonic Drive-In
is that it sells Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
coffee.
Don't get confused by the name, though, that's
not a boutique brand.
Instead, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is
part of the gigantic beverage conglomerate
that makes those Keurig coffee pods, along
with a whole range of different soft drinks.
That said, Sonic's coffee is perfectly pleasant,
even if the taste doesn't really stand out
from the pack.
Where Sonic really separates itself from the
pack is when it adds ice to its coffee.
The two standard flavors of iced coffee, French
vanilla and chocolate, are really genuinely
tasty.
Sonic sometimes offers various other flavors,
from praline pecan to French vanilla caramel
twist, and it's never a disappointment.
If you're looking for a fast food joint with
consistently good coffee and a budget-friendly
price tag, consider Whataburger.
While this Texas-born burger restaurant doesn't
promote its coffee much, you can rest assured,
this stuff isn't half bad.
Whataburger doesn't offer flavored coffee,
iced coffee, or anything else beyond the basics.
Just go in, ask for a regular coffee, choose
a size, and wait.
Soon enough, you'll have a hot cup of coffee
in your hands, one with a steady, consistent,
and all-round decent taste.
It's nothing fancy, but it's decent.
Even better, this coffee is served in a heavy
duty Styrofoam cup that isn't hot to the touch,
making it a great choice if you're going to
be carrying your coffee around all morning.
You'll be pleasantly surprised by the quality
of coffee you find at Carl's Jr.
The chain's coffee is brewed fresh, and while
it looks extra dark and doesn't smell like
much, it has a smooth taste and multiple discernible
layers of flavor.
In fact, there's enough flavor that you should
probably think twice before adding any type
of creamer or sugar.
"Cream?"
"No thank you, I take it black."
The restaurant also offers a vanilla cold
brew that will easily satisfy anyone who loves
their coffee on the rocks.
For this, Carl's Jr. uses a light roast that
is steeped to perfection.
When it comes to coffee, Wendy's keeps things
simple.
They use 100 percent Arabica beans, like most
fast food joints.
They don't currently offer iced coffee or
any fancy flavors, either.
But despite the simplicity, Wendy's still
manages to offer an impressive product.
How?
Well, their coffee is legitimately medium-roasted,
which helps bring out the flavors of the Arabica
beans and stops it from tasting watered down.
It may give off a slightly more burnt aroma
than the competition, but the taste is rich
enough to make it worth it.
But Wendy's doesn't stop there.
Crucially, its coffee is cheaper than other
fast food restaurants.
Wendy's also seems to serve it hotter than
the competition.
Not only this, but the cups are bigger, and
have some kind of magic insulation that keeps
their hot coffee hotter longer.
It's all simple stuff, but if you want a big
cup of hot coffee that won't dent your bank
account, Wendy's is a smart choice.
Don't let the name deceive you: Dunkin' Donuts,
or as it's recently rebranded itself, just
Dunkin', isn't a donut shop that sells coffee,
it's a coffee shop that sells donuts.
The company claims to sell 60 cups of coffee
per second and employs taste testers who sip
from 200 cups of coffee per day, in order
to ensure consistency from cup to cup.
That commitment to consistency is admirable,
but Dunkin' hasn't yet reached the next echelon
of coffee greatness.
Their coffee is really good, but it's not
great.
The best part about Dunkin' is the choice.
They have the standard flavor shots and a
few that stand out such as blueberry, coconut,
and even pumpkin when it's in season.
Dunkin' also has a really decent cold brew
that is steeped in cold water overnight for
optimal taste.
If you keep your expectations in check and
don't go in thinking you'll be given greatness
in a cup, you'll be more than satisfied by
the options Dunkin' has to offer.
Back in early 2019, Panera Bread decided to
focus more on its coffee, and the early returns
have been outstanding.
Today, Panera still doesn't have a ton of
options for coffee, but the ones they do have
are executed exceedingly well.
If you like your coffee hot, go with the spectacular
hazelnut coffee.
If you like it cold, the Iced Madagascar Vanilla
Latte is pretty special, too.
And while decaf coffee is usually little more
than a disappointing afterthought at most
chains, Panera has freshly brewed decaf that
easily compares with the best stuff you'll
find anywhere else.
"You know, this is, excuse me, a damn fine
cup of coffee."
If you haven't tried McDonald's coffee in
a while, you owe it to yourself to give it
another chance.
The chain's McCafe menu just keeps on improving,
and it's come to the point that it's hard
to ignore how good it all tastes.
The variety on the McCafe menu is formidable
in itself.
You can find everything from an Americano
to an Iced Caramel Macchiato.
There are also cappuccinos, lattes, frappés,
and more.
And while McDonald's has a variety of flavors,
if you're looking for a recommendation, start
with anything that has vanilla in it.
For reasons unknown, McDonald's vanilla is
more authentic and robust than anything you
can find at any of their fast food competitors.
That's not to say McDonald's is better than,
say, Starbucks, but the gap is closing.
Coffee is surely one of the reasons why Chick-fil-A
is one of America's favorite fast food joints.
Maybe the chain's coffee tastes so good because
it gets its beans from Thrive Farmers, a company
that allows South American farmers to sell
directly to large corporations.
Whatever the secret is, it's working, because
Chick-fil-A coffee literally couldn't get
much better.
The regular coffee, which is made from 100
percent Colombian coffee beans, is great.
But even better is Chick-fil-A's iced coffee.
You can get it small or large, and either
regular or vanilla.
They blend together the perfect amount of
pure cane sugar and fresh milk with the coffee,
and the result is downright otherworldly.
Sure, it might feel like there's a Starbucks
on every corner these days.
And the chain is so ubiquitous that there's
really nothing cool or edgy about it anymore.
That said, it's hard to argue against the
facts: Starbucks has the best coffee of any
fast food chain.
When it comes to Starbucks, it's all about
the variety.
No matter what type of coffee you prefer,
Starbucks has it, and has probably mastered
it, too.
Want a nitrogen-infused, slow-steeped, cold
brew with cascading crema?
They've got it.
Want a blonde espresso blessed with coconut
milk and vanilla bean powder?
They have that too.
On top of all that, they're also mindful about
their social impact and go the extra mile
to source their products ethically and sustainably.
All in all, Starbucks coffee is worth every
last penny.
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