by Nigel Ong
McCafe coffee has been staples with many of us, thanks to it being everywhere. One good thing about the McCafe coffees, too, is that you can make them at home by getting its range of bagged coffees.
However, how good are these bagged coffees? Are they as good as the ones they serve in McCafe restaurants, or more like a disappointment?
In this post, I picked up a bag of McCafe’s Breakfast Blend and thoroughly tested it. I brew it in three popular ways and then experiment by adding common flavorings.
Then, I compare it against other McCafe roasts and regular coffees. Finally, I arrive at my conclusion and suggest who are the people that will enjoy the McCafe Breakfast Blend the most.
About The McCafe Breakfast Blend
McCafes are basically McDonald’s trying to leap into the upscale coffee market to compete with Starbucks or Dunkin. McCafes focus on serving espresso-based coffees and snacks and tidbits to accompany the coffee.
The concept is so successful McDonald’s figures they can also sell their roasts in coffee bags. It is also a way to build customer loyalty since Starbucks and Dunkin are doing the same.
Today, you can get McCafe coffee roasts in a wide variety of styles. Some popular ones include:
- McCafe Premium Roast
- McCafe Premium Roast Decaf
- McCafe Colombian Dark Roast
- McCafe French Vanilla Coffee
You can get them as whole beans or as grounds. The ground coffee bags are ground to work with regular coffee dripper machines.
Today, I will be reviewing the Breakfast Blend. What I have in my hand is the older packaging. However, it tastes and is made the same as the current packaging design.
This is a light roast, meaning the coffee beans are not roasted for long and at a lower temperature. The coffee should have interesting flavors since the lack of smoke allows flavors to come out.
It uses 100% Arabica beans and is sourced sustainably. This means your purchase will ensure you support the farmers better. McCafe suggests that you sip this coffee in the morning to ‘Conquer the day.’ Let’s see about that.
Similar to the McCafe Premium Roast packaging, there are few instructions on how to brew the coffee.
I decided to brew the coffee using my regular methods. This helps me compare the tastes better – not just within the brewing method but also between the coffee roasts.
How Does The McCafe Breakfast Blend Taste?
I decided to brew the coffee in three ways, they are:
French Press: French press allows me to drink the coffee in a more ‘dirty’ way, where I get to sample the coffee with all its oils and particles. I expect a murky, full flavor with this one.
Pour Over With Filter Paper: This best simulates the regular coffee brewer most of us have at home. Plus, the filter paper helps to filter away coffee particles and some coffee oils, allowing me to sample a ‘cleaner’ version of the coffee.
Espresso: You generally do not make espresso with light roasts. However, I’ll make one to sample the coffee’s flavor in a more concentrated form. It should be a smooth and easy espresso with a light roast like this, but let’s see.
First Impressions
When I tore open the coffee pack, I was greeted with a light aroma of coffee. The smell is inviting and invokes a desire to chase it. It is mild and does not overpower with smoke, such as Starbucks Pike Place Blend.
Suppose you brew this on a drip machine. In that case, I can easily imagine the aroma wafting down-home hallways in the mornings and bringing everyone to the kitchen.
I also seem to detect an aroma that reminds me of toast, bread, and tomatoes. No wonder this is called the Breakfast Blend; it does invoke that morning coffee feel.
All right, time to get brewing. I pulled out my coffee gears and got started. Here are the things I use:
- Bodum Caffettiera French Press
- IKEA Overst Coffee Pour Over Set
- Hario Coffee Filter Paper
- IKEA Riklig Glass Pot
- Wacaco Minipresso GR Espresso Maker
French Press
I pulled out my trusty Bodum Caffettiera French press and brewed a 2-cup batch. I used the 1:12 coffee-to-water ratio recommended by Illy Coffee.
I added 15 grams of coffee, and 180ml of hot water, at around 185°F (about 85°C). I let the concoction brew for 4 minutes before pouring a cup and sampling. The aroma instantly fills my kitchen. My kitchen now smells like McCafe, for sure.
The coffee tastes very light and incredibly smooth. The coffee almost has the softness of a cup of English Breakfast tea, with a mild taste that reminds you it is coffee.
It definitely does not smash my palate with smoke, unlike the Starbucks Pike Place Blend. It is also softer and has less smoke than the McCafe Premium Roast.
As I sip along, I detect some citrusy acidity. I believe it is lime, although I cannot be sure on this one. The coffee also has a slight sweetness that reminds me of fresh bread. The sweetness is similar to when the starch on fresh bread first melts on your tongue.
This is a beautifully smooth coffee you can sip casually on lazy mornings to start your day slowly.
Pour Over With Filter Paper
When the coffee is so nice and light on a French press, I wonder what will happen when I brew a clean drink. I use my IKEA Overt Pour Over Set and the IKEA RIklig tea/coffee pot here.
I use the pour-over brewing method from Starbucks. I added 15 grams of ground coffee and slowly poured 270ml of water. I only focused on wetting and blooming the coffee grinds first before slowly adding more water to brew the coffee.
The brew comes out looking slightly lighter in color. The filter paper, again, helps to remove some of the coffee oil and finer coffee particles. There is also less sediment at the bottom of the cup, compared to the French press.
The coffee also tastes much cleaner. I could detect stronger citrus notes; I think it is lime. There is also some tomato flavor in the coffee. The toast bread flavor and aroma make the coffee very nice to sip.
Unlike the McCafe Premium Roast that made me want to bite into a Fillet-O-Fish, I want a nice bagel or pastry with this coffee. The starchy sweetness of the coffee made it a perfect pair with pastries.
Espresso
I wanted to explore how this coffee would taste as an espresso, just to see how much of its light flavor I could concentrate on together. I grabbed my Wacaco Minipresso GR and pulled a shot.
The result is a great espresso with rich, thick crema. When I smell the crema, it is lighter, without the charred, smoky smell most dark roast espresso has. The toasty and slightly tomato-like acidic smell is also quite prominent.
The espresso is extremely nice to sip. It lacks the punch typical espresso drinkers want, but this can easily become a casual espresso you sip if you prefer something lighter.
The espresso form of the McCafe Breakfast Blend should go very well as a macchiato or with a dollop of cream on top.
What Flavorings Work Best With McCafe Breakfast Blend?
Now that I have sampled the black coffee, I thought I’ll go ahead and try to sample the coffee with flavorings. Many of us flavor coffee with milk, cream, and sweeteners, so I’ll try them with the McCafe Breakfast Blend.
Sugar
I am not really a fan of sugar in coffee, as I think it takes away the natural flavors of the coffee. I personally only see the fit to use sugar when the coffee is too smoky, such as in dark roasts.
I added two sticks of brown sugar to a fresh cup of coffee. I sipped it, and I do not think it is necessary. The coffee tasted very light and easy and should not require any sweetener.
If you are the type that reaches for sugar immediately for your coffee, consider giving the Breakfast Blend a try black. You may be surprised by how the toast bread-like sweetness makes the coffee drink much better.
Sweetener
I made a fresh cup and added two drops of Equal artificial sweetener. I washed my palate with some water and then went ahead and sipped this coffee.
Similar to sugar, I do not think it is necessary. In fact, I think the aspartame made the coffee lose its natural sweetness. Replacing it is the aspartame, which may be too strong. It masks the coffee’s already soft flavors, making it less satisfying.
If you insist, maybe a drop is enough to slightly sweeten the coffee. Add more, and you’ll lose the flavor of the coffee.
Milk
I washed my mouth with some carbonated water and poured a fresh coffee. I added a shot of UHT, fresh cow’s milk, into the coffee this time. After a stir to even out the milk, I sipped some in.
The milk further softened the flavor of the coffee, making it even more comfortable and easy to sip. The coffee becomes creamier, which helps to make it silkier to glide around in the mouth.
I, however, think there is a fine line. If you add a little bit too much milk, you may drown away the soft coffee flavor. Something to keep in mind here when you pour milk down this coffee.
Creamer
I poured another cup and added a stick of Coffee Mate creamer into it. I figure that since it has a soft flavor, maybe a stick of creamer is enough.
I was right. Creamers usually add more creaminess to the coffee than milk; a stick works well with this coffee. It helps to smoothen the whole coffee even further and enhances the sweetness slightly.
When I added another stick, the coffee was lost. I was overwhelmed by the Coffee Mate taste, with not much coffee. Unless you like really creamy coffee, one stick should be enough.
McCafe Breakfast Blend vs. Premium Roast
I washed my palate with carbonated water and brewed a small McCafe’s Premium Roast cup. I then put them side by side.
Color-wise, there is not much difference. However, the Breakfast Blend is marginally lighter in color. The Premium Roast has a smokier aroma, which makes it stronger than the Breakfast Blend.
Taste-wise, I started with the Breakfast Blend and enjoyed it thoroughly. When I sipped on the Premium Roast, the smoke killed whatever taste of the Breakfast Blend that remained in my mouth.
This is expected, as the Premium Roast is a medium-roast coffee. It should overpower the Breakfast Blend in taste, aroma, and flavor.
I would enjoy the Premium Roast in the afternoon or evening with a savory sandwich. Maybe weekday mornings, too, since its stronger flavor may deliver a bit more punch to get me awake. It will make perfect driving coffee too.
The Breakfast Blend? I will reserve it for lazy mornings or slow afternoons. It will also be great with lighter-flavored food, such as a regular bagel or fresh bread.
McCafe Breakfast Blend vs. Regular Coffee
The McCafe Breakfast Blend may be light in flavor but has depth and character. You can taste some citrus and fresh bread-like flavor in the coffee. This makes it a unique blend; I thoroughly enjoy this coffee as a casual sip, to be honest.
It beats your regular gas station or convenience store coffee by miles. These coffees are usually flat and bitter with little depth in flavor. Some may be too earthy; you may wonder if you sometimes drink dirt.
McCafe Breakfast Blend vs. Instant Coffee
The McCafe Breakfast Blend is miles ahead of most instant coffee. It is definitely better tasting than all the instant coffee I have tasted.
As a start, it does not have much strong earthy taste, which can be signature with most low-quality instant coffee. It also has a very inviting and natural aroma, usually lacking in instant coffee.
Some instant coffee may have a nice aroma, but they, at times, can be a little too unnatural. Some also may smell a little chemical-like, especially the low-end ones.
Personally, I think the Illy Clasico Instant Coffee may be able to come close to the Breakfast Blend. But still, it does not taste better. I will happily get my Breakfast Blend over a cup of Illy Clasico anytime.
Who Should Drink The McCafe Breakfast Blend?
The McCafe Breakfast Blend is a light coffee that can be enjoyed by almost everyone. Even those who prefer dark roasts may sometimes want something light, and this blend will work well.
This is one great coffee to get non-coffee drinkers to start with. It is light in flavor and does not have edgy tastes like in single-origin roasts. These edgy flavors may be nice for connoisseurs but can taste odd and weird with new drinkers.
If you are a casual drinker and just want a coffee that you can drink all day, this is one blend that can do it all. It will make great Breakfast, after lunch, and afternoon break coffee.
It should also work well with sweet treats like cookies and hold its own with savory food like a meat pie.
The McCafe Breakfast Blend can be your ‘default’ comfort coffee if you are a connoisseur and a serious coffee drinker. There may be times you just want a simple cup of coffee to sip on, and the McCafe Breakfast Blend’s mellow, inoffensive taste will be just right.