Dunkin' Donuts coffee

[viaChgo]

I didn't see a thread dedicated to DD's coffee so I figured I'd start one.

I've never been a big fan, I have to say. I like Starbuck's for my regular, everyday coffee. There are also a couple of independant roasters here in Chicago that brew a fine cup as well as Julius Meinl (from Austria). I guess I favor a strong cup of coffee.

Now there are many, many people who swear by Dunkin' Donuts coffee. "They have great coffee!" I've tried it on many occasions and to me it tastes extremely weak. Like diner coffee. Maybe that's what it's supposed to taste like?

Also, I usually drink my coffee black or with just whole milk. Lately it's been with the addition of whole milk. I've had DD coffee with cream and sugar and then the coffee is much more drinkable. But then, for me, it's more of a dessert. But maybe that's why it's so good?

So, a question or two for the Dunkin' Donuts coffee drinkers...

How do you take yours? Cream & sugar?

What's your opinion of Starbucks coffee? Burnt-tasting?

[phaelon56]

There are also a couple of independant roasters here in Chicago that brew a fine cup as well as Julius Meinl (from Austria). I guess I favor a strong cup of coffee.

Are you referring to Itelligentsia? They have a very solid reputation nationally in the specialty coffee community.

Now there are many, many people who swear by Dunkin' Donuts coffee. "They have great coffee!" I've tried it on many occasions and to me it tastes extremely weak. Like diner coffee. Maybe that's what it's supposed to taste like?

Their actual blend of beans is on the light and relatively neutral side - it's not robust nor is it full of distinct or interesting flavor notes. But I'm also fo the opinion that they don't brew it as strongly as they did years ago and that's why it tastes so weak. More water + less coffee = more profit

I've had DD coffee with cream and sugar and then the coffee is much more drinkable. But then, for me, it's more of a dessert. But maybe that's why it's so good?

Most of the people I know who like DD coffee love their coffee light and sweet with no strong coffee flavor. DD fits the bill on those counts.

What's your opinion of Starbucks coffee? Burnt-tasting?

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When I'm being charitable I just call it smoky (couldn't resist the pun). But yes - it's not just burnt tasting - it's burnt.

[Holly Moore]

Way back when Dunkin Donuts wasn't part of a conglomerate, I was New Products Manager for three years. Drank a few cups of Dunkin Donuts blend a day at work. Developed their retail Coffee By The Pound product. I speak of Dunkin Donuts coffee of the late 70s, not now. Could be the corporate conglomerate guys in the green eyeshades have been solving food cost problems.

It's a great cup of coffee. Not the best, but it can wake me up any morning. I do remember that we had to print different directions on the pack for Midwesterners calling for half a measure of coffee per cup as opposed to a full measure. But I think Chicago brewed it full strength.

As I recall, the coffee is a blend of primarily Columbian with the rest coming from, I think, somewhere in Africa. Or maybe elsewhere in South America. It's been almost 30 years.

Brew Dunkin Donut's 1 coffee measure per 6 oz cup and it will be plenty hearty, though it won't carry the edge of French roast blended coffee which I actually prefer nowadays.

I drink coffee black.

[suzilightning]

to paraphrase one of my favorite comedienne's (Elvira Kurt )

"they suck" both dd - no taste and starbucks - burnt

even the "coffee houses" in our area - either they burn their beans or don't roast them enough and the coffee is weak - Greene's beans, etc....

if i have good coffee - black

for iced coffee i do have to add sugar and milk, just the way my mom did until 2 days before she died

Edited March 8, 2006 by suzilightning (log)

[viaChgo]

Owen, yes, I was talking about Intelligentsia...I meant to mention them in my first post. They brew great coffee! There's also another roaster in town called Metropolis. It's a toss-up between which one I prefer. It pretty much depends on which one is closer at the moment!

I guess it's possible that the DD that I frequent (for donuts) brews a very weak cup. Or they don't brew as strongly as they used to back in the day.

[phaelon56]

I've yet to have the pleasure of trying Intelligentsia's coffee but they do have a fine reputation. Look for them in NYC in the not-too-distant-future!

As for DD - I'm convinced that they just don't brew their coffee as strong at their stores anymore. I've had DD coffee with a few friends who buy it in a DD store and brew it at home using an appropriate coffee to water ratio. It's far too mild and bland a flavor profile for my personal taste but at least when my friends brew it there's none of that tepid diluted watery characteristic that the DD store coffee seems to have. But it might be an issue only in some locations - I've tried it in only a few of their stores in recent years.

[Chris Amirault]

I drink DD coffee probably four or five times a week; large hot black in the winter and large iced black the rest of the year. Don't start with the lecture; when I don't, I drink espresso made in our Rancilio Silvia. I know from coffee. To compare DD to the shots we pull at home is just silly. They're two different beverages -- it's like comparing 7-Up and Coke.

DD coffee is not intended to compete with Starbucks. DD predated Starbucks and it will probably live well beyond Starbucks. DD coffee is not a complex blend, and the strength and quality of the brew often changes even at the same location. (The prices even change for the exact same items, but that's another thread.) But, more often than not, DD has a solid cup of joe.

As a black-only drinker, I'm very much in the minority around here, for most people order their coffee "extra light, extra sugar." While I couldn't drink such a concoction, clearly DD has figured out an effective flavor profile for the gazillion people who do. Makes sense -- and makes far more sense to me than the gazillion people who buy the equivalent of a DD XL/XS coffee at Starbucks. How people enjoy the flavor profile of their caramel latte with turbonado, given the burnt rubber taste below all that muck, is beyond my ken.

BTW, Holly, your food industry past never ceases to amaze me!

[LynDel]

My friends, who are diehard Dunkin' Donuts fans, claim they don't like their coffee very strong.

I don't mind drinking their hazelnut flavored coffee, in a pinch, but I'm not a fan of their stuff.

[Moopheus]

It wouldn't surprise me at all if DD has been making it weaker in recent years--they've been pushing pretty hard on the flavored milk drinks and not so much on the regular coffee or even the donuts.

I used to ake regular use of DD beans for my coffee mainly because it was pretty cheap and I had no money--made at proper strength it's not too bad. Charbucks I've never had any use for. Just all around awful--I'd rather drink Flavia.

If you do a search you might find the old DD vs. Starbucks thread.

[tsure]

So, a question or two for the Dunkin' Donuts coffee drinkers...

How do you take yours? Cream & sugar?

What's your opinion of Starbucks coffee? Burnt-tasting?

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I have to agree with both of your statements..the 3 times I tried DD coffee, I wondered if they had reused the coffee grounds from the previous brewing. No or very faint taste, no "oomph", like drinking dirty coffee flavored water.

Starbucks...yech! Blowtorched coffee beans for most of their coffees...only saving grace is that you can order a short coffee (the one they don't tell you about..it's cheaper than those things on the menu board) and get your daily minimum requirement of caffeine.

[phaelon56]

I have not tried McDonald's new "premium" coffee but am told that they add the cream and sugar for you at the counter when you order it - a la DD. If that ain't a direct attempt to copy a unique business practice then I've never seen one.

It's okay with me because the more heavily the big corporations push flavored swill... the greater the potential market is for gaining converts to truly quality specialty coffee from independent operators.

[Cook456]

I drink DD coffee probably four or five times a week; large hot black in the winter and large iced black the rest of the year. Don't start with the lecture; when I don't, I drink espresso made in our Rancilio Silvia. I know from coffee. To compare DD to the shots we pull at home is just silly. They're two different beverages -- it's like comparing 7-Up and Coke.

DD coffee is not intended to compete with Starbucks. DD predated Starbucks and it will probably live well beyond Starbucks. DD coffee is not a complex blend, and the strength and quality of the brew often changes even at the same location. (The prices even change for the exact same items, but that's another thread.) But, more often than not, DD has a solid cup of joe.

As a black-only drinker, I'm very much in the minority around here, for most people order their coffee "extra light, extra sugar." While I couldn't drink such a concoction, clearly DD has figured out an effective flavor profile for the gazillion people who do. Makes sense -- and makes far more sense to me than the gazillion people who buy the equivalent of a DD XL/XS coffee at Starbucks. How people enjoy the flavor profile of their caramel latte with turbonado, given the burnt rubber taste below all that muck, is beyond my ken.

BTW, Holly, your food industry past never ceases to amaze me!

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I thought I was the only black coffee drinker left. Glad to hear there are other purists around.

[Curlz]

I've yet to have the pleasure of trying Intelligentsia's coffee but they do have a fine reputation. Look for them in NYC in the not-too-distant-future!

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OOOH! OOOH! TELL US MORE, PLEASE!!

Oh, and I do like DD (cream, no sugar), but only from the stores--every time I've made it at home, I've thought it was terrible. And I really don't care for Starbuck's. LOVE the Intelligensia I drank and brought home from Chicago, though...

[phaelon56]

There is presently one cafe in NYC using Intelligentsia's beans: Blue Spoon at 76 Chambers Street in lower Manhattan.

But I've heard reports that Intelligentsia has plans to open a retail location of their own in NYC. Nothing more tangible than that at the moment - just reports. There is also someone very notable from the Seattle Coffee scene (one of the guys formerly part of Hine Coffee) who is supposed to be launching an operation in Philadelphia.

This is all good news - very good news.

[Holly Moore]

...

As a black-only drinker, I'm very much in the minority around here, for most people order their coffee "extra light, extra sugar."

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I was born and reared a black coffee drinker. I remember an early visit to New England. The waitress asked if I wanted my coffee "Regular." I answered yes, meaning not decaf. Got a cup of coffee loaded with milk. Not sure whether she added sugar too.

BTW, Holly, your food industry past never ceases to amaze me!

Me too.

[Heidi the Pilgrim]

I

So, a question or two for the Dunkin' Donuts coffee drinkers...

How do you take yours? Cream & sugar?

What's your opinion of Starbucks coffee? Burnt-tasting?

←

I have bought DD for years and years, I buy the beans, grind and brew at home. According to my friend the coffee expert, I like it because it's a mild city roast, not dark roasted and strong like some others. Personally I can't drink black coffee or I would end up with a big hole in my stomach, I drink mine with stevia and half and half (gave up light cream for caloric reasons), and I still like it better than any coffee I've had anywhere. I think the key is to buy the beans and grind your own, I think they use preground coffee in the stores and it's not the same at all.

[viaChgo]

I have not tried McDonald's new "premium" coffee but am told that they add the cream and sugar for you at the counter when you order it - a la DD.  If that ain't a direct attempt to copy a unique business practice then I've never seen one.

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I tried the new McD's premium coffee twice at 2 different locations. I asked for cream & sugar at both. One location added the cream but gave me a bunch of sugar packets. The other location just gave me both the cream & sugar to add myself. I guess they don't have the DD-system down yet.

Edited March 22, 2006 by viaChgo (log)

[gini]

I used to ake regular use of DD beans for my coffee mainly because it was pretty cheap and I had no money--made at proper strength it's not too bad. Charbucks I've never had any use for. Just all around awful--I'd rather drink Flavia.

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In a blizzard last year, my roommates and I ran out of coffee beans - the only open store was a DD around the block. We bought some beans and made our coffee. The flavor actually wasn't that bad - of course we didn't make the pot nearly as weak as the stores seem to. Seems to me like the coffee beans aren't the issue - it's how they're brewed in store.

Their turbo coffee tastes on par with most coffee I've had in independant shops and brewed at home - it should be with a shot of espresso in it!

As a side note, I do a good deal of business with DD and one of my clients there once told me that they could give their donuts away to customers without it effecting their profits. Crazy.