Iced coffee functions as a staple in the lives of many college students, substituting as a meal or in place of much needed sleep. However, people also enjoy coffee for its taste, and the caffeine boost is only a perk.
Dunkin’ Donuts and Tim Hortons are likely the two most common places Bonaventure students go for coffee, as opposed to other fast food chains where coffee is not a focus on the menu. In my experience, I’m strictly loyal to my iced coffees and lattes from Dunkin’, with the occasional frappe from McDonald’s.
In what we deemed our “Quest for the Best [iced coffee],” a friend and I purchased iced coffee from local fast food chains and compared them by price, amount of coffee, ice and taste. Locations we tested include Dunkin’ Donuts, Tim Hortons, McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s, with all but Wendy’s offering iced coffee without flavor.
While cost is important when making a purchase, especially if it’s consistent, the price plays as valuable as a role when on a budget. Based on price alone, Dunkin’ and Tim Hortons offer the cheapest options when ordering a small iced coffee with cream and sugar, at $2.16 and $2.15. Burger King’s iced coffee is priced at $2.58, with McDonald’s iced coffee being the most expensive at $3.55, however, the smallest size they offer is a medium.
Although Wendy’s technically has the lowest price at 99 cents, they only offer hot coffee in one size only.
Judging the options based on taste, Dunkin’s coffee was surprisingly watery, even though it had a good ratio of ice for the container. We couldn’t really taste any coffee and thought that it had to be a light roast, since it was bland.
Tim Hortons, on the other hand, had a much more distinct taste of coffee. Its containers also have lids that cave up, allowing more coffee and ice to fit in, but also had the most ice out of the chains. We decided that we didn’t mind it, but that it would taste better if there was an added flavor to counteract a bitter taste.
When it came to Burger King and McDonald’s, the two both had an overpowering sugary taste, but for different reasons. Burger King only sells flavored iced coffee, either mocha or vanilla. We chose vanilla, and the only thing you could taste with each sip is strong vanilla. However, Burger King’s coffee had the best ice ratio to their cup, which also managed to be filled up the most, and therefore getting the most coffee possible.
With the first sip of McDonald’s, I tasted grainy sugar and a lot of cream. It either hadn’t been stirred, or at least not well. Out of all the locations, this one had the most cream put in, in our experience. Despite this, there was a solid ratio of ice to coffee, with the ice being long and thin, taking up only a small amount of space.
The only hot coffee in our experiment from Wendy’s proved to be the least appealing of our options. Even though it’s not known for its coffee, the coffee was burnt with a distinct bitter taste. It wasn’t as noticeable when the coffee was piping hot, but as it cooled off, the unsettling taste of the coffee beans became more apparent.
If you’re looking for the best tasting and most cost-effective options, following this test, I’d recommend getting Tim Hortons. I wouldn’t recommend Wendy’s, unless you’re not too focused on the taste and want a quick, cheap option while on-the-go. I would recommend Burger King and McDonald’s as options if you’re looking for a more sugary and flavored taste that masks the coffee.
