McDonald's serves a better peppermint mocha than Starbucks
The INSIDER Summary:
• McDonald's serves a peppermint mocha just like Starbucks, but it's half the price.
• McDonald's version is also less sweet, and tastes more like coffee and less like chocolate.
'Tis the season for peppermint mochas, and Starbucks isn't the only place to get one.
McDonald's also offers a peppermint mocha, although it's not as well known as Starbucks' holiday beverage (when I ordered one I was given a confused look and was asked if I meant a caramel mocha).
The McCafé peppermint mocha has been around for five years, and at $2.18 for a small, it's half the price of Starbucks' tall peppermint mocha, which goes for $4.84.
The McCafé peppermint mocha consists of "100 percent Arabica bean espresso, dark chocolate syrup, peppermint, steamed milk, whipped cream, and a chocolate drizzle."
Starbucks' peppermint mocha is made of "signature espresso, steamed milk, sweet mocha sauce and peppermint-flavored syrup."
We pitted the two mochas against one another to see which one tastes better. Here are our thoughts:
Both drinks were good. And while both have a relatively strong peppermint flavor, the flavor in McDonald's version is slightly more subtle. It doesn't leave the same lingering minty aftertaste in your mouth the Starbucks version.
Starbucks' peppermint mocha is also generally richer, and tastes overwhelmingly like chocolate. It tastes more like you're drinking pure hot chocolate than coffee.
The coffee is more recognizable in McDonald's peppermint mocha; it's less sweet.
After trying both side by side, I would be much more more inclined to buy McDonald's version of the holiday drink. It tastes like a festive, holiday beverage, but in a much more understated way. Plus, it's half the price.