I am a huge fan of specialty coffees. I'm such a fanatic that I even worked as a barista at a coffee shop in England while studying abroad. Now that I have a grown-up job, my morning ritual includes stopping by a Starbucks, Alterra or other local coffee shop for an iced coffee, mocha or some sort of latte. It helps break up the monotony of my hour commute into work. Admittedly, it can be a painful to the wallet, but I tend to keep my habit within reason.

When McDonald's introduced their iced coffees last year, I was a huge fan. I added them to my daily ritual of rotating coffee shops. What I loved the most is that the iced coffee is only about $2.00 and typically larger than coffee-only shops. And, with only three variations available, it was a long shot for McDonalds to wreck my order - until now.

Being so thrilled with the McDonald's iced coffees, I was anticipating their recent release of the "McCafe" coffees. This newest offering includes cappuccinos and lattes in several flavors, as well as mochas and hot chocolate. You can also order whole or non-fat milk varieties. I've actually already had a few visits to the McDonald's in Sussex to try a few of these new coffees. The employees did seem a little slow and confused when I ordered a non-fat vanilla latte, but I figured they are still breaking into this larger coffee industry and there's bound to be a few glitches. I had yet to experience anything truly disappointing…until Friday morning when I eagerly made my way to the McDonalds on North Avenue (near Oakland) for a non-fat iced mocha, hold the whipped cream - since I'm watching my weight, of course.

Now, I think it's important at this point to note that I am NOT a picky coffee orderer. You'll never catch me ordering a grande extra hot skim with extra foam, split shot with a half squirt of sugar-free hazelnut and a half squirt of sugar-free vanilla, a half packet of splenda, in a venti cup and fill up the "room" with extra whipped cream with caramel and chocolate sauce drizzled on top! Variations on the usual lattes and cappuccinos have been welcomed by Starbucks and other large coffee vendors; and without nickel-and-diming their customers for the requested changes. I would even go as far as to say that, on the whole, the specialty-coffee industry expects customers to order with customization: hold the cream, use soy milk, add 2 splendas, add an extra espresso shot, etc. In fact, I believe McDonalds bought into this coffee-industry standard when they began promoting their Premium Roast Coffee and insisting that they can make it like we order it: 2 splenda, extra cream, etc.

So where am I going with this? Oh, yeah, I was on my way to McDonald's to order my non-fat iced mocha, hold the whipped cream. When I reached the McDonalds, I noted that the McCafe machine was newly installed and glistening in plain view from the street. I placed my order at the drive-thru and was disappointed when I was told that the McCafe machine was not up and running yet. So, I proceeded down North Avenue, toward my route to work (but still out of the way) and came to another McDonald's at North Avenue (near I-43). This time, I confirmed the McCafe coffees were available from the promotional materials hung in their windows. However, I was disappointed again when I was told the machine was not working. I proceed, disappointed and coffee-less, down North Avenue toward work. I resigned myself to being dissatisfied with the plain black coffee in my work's cafeteria.

I then came across another McDonalds on North Avenue (how many can one street have?) in East Town Tosa and, this time, I parked and went inside to be sure I could get my mocha. I ordered with perfect annunciation, emphasizing each word, so as not to confuse the order-taker. The manager made the coffee himself. I thought this extra-special attention would more than make up for my past disappoints and even made a mental note to add this particular location into my rotation - well, at least consider it. The manager proudly presented the coffee, which had whipped cream on it. Not wanting to be a pesky customer, I simply asked him to scrape it off, which he did. He apologized and placed the mocha in my hand. But it was warm. I then let him know that I ordered an iced mocha and he confirmed that he had indeed made an iced mocha, but explained that the calibration of his coffee machine was not working and that the espresso had melted all of the ice. So now I had a watered-down iced mocha with remnants of whipped cream. He must've sensed my need for a resolution, because he quickly filled a kiddie-size cup with ice and instructed me to add the ice myself. So, I left with my watered-down, warm mocha and my cup of ice and proceeded to my car where I made a huge mess by attempting to add the ice after I made room in the cup by slowly sipping the coffee. Disaster!

So, in all, I don't think I would've been as disappointed if McDonald's hadn't made a promise they couldn't keep. I mean, if McDonalds didn't offer more varieties than they can handle and if I hadn't seen the billboard on Silver Spring which reads, "McCafe, Made To Oder" then I might not have expected the specialty-coffee shop service with the McDonalds-priced mocha. Conclusion: McCafe coffees are not worth the $1 saving. I would have rather gone to a well-known coffee shop and ensured that my coffee was made-to-order in a timely fashion than drive miles down North Avenue in search of a cheap coffee with similar quality. It just doesn't exist.