Personally I home brew the coffee. Dunkin tends to be like drinking a candy bar, never had mc donalds coffee recently enough to actually have an informed opinion there. And starbucks is overpriced for regular coffee.

Though for the beans, it's green mountain all they way. I'm a sucker for free trade organic coffee. Plus it's consistenly the best brand I've had.

@apotheosis: And wound far too tightly, something a majority of British are.

Lighten up, Francis.

Ah, the response of the ignorant: don't address the issue, attack instead.

Dunkin Donuts Coffee is the WORST!!

I LOVE Starbucks WAAAAY OVERPRICED Coffee but I never go there unless I have a Starbucks coupon or a free Starbucks Gift Card. I can't afford their ridiculous pricing!

McDonalds makes the BEST Ice Coffee hands down!!

@rlee:

It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity.

* Luwak is apparently the native word for civet.

I assume you and @Dooley have seen Dave Barry's hilarious take on it?

it cracks me up to hear people slamming starbucks. they did not become the monster size chain they are by no one liking them. obviously, someone is buying starbucks on a regular basis. personally, I find them tolerable, but a little tame. as far as chains go, I prefer Pete's, a much stronger taste, although I agree with someone who posted earlier to go to a local shop, usually far better than any chain. then again, I would rather make my own with my favorite beans!

@latormenta:
dumbass they said all 3 taste bad

@MasterShake: The DD in Columbia Heights is good though

I'm not British. I'm educated, something a majority of Americans are not.

Yeah, I can't stand the flavor of Starbucks coffee. It's always got an acrid bitterness that reminds me of pickle juice. I'm told this is the result of severely over-roasting the beans.

@apotheosis: Over here in 'murrica, it's spelled DONUTS. We reserve the right to mangle the language for marketing expedience.

I'm not British. I'm educated, something a majority of Americans are not.

Starbucks has left itself vulnerable to competition because it's become more like the competition. Now that there's a Starbucks on every corner and in every retailer, it's lost that "upscale" cachet. Ironically, because Starbucks did create a demand for a fine coffee house experience, independent coffee houses and small regional chains are filling the void, leaving Starbucks unable to return from whence it came in terms of brand positioning.

People don't like plain Starbucks coffee because it tastes burnt and bitter. Maybe if they had decent beans, this would not happen.

I prefer DD or a local shop.

@Jackasimov: Actually, living right around the corner from Metropolis, I can say with authority that they suck. Their coffee is inconsistent in quality, occasionally really good, but more often over- or under-roasted and burnt. And their baristas are Sssslllloooowww, sometimes taking 10+ mins. to make a simple Americano (and this is when they aren't very busy).

Down with Charbucks!

And "thermos" is a brand name - which we would capitalize here in the states. Thermos.

I like all of them.

Sometimes I'm not in the mood for Starbucks bitterness but I like it fine most of the time. Dunkin' is usually great but sometimes it tastes like it's been sitting on the burner too long. And the new McD coffee has always been fine with me also - except when I forget to tell them not to sweeten it. That liquid sweetener makes my teeth hurt. That's my opinion. I'm right, so there.

Strabucks is the suck! Support local joints!

Oh wait, surprisingly enough, these comments have already been made. Damn you, Pacific Time Zone, always making me come in last!

Plus they are incapable of spelling the word right; it's spelt doughnuts.

I usually stick to home brewed and take a thermos. It tastes better and it's cheaper.

I quit going to SB because they never got an order right. They kept trying to sell me "specialty drinks" or old and cold coffee (they call it "iced") when I want hot black.

I go to McRotten's now when I'm in a hurry. It's tolerable, I wouldn't go there for anything else.

And Pukin' Donuts? Their "coffee" tastes like oily mud. Plus they are incapable of spelling the word right; it's spelt doughnuts.

@johnva: Social acceptance. It's "uncool" to come into work without your travel mug or to not head over to the company brewing machine.

And... I'm not a big coffee fan but since it's blowing, there's another four inches of snow on the ground and there's no end of winter in sight, I had a cup this morning to warm me up.

@Dooley: Much like toast is simply an excuse to eat butter, for me coffee is just an excuse to drink sweetened cream.

Someone told me Starbucks purposely burns their roast to hide the fact that they routinely buy stale coffee. And that's exactly how it tastes to me; burnt. I do like DD coffee but around here the employees are so rude (and/or do not speak English) that I'd rather just make my own brew.

I am just going to stick to my regular coffee from Peets that has to be the best cup of coffee you can buy for $1.80.

Coffee is best served BLACK with no flavorings or additives or sweeteners. That is when you can REALLY tell the difference between the coffee "beans" (Actually, coffee is a fruit, the "beans" are the seeds of the coffee cherry)

My personal favorite: Guatemalan Antigua.

On a side note, has anyone ever tried KOPI LEWAK coffee? It's the most expensive coffee in the world, at approximately $420 per pound! (And you thought STARBUCKS was expensive!)

Dunkin Donut's coffee is the best. Since moving out to California, where there are no DD's, I really miss that coffee!!!

The hash browns and breakfast burger-like thing on their site looks revolting! [www.dunkindonuts.com]

i <3 sheetz.

Then again, Im happy with a cup of black coffee from sheetz when I need a kick, so Im no expert.

How they managed to mechanize, mangle, and otherwise fuck up the simple act of transforming a cup of coffee from 'black' to 'regular' is baffling.

Disgusting. You've got to be kidding - that stuff is like drinking creosote.

the only place i like more is a local shop that has honey on the fixins shelf (purportedly for tea, but honey is great in everything) & they occasionally have dominican coffee brewed, which beats the hell out of most coffee out there.

@apotheosis: Disgusting. You've got to be kidding - that stuff is like drinking creosote.

At least the Starbucks here haven't closed for retraining. Of course, they do it right to begin with (well, I get espresso on ice in a Tall cup and then fill the rest with soy milk).

Don't know about their coffee, but their donuts were the best.

Won't drink McDonald's. Tastes like crap. Won't do Dunkin Donuts, unless I'm having a fat kid day, and want to jump up my sugar intake. Starbucks works just fine for me. My drinks are never too sweet, and the coffee is always fresh.

I was pleasantly surprised the last time I had McDonald's coffee (during the Holidays). Not too dark of roast, and brewed about right. The cups that never get hot freak me out, though.

Black.

i liked dunkin donuts' donuts way back maybe 15 years ago.... before they all closed down around here. There is just no decent alternative that filled the void. Just small donut shops that werent anything special & the horrid krispy kreme overly-sugarry horridness that could send you into a diabetic coma.

Lamar's donuts is the only barely decent chain around here that is a specifically offering donuts. They are "ok", but hardly anything special. I'd rather die than eat a too-sugarry krispy kreme donut. Blech!

Alpine75, I agree. McD's coffee is good, but I often find that, unless you go in the mornings, it's usually not fresh.

Also, McDonalds has the best cup/lid combo. It's a very rigid coated styrofoam. Really keeps it hot and doesn't require a cup-condom.

Let's open the flood gates for "local chain" in 1.2.3.

A few years ago McDonald's changed how they brew coffee, they brew a new pot every hour. At least they are supposed to every hour. I've been inside many McDonald's that put a sticky note attached to the pots with the time written down to show what time they put the new pot out.

I actually think McDonald's coffee is way better than Starbuck's coffee. The only thing Starbuck's is much better at of course is specialty drinks like latte's, etc.

I get iced coffee @ McDs. It's really good. But, I don't get any syrup put into it. I just like iced coffee w/ cream. That's it. I watched them a few times make a large iced coffee for someone else. They filled the plastic cup with ice, pumped in syrup about 1/3 of the way up the cup, filled up the second 1/3 with cream and the final 1/3 with coffee. I'm sure iced coffees isn't supposed to be made with three equal parts of syrup, cream and coffee. Isn't it supposed to be mostly coffee with a little cream and syrup to taste? It grossed me out.

Starbucks coffee tastes like burnt rat fur. I think both McDonalds and DD have decent coffee if drip is all you can access (although I hate how @ DD you can't put the cream in yourself!)

DD and McDonalds coffee are both good. Starbucks regular coffee is too strong for me, but their espresso drinks are far better than DD's.

The main issue with McDonalds (and to a lesser extent DD) is that the coffee is not always fresh. At Starbucks it is always fresh.

Sorry, I know I'm not one of the cool kids if I say anything other than "StArBuXD SuXor!!!" but that's the way I feel. Starbuck's Americanos are smooth and delicious. And I'm a person who makes coffee at home using a Kona pour over vacuum pot.

@latormenta: Reread the post, it says "too bad all three chains taste like crap" Starbucks included

@latormenta: Ben said three chains - that includes Starbucks. ;)

I'm not a coffee drinker, but I've heard good things about DD's coffee.

The McDonald's iced coffee is actually pretty good. Just make sure they go super light on the flavored syrup.