A Darn Good Cup Of Coffee
March 5th, 2007 by FiddledeedeeI just experienced a most perfect cup of coffee. And you’ll never guess where. The drive-thru of McDonalds. It’s been a while since we last graced the golden arches. We’ve made some budget cuts this year, and Happy Meals were the first to go. And no one was very happy about it, either.
But Saturday morning we experienced a true emergency, that warranted all of us climbing into the van and seeking food and shelter. Our electricity went out. I heard a loud “BOOM” and poof. No electricity. Knowing that I had paid the electric bill, I was certain that a bomb had exploded and our quant little town was under siege. My mind immediately goes to the dark side like that. But clearer heads prevailed, and my husband informed me that a car accident likely caused a transformer to blow down the road.
I think my stories are considerably more compelling.
We dared not open the refrigerator or freezer, because we had just stocked them with a trip to Sam’s Club the day before. Who knew how long the siege might last, so we couldn’t risk losing precious cold air. We wavered between hunting down wild game in the nature preserve out back and cooking it up on the BBQ, or dried Cheerios for breakfast. McDonalds really was our only sound choice. Besides, there was no way to make my requisite pot of coffee. All four of my coffee makers needed electricity. Yes, that’s correct, I said f-o-u-r. I couldn’t even use the blender for my favorite iced coffee drink.
My family has witnessed me without caffeine, so without further adieu, we were heading out the door. The children were ever so excited to see their beloved McDonalds again. Alas, the person on the other side of the intercom no longer recognized the sound of our voices, chirping out our various requests. It had been so long. Fifteen dollars later, we sat in the parking lot with three bags, a large iced tea, and a grande coffee. It occurred to me that it would have probably been cheaper to hit Denny’s. I’ve never been a fan of McDonald’s coffee. I will drink it only in the case of a dire emergency. Which clearly we were experiencing. I spied the new and improved light tan styrofoam cup. With trepidation, I took my first sip. HOLY COW, THIS IS THE BEST COFFEE I’VE EVER HAD! Keep in mind, that I was desperate. But, I know my coffee grounds, and this was impressive. My husband wrenched it from my clasped fingers and he took a long lingering sip. “I want you to start making coffee that tastes just like this” he announced.
No pressure.
I buy my coffee grounds from Dunkin Donuts, people. It’s good coffee, and I don’t have to rob a bank to afford it. And let me tell you, it takes every ounce of will power that I can scrape together NOT to order a side of 12 or so glazed donuts every time I need to replenish my coffee stash. I’m just sayin’.
So the quest has begun to perfect my coffee making skills. I’m currently focussing on strengthening the morning pot of coffee. Evidently, I had gotten use to drinking brown dirty water, as my coffee was not strong enough. It hasn’t reached the highly refined taste of McDonalds (a phrase I never in my wildest dreams thought I would utter), but it’s closer.
If I don’t succeed, I’m afraid that I will have to don a blue uniform, and seek employment at the local McDonalds just so that I can gain access to the coveted coffee making secret.
So, next time you pull up to a McDonalds drive-thru window, and there sits a frazzled middle aged woman, with a shifty detective like air about her, guzzling the company coffee, be extra kind and patient. It will likely be me incognito.
Posted in My Life as I See It | 22 Comments »
March 5th, 2007 at 1:21 am
Dee- My love…what you need is a french press coffee maker….dnt be afraid…all u need is boiling water and viola! Perfect coffee everytime…although I would be remiss if I didnt warn you: it will put all 4 of your current coffee makers out of business! Get one…trust me on this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_press
PS. I love love love ur blog!!!!! You’re an amazing writer and I check it daily…sorry that I never commented before, but this one screamed my name!!!!
March 5th, 2007 at 7:19 am
Ok so we meet up at McDonalds?? This is funny. I have tried to steer away from Mikey D’s coffee, but you may have me trying it again with this review.
Is it cold or what this morning. Last week 80 degrees, this morning 46! Holy cow all of Florida is going to be sick.
Have a wonderful day.
March 5th, 2007 at 7:30 am
That is great! I’m all about a good strong cup of coffee (or 2, or 3) in the morning. I’ll have to try McD’s after hearing several good things about it. Hubby and I use an organic fair trade coffee that is produced locally; and we think it is worth the price.
And just think, a coffee splurge at McD’s is definitely better on the budget than Starbucks or Gloria Jean’s!
March 5th, 2007 at 8:29 am
A highly rated consumer magazine rated the McDonald’s coffee as the best. Seriously. Over Starbucks and all the others.
March 5th, 2007 at 9:01 am
And did you know, in some areas, coffee is free at McDonald’s on Mondays?
Their coffee is definitely much improved!
You have four coffee makers, huh? Maybe I should move in with you, that sounds delightful!
March 5th, 2007 at 9:10 am
I have the opposite problem. My husband says I make my coffee too strong. I personally prefer the feeling that my eyes might just pop out of my head. I guess the super dark-dark roast isn’t for everyone.
And the uniforms at our local Mickey D’s are brown. I wanna move to your town. Blue is pretty.
March 5th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Have you tried German coffee? Or Arabic? They can usually be found in the grocery area. I have not looked recently, but they used to be fairly good on cost too.
March 5th, 2007 at 9:30 am
You’ve got to find out if you can get some of that giveaway coffee that Beth F. wrote about!
Curiosity sent me a’googlin’ and I found this:
“Recognizing consumers’ evolving tastes, McDonald’s Premium Roast Coffee is a freshly brewed, exclusive blend that is whole bean roasted to create a bold, rich flavor consumer crave. F. Gavina & Sons, Inc., a McDonald’s coffee supplier, has been in business for more than 135 years and shares in McDonald’s commitment to a better breakfast.
“There are several vital processes that take place for a coffee bean to produce the type of coffee a customer will enjoy at McDonald’s,” said Leonor Gavina Valls, vice president of family-owned coffee roaster Gavina & Sons. “For McDonald’s, Gavina supplies an exclusive gourmet coffee blend made only with 100 percent Arabica beans roasted to perfection. We understand and are committed to ensuring that customers have the very best coffee experience.”
http://www.blacknews.com/pr/coffee101.html
So you could buy beans from http://www.gavina.com, see if it sells somewhere in Florida, experiment with some fair trade beans and your new french press….
Or swing by McDonald’s and let them do all the work.
btw, I can’t make a good cup of coffee if my life depended on it. In fact, I made it one time and it was bad that I handed a cup to my brother, who luckily was standing next to the kitchen sink, and when he took a sip he immediately had to turn and spit it out. My Belgian-born husband says, “It’s a science, not an art. Follow these measurements.” Doesn’t seem to matter; my coffee is always bad. (fyi: Excellent at coffee preparation–as one might expect from a Belgian–he uses Trader Joe’s organic whole bean medium roast)
March 5th, 2007 at 9:30 am
Oh boy, that got long. Sorry.
March 5th, 2007 at 9:55 am
I love Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. My in-laws gave us some for Christmas. I’ll have to give McD’s a try though.
March 5th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, hire a “mole” who can work their way inside the inner sanctum of the Golden Arches to discover the secret behind their curious brew.
This message will self-destruct in five seconds…good luck, D2!
March 5th, 2007 at 11:33 am
McD’s coffee rocks. It’s ’bout all they do right. Don’t sweat it, it’s a cheap pleasure!
March 5th, 2007 at 11:58 am
While I do not enjoy coffee I can’t believe I just threw away four coupons that were each for a FREE cup of this amazing coffee! Why, oh why do I do these things? Can we still be friends?
March 5th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Hmmm. McDonald’s coffee. Now there’s something I never would have thought to try before. Thanks for the tip!
March 5th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
hahahahahhaha, this post cracked me up. “It hasn’t reached the highly refined taste of McDonalds (a phrase I never in my wildest dreams thought I would utter), but it’s closer.” so funny.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
I am not a coffee drinker (I know, I know, PERISH the thought!), but I have heard that McDonalds coffee is really good. Go figure. I bet your kids are excited about the new discovery.
March 5th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
I…must…resist…I…can…not…give…in…I…am…not…strong…enough.
It’s is official. We are somehow related. I too own f-o-u-r coffee pots.
*sigh
March 5th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
I once stayed at a B&B in Boston and they swore by a mix of half Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and half Starbucks house blend. I’m not a connessieur, but it was pretty good.
March 5th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Our house, Last week, no power, for FOUR DAYS!
The good news is we were prepared and all our planning works.
The bad news is, that even with planning that works, it is still a yucky time.
I would make a lousy pioneer.
March 6th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
In New England McDonald’s switched from Maxwell House to Newman’s Own Organics Blend coffee this past November. It seems they use different coffee brands in different markets/areas. Not bad, so I was pretty excited to hear that the “free coffee between 5AM and 7AM” promotion is back in my area. Love getting free coffee!!
The key to good coffee though is water-to-grounds ratio. To brew a good pot of coffee with your typical drip-style-Mr-Coffee coffee maker use 1 tablespoon of coffee for every cup of water. And don’t freeze or refrigerate your coffee. That will ruin the flavor for sure!!
March 7th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
My problem is, I get the “Don Dons” coffee (as my kids call McDonalds) and they serve it in,…that,…that cup. Something about styrofoam and engineered contemporary verses OF that send me into a public bout of dry heaves (that is, unless I’ve actually swallowed a gulp of jo, in which case I’ve got the bean flyin’ out my nose while the girl in the drive through window catches my plague like a contagious sneeze and begins an upchuck of her own). If it isn’t poured in a real cup, it can’t make it past this gal’s gag reflex.
Loved your blog. Feel free to stop by mine. Not that I can make a better cup than McDonalds to serve you, but I am serving pierogis as a backup.
Blessings,
~Toni~
March 7th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
another French press fan here. my husband roasts our coffee beans and it’s yummy. how’s that for descriptive language? ha