12-05-2025
McDonald's chef spills why the fast food chain has the best coffee — and the secret hack
There's a reason McDonald's fans are lovin' the coffee so much.
The coffee at the fast-food chain has developed a cult following — and some coffee enthusiasts even go out of their way to get coffee from the Golden Arches rather than a fancy coffee shop.
Many people on social media claim that it's the best coffee they've ever had.
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'Why is McDonald's coffee almost always better tasting than just about anything I buy and brew myself?' one person on Reddit asked. 'I try all kinds of coffee, trying to duplicate the taste of that $1 large cup of McCafe and almost always fail. What is McDonald's secret?'
And they weren't the only ones to think so.
'I think that every time I buy coffee anywhere,' someone responded.
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'Well, the secret's out. McDonald's 1$ coffee is the best coffee in the world,' another noted.
'I've had enough McCafe to KNOW it tastes better than what I make at home,' a user commented. 'McDonald[s] may have a lock on a source of the good stuff.'
A McDonald's chef finally revealed the secret to Food & Wine, sharing that they get the perfect blend by focusing on 'the little things.'
3 McDonald's corporate chef Mike Lingo revealed the secret behind the chain's beloved coffee blend.
RYAN MCBRIDE/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images
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'For our coffee, we use 100% Arabica coffee beans sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms or farms participating in our McCafé Sustainability Improvement Platform (SIP) program — it is a special blend made just for McCafé, a medium-dark roast with a full body, fruity, floral, and chocolate notes,' Chef Mike Lingo told the outlet.
The blend is made just for McDonald's — meaning you literally can't get it anywhere else.
3 Many people on social media claim that McDonald's has the best coffee.
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McDonald's has previously shared that one of its coffee suppliers, Gaviña Gourmet Coffee, which sources most of its beans from the Gaviña family in Southern California, offers a training program to McDonald's employees.
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The program allows employees of McD's to learn 'the art of brewing great coffee.'
For all of McDonald's brewed coffee, it's a 'traditional hot brew,' while they use a 'Japanese iced coffee brew method' for the iced coffee.
3 The coffee at McDonald's has developed a cult following.
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'At McDonald's, we're focusing on making sure the little things are done right and leveraging great partnerships to ensure we are selecting the best beans for our blends and roast levels to bring out that great flavor,' Lingo shared.
'We pay attention to the details while we brew, from the quality of our roast and selection of our beans to the equipment we use.' It also grinds all its coffee on-site, which helps to preserve its flavor as ground coffee begins to degrade instantly.
