Replicating McDonald's Black Coffee at Home?

[PatrickTyler]

Hai Everyone,
Whenever I make McDonald's brand coffee at home and I am following the package instructions, it always turns out a lot more bitter and less smooth than what I get in-store. Does anyone know if they have a specific brewing process or trick, like adding a pinch of salt or something? I’ve started experimenting—picked up a French press and tried filtered water, which helped, but I still can’t quite nail it. Please give me any ideas to get that taste.
Thank You.

 

[badjak]

Do you check the water temperature?

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I doubt that Maccas (as they are called here in Australia) make their coffee in a French press (cafetiere). Coming from the UK, it had taken me a while to understand how seriously Australians take their coffee, but one of the things I have picked up is that how the coffee is processed with water actually affects the final coffee liquid. So exactly the same beans, ground to exactly the same grind, but made via different methods (filter paper, French press, Italian coffee kettle (thingy), or an expresso machine will all come out differently.

And how long it is brewed for, water type and treatment will also affect it. I'll see if I can find an article I read on it a while back. It was quite interesting. This isn't it (The Science of Coffee Brewing: How It Affects Taste) but does cover some of the issues, including not using filtered water (apparently you need the minerals in hard water to bring out the aroma in coffee).

But the outcome was that you'll need to replicate how Maccas makes it if you want it to be exactly the same. Same water, same temperature, same time brewing, same equipment to brew it. And it sounds like you're brewing it for too long.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

This is also a good read, explain what I have failed to.

Brew Variables that Affect the Taste of Coffee

 

[TastyReuben]

But the outcome was that you'll need to replicate how Maccas makes it if you want it to be exactly the same. Same water, same temperature, same time brewing, same equipment to brew it. And it sounds like you're brewing it for too long.

That’s what I was going to say - it’s likely a near-impossible task, given all the variables.

Just the water alone…is it filtered water? If so, how often are they changing the filters at McD’s (you probably don’t want to know… ), what’s the brew cycle on the machines they use? How hot’s the water getting…and that’s just the water.

I remember reading a story about some celebrity who loved the coffee at a hole-in-the-wall diner near his house. He was a constant coffee drinker, and he tried everything, all these expensive beans and elaborate machines, to replicate the coffee, without success.

He finally asked the owner, who took him back in the kitchen and showed him a restaurant-standard Bunn Automatic drip brewer, and a big plastic tub of ground Maxwell House coffee. That was it.

He bought a couple of Bunn machines, bought cheap Maxwell House grounds, got his water from the diner, brewed it…close, but not exactly the same, so there you go.

 

[blades]

If the coffee is bitter then the ratio of coffee to water was too far toward the coffee, no matter how it is made. But, as others have said, there are a lot of variables. I also use a French press and usually use espresso coffee in it. But I grind it more coarsely and use less of it than other coffee roasts. We drink it black and it doesn't taste like traditional espresso at all. Espresso is generally ground finely and brewed under pressure. Big variables.

I remember being the guest of a friend at his country club and I was amazed at the coffee. I asked what it was and the server explained that it was a special instant coffee. I wish I could buy instant coffee like that.

 

[karadekoolaid]

Who knows what coffee McDonald's uses? I'm sure they'd tell us they use the "finest"beans , but there are over 70 countries in the world that produce coffee. That's already 70 variants or more, if there are various sources.
Then there's the quality of the beans. Are they all deliciously plump and dark red when harvested, or are some of them green?
Then there's the type of bean. Is it Arábica, Robusta, Excelsa, Typica, Bourbon?
Then there's McD's itself. Every single item is standard, so with 41, 800 restaurants around the world, they're probably using a reliable supplier - probably from Brazil, the world's largest producer.
Finally, there are so many variants which could affect the flavour of the final cup - water, outside humidity, temperature, altitude etc, etc. it'd be almost impossible to duplicate the exact flavour from your local McD.

 

[blades]

Who knows what coffee McDonald's uses

Apparently this writer does.

 

[karadekoolaid]

Apparently this writer does.

Well, yes. I got Brazil right, anyway. Arábica is also just about the most common strain in the world.
To be honest, my point was badly presented. I just wanted to say that there are so many variables that's it might be near impossible to re-create McD's coffee at home.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Well, yes. I got Brazil right, anyway. Arábica is also just about the most common strain in the world.
To be honest, my point was badly presented. I just wanted to say that there are so many variables that's it might be near impossible to re-create McD's coffee at home.

Maybe you missed this bit?

Whenever I make McDonald's brand coffee at home

I had assumed that the OP does what I do, which is to buy the coffee beans from the Cafe directly. Certainly with my preferred coffee bean, you can't buy from the roaster so can only buy those beans at a Cafe that uses them.

 

[karadekoolaid]

No, no, I didn't miss that bit, but perhaps my post was a bit of a non sequitur!
My thought process went:

• Mcd's coffee - should be identical worldwide
• Home made, not in the restaurant
• Too many variants

 

[PatrickTyler]

Thanks for the ideas and for sharing that story! It is true—there are so many little factors that seem to make a big difference, and I hadn't thought about how much the water quality and filter changes might affect the taste.

 

[blades]

Well, yes. I got Brazil right, anyway. Arábica is also just about the most common strain in the world.
To be honest, my point was badly presented. I just wanted to say that there are so many variables that's it might be near impossible to re-create McD's coffee at home.

I wasn't trying to debate with you, just to look up an answer and post it. Most people agree that coffea arabica makes the best cup of coffee and it is the most popular by far. The second most popular is coffea conephora. This species is known as robusta because it produces a stronger beverage, primarily grown in Eastern Asia. If you buy blended coffee, it could be a blend of the two. Folgers built a coffee empire in the U.S. blending the two. Today they supply 100% arabica as well.

There are a few other species as well. Coffea liberica is a phillipine coffee known locally there as kapeng baraco. Coffea stenophylla is no longer found in the wild in Sierra Leone but is cultivated in small quantities. It produces a coffee that is considered somewhere between arabica and robusta in quality. There is even a natural caffeine free coffee found in Cameroon. It is classified as coffea charrieriana.

Brazil, as you say, is the largest producer of coffee on the planet with Vietnam (largest producer of robusta variety) in second place and Colombia in third place. For your information Venezuela is #22 in the list of coffee producing countries ranked by volume. I think you mentioned that Venezuela doesn't export it so it is enjoyed only by you folks.

Incidentally the highest coffee consumption per capita is in Scandinavia. All the scandinavian countries are grouped at the top of the list.

Now we both have more information.

 

[blades]

By the way, you can buy McCafe whole beans here on Amazon and grind it and brew it to your preference. But in my opinion it is overpriced.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I wasn't trying to debate with you, just to look up an answer and post it.

Yes, don't worry; no debate here either! The great thing about CB is that we can all add a snippet of information here, and a snippet there, and all of a sudden we're a bit more knowledgeable about something we (possibly) take for granted.

or your information Venezuela is #22 in the list of coffee producing countries ranked by volume. I think you mentioned that Venezuela doesn't export it so it is enjoyed only by you folks.

That's absolutely correct. It's a shame we don't export, because Venezuelan coffee is very good. We've got very similar terrains to Colombia and the quality of the coffee is exceptional...BUT
Back in the 70s, when Venezuelan coffee exports might just have got off the ground, the government at the time decided that they needed to develop a bureaucracy to maintain coffee standards; so they created Foncafé (the National Coffee Foundation). Foncafé purchased all the national production of coffee beans and then distributed them as they saw fit. Disaster, of course, because then you have to deal with nepotism, favouritism, politics and, of course, kickbacks. Still, the coffee we drink here is excellent, unlike Colombia. Their coffee is not good because they export all the good stuff!