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GREAT Article - its in listicle format so very easy to skim through

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GREAT Article - its in listicle format so very easy to skim through

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https://www.businessinsider.com/i-started-going-to-mcdonalds-instead-of-starbucks-for-my-coffee-here-are-4-reasons-why-2015-10

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McD's coffee seems like it has cheaper ingredients & is lower quality than Starbucks. It also looks very sugary/unhealthy.

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Starbucks coffee is higher quality, offers a larger variety of options & is tastier than McD's coffee.

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Based on this video, I think McD's coffee may be a contender against Starbucks for non-coffee connoisseurs. But for quality coffee, I don't think McD's really stands a chance.

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http://coffee-addict.com This video is a news magazine report about the battle between Starbucks and McDonalds over the coffee market. It's interesting to hear what customers prefer.

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Best practices matter, coffee drinkers taste the difference.

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McDonald's

Coffee has been on the McDonald's menu since the restaurant's inception, and when a fast food giant has been slinging something for more than half a century, there's bound to be some fun facts, interesting history, and maybe even some scintillating gossip to be learned. Nobody can forget that infamous lawsuit, can they?

Once upon a time, a plain ol' cup of joe at the Mickey D's would run you 10 cents, and we can only assume it was something super tasty, like Maxwell House, that had been brewed many hours before. These days, you can often nab a McCafe coffee, made with 100 percent Arabica beans and freshly brewed every 30 minutes, for just a buck (depending on the current promotion). Not too bad of an inflation rate for 70-some years, eh? But while cheap is a fine attribute, what about its taste? Believe it or not, plenty of coffee lovers out there adore the drinks in the McDonald's McCafe lineup, and some even think they're better than Starbucks. Gasp. And the numbers don't lie - the McCafe brand is responsible for making the Golden Arches a shocking amount of money each year. How much? You'll have to read on to find out, along with all the other things you never knew about McDonald's coffee.

The McCafe machines might be disgusting

Bad news, McCafe fans: There might be a secret ingredient in those coffee drinks you love so much, but it's not a pinch of cinnamon or a dash of vanilla - according to one Mickey D's employee on Reddit, it's much more nauseating than that.

"I work for McDonald's and make sure everyone that matters to me never orders anything that comes out of the McCafe machine as these are routinely neglected, in practically all the McDonalds," they said. Not only are staff not properly trained in its cleaning and maintenance, at almost every McDonalds I've had experience with, the managers in charge of training them don't know [anything] either." They went on to explain in detail how disgusting the insides of the machines are, including the lines, before concluding, "TL;DR: All McCafe beverages run through a horrifically dirty machine - we're talking 5+ inches of uncleaned, liquid bulls*** making up its inside parts..."

When another Redditor refuted this allegation saying that their location has a cleaning kit, complete with brushes, that gets used every night, a third employee chimed in to put the final nail in the coffin, saying they hadn't used the brushes in about six months... "so its insides are completely untouched..."

In other words, one in three locations might have a properly cleaned McCafe machine. Do with that information what you will.

There's a reason they use stir sticks instead of spoons

Once upon a time, McDonald's provided the cutest little spoons you ever did see to customers who wanted to stir cream and sugar into their coffee. No plain ol' wooden sticks or skinny straws here - these tiny plastic spoons even came topped with a miniature version of the iconic Golden Arches symbol. But this was in the '70s, and coffee wasn't the only stimulant in town. When the tiny plastic spoons got a reputation for doing more than stirring coffee, McDonald's had to make an executive decision.

See, when your company's coffee stirrers become the drug user's paraphernalia of choice to snort cocaine, it's probably not the best look. And it's probably even worse when that dose of cocaine, packaged with a Golden Arches stirrer, gets dubbed a "McSpoon." That's a reason for a redesign if we ever heard one. According to Snopes, a spokesman for McDonald's said, "It has been brought to our attention that people are using them illegally and illicitly for purposes for which they are not intended," and eventually, the tiny spoon got replaced with a flat paddle - you know, one that couldn't be used so easily to snort things.

It might be full of chemicals

McDonald's

There's probably nothing you could tell a coffee addict to make them give up their beloved, caffeine-laced manna of the gods. Sure, we know that it contains a chemical proven to cause cancer in rats, but no matter, they'd say - it hasn't officially been shown to cause cancer in humans, has it? And even if it did, you'd likely still have to pry that cup of joe from their hands.

But even the most devout coffee lover would have to spit out a latte full of cleaning solution, right? That's what one pregnant McDonald's customer did when she was served a McCafe drink spiked with "coffee systems cleaning solution."

"I had no idea what I was drinking," Sarah Douglas told Global News. "I just knew it wasn't coffee and it tasted like chemical." The incident took place in 2018 at an Alberta, Canada location, and while it wasn't done out of malice, it's still a concerning occurrence because according to the franchise owner, it seems to be a matter of carelessness. "What happened is that the machine was being cleaned - as it is every morning," Dan Brown said. "Unfortunately, the milk supply line was connected to the cleaning solution while this guest's drink was made."

On the plus side, at least the milk supply line was being cleaned?

They're trying to compete with Starbucks

McDonald's

McDonald's introduction of the McCafe line of bougie coffee drinks in 2009 was a strategic move against a big competitor: Starbucks. The fancified espresso offerings were said to be a "game-changer at the time," and CBS News reported that a Deutsche Bankanalyst downgraded Starbucks stock to "sell," and wrote in a memo to clients, "We expect McDonald's will extract a significant toll on Starbucks' performance, beginning this summer in earnest."

The company known for its Big Macs and Egg McMuffins reports that 16 percent of its sales per year, or $4 billion annually (as of 2016), are generated from the McCafe line, and while that sounds like a whole lot of money, it pales in comparison to Starbucks' 2018 estimated revenue of almost $25 billion. But experts still say that Mickey D's offerings should worry the coffee chain powerhouse, due to their significantly lower prices (with some drinks coming in about half the price) and the fact that the fast food chain continues to roll out new flavors and options similar to Starbucks.

There's no way to know if Starbucks is truly worried about losing business from the Golden Arches, but if we were their competitors, half priced coffee plus the promise of a piping hot hash brown would worry us.

McCafe drinks are not a franchisee favorite

McDonald's

You'd think that if McCafe drinks are pulling in $4 billion annually, franchise owners would be singing the line's praises. That's not the case though, and the reason actually makes perfect sense when you consider that McDonald's is in the "fast" food business.

We've all been stuck in that Starbucks line that moves at a snail's pace, and it's definitely annoying. But hey, we're all there for the same reason, and your specialized latte with 13 modifications is going to slow things down just like the ridiculous orders in front of and behind you. At McDonald's though, a lot of customers are just trying to get their Egg McMuffin and not be late to work, and the McCafe drinks can make that impossible, franchisees say.

In surveys asking what menu items should be cut, the espresso-based McCafe drinks got several mentions, and Business Insider reports that owners complained that the espresso-based drinks lead to "slow ordering time, slow make time, and therefore slow service time," explaining that "time-consuming products like this do not belong on McDonald's menu." And don't forget - the McDonald's employees aren't trained baristas... they're managing your McGriddles and your hash browns, too. One franchise owner lamented that getting the drinks correct was a challenge, saying "there are too many ways to mess them up."

Maybe next time, if there's a long line behind you, do everyone a solid and just order a regular cup of coffee.

It can get you charged with assault

Drive-thru workers have to deal with their fair share of complaints from unhappy customers, but from time to time an unhappy customer ratchets things up a few notches, and suddenly the cup of hot coffee they were just handed becomes a deadly (or potentially dangerous, anyway) weapon.

In 2019, 54-year-old Joseph DeLuca was indicted on two counts of second-degree felonious assault after he threw scalding hot McDonald's coffee at the drive-thru worker manning the window. DeLuca was erroneously given two cups of coffee instead of one, and when he was asked to show his receipt to confirm the purchase, he became enraged. He then whipped the entire tray, with both cups of coffee, back at the employee, who suffered first-degree burns on her neck, shoulder, and face - and of course, because it's 2019, the entire incident was caught on video. DeLuca faces up to 16 years in prison if charged with both counts.

Not all coffee is created equal

Think that coffee is coffee is coffee? Spoiler alert: It's not. And we're not just talking about taste here, either. It turns out the the amount of caffeine in your cup varies wildly, depending on where you get it. Curious about how Mickey D's stacks up?

According to Caffeine Informer, 16 ounces of McDonald's regular coffee contains 145 milligrams of caffeine. Considering a can of Coke contains just 34 milligrams, that sounds pretty decent, right? Not so fast... If it's a bump you're looking for, we've got bad news for you McCafe evangelists. The same size cup of coffee at 7-Eleven will net you 280 milligrams of caffeine, and a Grande Starbucks cup of joe packs an even bigger punch at 330 milligrams. Of course, all of these sound like child's play if you're into Devil Mountain Black Label coffee, a "high-powered" coffee that will deliver a heart-stopping 1,555 milligrams on caffeine in one 12-ounce cup.

They're trying to combat cup waste

Getty Images

As good as our intentions are, nine times out of 10 we roll up to the coffee shop without our reusable mug. And whether it's Starbucks or McDonald's, those disposable coffee cups (and to-go cups in general) we fall back on are generating a ton of waste. Christy Slay with The Sustainability Consortium says, "A recent report said that there are 600 billion cups - billion with a 'b' - that are produced and sold globally on an annual basis. So that's a lot."

McDonald's wants to do something about it though, and they've set two commendable goals for themselves by 2025: 100 percent of "guest packaging will come from renewable, recycled or certified sources," and "to recycle guest packaging in 100 percent of restaurants." To accomplish this, they've even partnered with competitor Starbucks - who estimate that they're responsible for about 6 billion of those cups per year - to get it done.

The issue is that although these cups appear to be paper, there's a layer of plastic inside which renders them not only hard to recycle, but actually not compostable at all. So the two mega-chains have joined forces to offer a $1 million prize in the NextGen Consortium and Cup Challenge to whoever successfully "develops a fiber to-go cup and create a fully and widely recyclable and/or compostable cup." The jury's still out on this project, but it would certainly be a step in the right direction if they pull it off.

The infamous lawsuit

It's hard not to equate McDonald's coffee with that lawsuit. You know the one - a 79-year-old grandmother spills a hot cup of Mickey D's joe on herself, sues the chain, and the rest is history. But do you really know the details of this famous suit?

In 1992, Stella Liebeck was just trying to stir some sugar into her coffee when the cup tipped over and soaked her lap while sitting in her grandson's car. The inordinately hot liquid - said to be around 190 degrees, which is well above the 140 degree temperature coffee is typically served at home - burned her legs and other "sensitive areas," requiring hospitalization and skin grafts. It's often reported that she was awarded almost $3 million in the case, and although McDonald's admitted that their coffee was so hot that it was a hazard, Liebeck didn't actually walk away with that much money. In the end, it's reported that she settled for a still sizable sum of around $600,000 or less, which explains why your Golden Arches cup now proclaims, "Caution: Contents hot."

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Things You Didn't Know About McDonald's Coffee

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McDonald's Coffee has been on the McDonald's menu since the restaurant's inception, and when a fast food giant has been slinging something for more than half a century, there's bound to be some fun facts, interesting history, and maybe even some scintillating gossip to be learned. Nobody can forget that infamous lawsuit, can they?

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This was interesting and I hadn't thought of this facet.

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Starbucks catches a lot of flak for selling overpriced coffee, but perhaps it shouldn't. True, a cup of joe there is more expensive than at other chains, but serious coffee addicts are getting their money's worth. Forget woody aromas, floral notes, and full bodies for a moment, and consider coffee value by the most basic measure: caffeine content.

When you buy a cup filled with water made brown by soaking ground coffee beans, you're not really paying for the ounces of liquid. Arguably, you're not even primarily buying a flavorful drink. You're buying a drug-and a powerful one at that. Caffeine has been shown to elevate your mood, increase your sociability, enhance athletic performance, and make you less forgetful. Some scholars even contend that it was this stimulant that brought about the Enlightenment.

When you shell out for coffee, you're making an investment in yourself. So we set out to figure out how to invest wisely. Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, 7-Eleven, and McDonald's all have locations within a block or two of the Quartz office in New York City. In descending order, their prices for a 16oz cup of performance range from $2.65 to $1.19.

McDonald's coffee is by far the cheapest cup of coffee. But, before you convert to the McCafe, take a look at the varying caffeine levels in each brand. (For reference, the Mayo Clinic advises that individuals should not consume more than 400 milligrams, "roughly the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee," in a day. The upper limit is probably good advice, but that estimate per cup clearly doesn't refer to a 16oz bucket of coffee.)

You get what you pay for. Price and caffeine content correlate closely, but not perfectly. Milligrams of caffeine per dollar is the best way to see which brand is truly the best value.

It's worth noting that the caffeine content of any given cup of coffee is fairly variable, and also that brands' listed numbers don't always line up with their actual coffee. Still, with nearly 130 milligrams of pure performance per dollar, 7-Eleven coffee looks to be the savviest bet for pure caffeine fiends. At just under 125 milligrams of per dollar, Starbucks is the next best bet, with McDonalds at 121 coming close behind. Dunkin', which barely cracked 100, came in last.

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Getting your caffeine fix is cheaper at Starbucks than McDonald's

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Starbucks catches a lot of flak for selling overpriced coffee, but perhaps it shouldn't. True, a cup of joe there is more expensive than at other chains, but serious coffee addicts are getting their money's worth. Forget woody aromas, floral notes, and full bodies for a moment, and consider coffee value by the most basic measure: caffeine content.

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Side by side comparisons. Starbucks wins. 

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Side by side comparisons. Starbucks wins. 

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https://www.businessinsider.com/starbucks-mcdonalds-dunkin-best-coffee-2019-3

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McDonald's Vs. Starbucks: Called to the Espresso Bar

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McDonald's Vs. Starbucks: Called to the Espresso Bar

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While McDonald's has more reasonably priced cups of Joe, Starbucks has the real coffeehouse smell and feel that many customers are willing to pay more to experience.

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While I'm a loyal Starbucks fan, I've been disappointed by their attempts at offering food items (" McDonald's Takes On a Weakened Starbucks," Page One, Jan. 7). Except for occasionally ordering a reliable oatmeal cookie, I've given up purchasing their dismal croissants, often bringing my own fresh bakery-purchased pastry into the store while I enjoy my morning coffee and Journal. In spite of assurances that they're delivered daily, Starbucks' pastries always seem dry and tired and curiously resemble items picked up at a warehouse store. Adding warming ovens with the introduction of their uninspiring, overpriced breakfast sandwiches hasn't improved matters. (Who can beat a good Egg McMuffin anyway?) If Starbucks truly wants to emulate quaint European coffee houses, they should bake their items on site. Pressed for space, many Parisian cafes get raw, ready-to-bake breads and simply bake them in compact ovens, providing that wonderful, enticing smell of freshly baked pastries.

Your article failed to take into account two of Starbucks' most endearing features: aroma and ambience. Oh, yes, I did my stint at McDonald's when my boys were young, but that was 20 years ago, and I haven't been in one since. I can't even imagine mixing greasy french-fry odor with espresso. I will stay with Starbucks, thank you.

The differences between the two businesses are just too great for Starbucks to worry about McDonald's, or vice versa. Service, ambience, wireless connections, price and so on distinguish the two. I, for one, would never schedule a business meeting at a McDonald's, and I certainly don't go to Starbucks for food.

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McDonald's Vs. Starbucks: Called to the Espresso Bar

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While I'm a loyal Starbucks fan, I've been disappointed by their attempts at offering food items (" McDonald's Takes On a Weakened Starbucks," Page One, Jan. 7). Except for occasionally ordering a reliable oatmeal cookie, I've given up purchasing their dismal croissants, often bringing my own fresh bakery-purchased pastry into the store while I enjoy my morning coffee and Journal.

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https://www.thestreet.com/personal-finance/secret-behind-mcdonalds-coffee-12793126

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The proof is in the coffee! Starbucks beat out McDonalds in a 2020 Harris Poll

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Years ago, most packaged supermarket coffee - nearly always pre-ground - was sold under such brand names as Folgers, Maxwell House, Yuban, Hills Bros., Eight O'Clock, and Chock Full o'Nuts. More recently, though, smaller producers and coffee shop and fast food brands have rolled out products designed specifically for grocery store shelves.

Today, you can buy ground or whole-bean coffee, as well as specialty coffee-based beverages bearing labels like Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, and McCafé (the premium McDonald's brand). These big-name brands, not surprisingly, are some of the most popular offerings.

Packaged coffee sells well in general. The National Coffee Association (NCA) reports that 63% of adults over 18 in America - more than 150 million people - drink coffee on a daily basis, a percentage that has grown an annualized 1.1% yearly since 2014. Average consumption is three cups per day, though some people obviously toss down a lot more than that. Here are 20 signs that you might be drinking too much coffee.
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The NCA also found that 78% of the people who had consumed coffee within the previous 24 hours last year had brewed it at home. (This is down from 84% in 2012, but still an impressive number.) The trade publication Winsight Grocery Business reports that retail coffee sales recorded a 4.8% compound annual growth rate last year over 2018. Those who don't drink home-brewed coffee, of course, probably get it at the ubiquitous Starbucks or some other chain, or at some small-scale outlet - possibly one of the best independent coffee shops in every state.

Each year, the Harris Poll ranks brands across a wide range of categories, including retail, consumer packaged goods, and more. Their latest results, covering 2019, rank (among other things) the country's most highly rated packaged coffee brands - not according to sales but by the strength of their connections to consumers.

This year, eight brands scored above the category average. 24/7 Tempo reveals them here, along with notes about each brand.

The Harris Poll's annual EquiTrend ranking of top brands across a wide range of categories uses "an academically vetted brand equity model" considering such elements as consumer familiarity and consideration (meaning whether consumers would consider buying a brand they are aware of) to measure the strength of bonds between brands and their potential customers.

America's favorite coffee brands

8. McCafé

McCafé is the name given to an international subsidiary of McDonald's, with an expanded coffee menu and reformulated espresso beverages, that originated in 1993 in Melbourne, Australia. (The name is also now used across by McDonald's across the United States for its range of upper-end espresso-based beverages.) In 2014, the chain entered the retail coffee market with a variety of McCafé ground, whole bean, and single-cup coffee offerings in partnership with Kraft. The review site Influenster called the brand's Premium Roast Ground Coffee "an approachable blend...perfect for sipping throughout the day."

7. Peet's

Dutch coffee merchant Alfred Peet opened his first coffee shop in 1966 in Berkeley, California. Peet liked his coffee dark and strong, and roasted his beans to get that effect. The founders of Starbucks (No. 2) knew Peet and initially bought beans from him, and he was an early influence on that far larger chain. The best-known Peet's coffee is Major Dickason's Blend, which reviewers call "a good option for many people looking for a rich, robust flavor" and "by far the best coffee I've ever tasted."
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6. Community

Sold in more than 20 states today, Community Coffee was born out of a grocery store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1919. Still based there, it is the largest family-owned coffee company in the country. The website Coffee Detective calls out the company's Breakfast Blend as being "defined by its brightness and fruity sweetness...with just enough weight and acidity to kick you into gear at the start of your day."

5. Folgers

James Folger, founder of the brand that now bears his name, got into the coffee business as a teenager in San Francisco back in 1850. Based in New Orleans since 1960, Folgers is now owned by the J.M. Smucker Company of jam fame. It is by far the leading coffee brand in the U.S. today in terms of ground coffee retail sales, which amount to more than twice those of its two nearest rivals, Maxwell House and Starbucks (No. 2). Reviewing a specialty Folgers product, its 100% Colombian, the CoffeeReview website found it "surprisingly full-bodied, sweetly balanced ... (and) delicately complex."

4. Green Mountain

Now owned by the brewing system company Keurig, Inc., with a minority interest belonging to Coca-Cola, Green Mountain started as a small café and coffee roaster in Waitsfield, Vermont, just west of Montpelier. Today one of the leading roasters of Fair Trade beans, the brand markets a range of coffees, including blends, single-origin offerings, and flavored options. According to the coffee retail and review site CoffeeStrong, seven of the company's best selling coffees are in K-Cup form. Number one is its light roast Breakfast Blend, which the site describes as "bright, vibrant, and engaging."

3. Café Bustelo

Café Bustelo, whose bright yellow packaging leaps out from the grocery store shelves, was founded in New York City in 1928 by Gregorio Bustelo. Though Bustelo had lived in Cuba, and his Cuban-style coffee became the go-to brew for Cuban (and also Puerto Rican and Dominican) immigrants to the U.S., he was in fact a Spaniard, from Galicia. Now owned - like Folgers (No. 5) - by the J.M. Smucker Company, it remains a staple in Latin American households in this country. Customer reviews on Amazon say things like "For value and taste ... you can't really beat Café Bustelo," "a very tasty, versatile coffee," and simply "The best coffee on the planet."

2. Starbucks

Founded in Seattle in 1971 and now the largest coffee shop chain in the world by far, Starbucks brands a wide range of supermarket coffee products, including a selection of whole bean and ground coffees, K-Cups, instant coffee, and such ready-to-drink creations as Bottled Frappuccino and Doubleshot Coffee Smoothies. (The chain no longer owns the retail coffees bearing its name: Nestlé, the world's largest food company, bought that part of the business in 2018 for a reported $7.15 billion.) CoffeeReview gave the Starbucks ground French Roast a tepid review, calling it "pleasant enough" and "about as dark as it is possible to roast a coffee," but finding that it ultimately "provides little of the pungent, charred intensity buyers of this...coffee type love."
24/7 Wall Street is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.
1. Dunkin' Donuts

Dunkin' Donuts started life as a restaurant in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1950. (The chain rebranded to simply Dunkin' early last year, but available coffee packaging seems to still use the old name). From the beginning, it bragged about offering the "world's finest coffee," upping its game with the introduction of espresso in 2003. It took another leap forward in the premium coffee world with the introduction of new espresso machines and a reformulated recipe in 2018, and has just announced a $60 million further upgrade for this year. The chain opened Dunkin' outlets in some supermarkets, mostly in the Northeast, in 2002, but in 2007 entered grocery stores in a major way. According to Extra Crispy (Time Inc.'s breakfast-oriented food site), the brand's Original Blend is "[light] without being bitter, roasty without being burnt, and...nearly indistinguishable from takeout Dunkin'."

All the rest

Additional coffee brands that ranked below the category average were, in alphabetical order: Caribou, Chock Full o'Nuts, Eight O'Clock, Gevalia, Hills Bros., Krispy Kreme, Maxwell House, New England, Seattle's Best, and Yuban.

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Among America's favorite brew-at-home coffee brands, which comes out ahead: Dunkin' or Starbucks?

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Years ago, most packaged supermarket coffee - nearly always pre-ground - was sold under such brand names as Folgers, Maxwell House, Yuban, Hills Bros., Eight O'Clock, and Chock Full o'Nuts. More recently, though, smaller producers and coffee shop and fast food brands have rolled out products designed specifically for grocery store shelves.

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Hey guys! I found this article and one thing that caught my eye was the training in making the coffee. While Mcdonald's has employees making stuff all over the place, Starbucks dedicates a big lot of their time on the craft of making coffee. Also, customer service at least in my experience is always more pleasant at Starbucks!

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/ermakov/5601025967/
On September 7, 1982, Howard Schultz began working at the first Starbucks store in Seattle's Pike Place Market. At the time, he was the company's marketing officer. A business trip to Milan and Verona convinced him that a coffee shop had to sell more than whole bean and ground coffee to really be successful. Since his bosses wouldn't do it, he launched his own company, Il Giornale. In 1987, he bought his former bosses out, and became the CEO of Starbucks Coffee Company.

*At Brooklyn's busiest Starbucks location, which is near a subway hub

Starbucks has these and other drinks down to a science, while many coffee shops fake it.

At Starbucks a cappuccino is a shot of espresso plus half steamed milk and half foam. A latte is a shot of espresso plus steamed milk with a thin layer of foam.

When making a cappuccino, baristas steam milk for 6-8 seconds. Latte milk is steamed for only 3-5 seconds. Baristas also monitor temperature when steaming milk, serving drinks at an average of 165 degrees Fahrenheit and never above a scalding 180.

To become a certified barista, candidates must pour a perfect cappuccino, which is evaluated either with an electronic scale or using a measuring cup.

Baristas manage four batches of coffee at one time, rotating each at least every 15 minutes and never allowing one to sit longer than 30 minutes. They do this even during off hours, throwing away coffee rather than serve anything old.

They also follow a timed regime for iced coffee, iced tea and pastries to ensure that everything tastes fresh.

Baristas manage complex orders with the innovative Starbucks shorthand, or Beverage ID Code, which is written in marker on every cup.

For example, a Double Chocolate Chip Light Frappuccino is DCCFL.

(Sessions include: First Impressions & Customer Service, Starbucks Experience, Coffee: Brewing & Tasting, Espresso Bar Basics, Food & Warming, Beverage Essentials, Cold Beverage, Coffee: Growing & Processing, Point of Sale (POS), Beverage Preparation, Customer Service Essentials, Coffee: Roasting & Packaging)

The Mastrena makes it easy to pull a precise espresso shot. It's also shorter, allowing baristas to interact with customers.

Better espresso machines exist, but they are rare and won't be found at any major chains.

Source: Houston Chronicle

When Schultz tasted the Clover at a small cafe in New York he immediately declared it "the best cup of brewed coffee I have ever tasted."

Starbucks bought the company that makes Clover in 2008 and started introducing the dream machine at select stores around the country.

Of course this isn't cheap. In 2009 health care cost the company a heavy $250 million, Schultz told Seattle Times.

More: Features Starbucks Coffee Competition

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11 Things Starbucks Does Better Than Almost Any Competitor

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On September 7, 1982, Howard Schultz began working at the first Starbucks store in Seattle's Pike Place Market. At the time, he was the company's marketing officer. A business trip to Milan and Verona convinced him that a coffee shop had to sell more than whole bean and ground coffee to really be successful.