McDonald's McCafe Caramel Frappe

I am a coffee snob. We all know it, and I have admitted it. We all know my coffee of choice is Starbucks. But we also know I cannot resist a review.

I have reviewed some of the other drinks in McDonald's McCafe lineup. My general thoughts have been mixed. The iced latte is a perfectly serviceable (and huge) cup of...well, plain iced latte. (In truth, it is really heavy on the milk -- and I tend to add enough Splenda to sweeten the drinks of a small country and then some.) On the other hand, I would cross frozen tundras naked to avoid the Mochas.

Loving the other guys as much as I do, I can honestly say I usually don't go in for the "frozen coffee beverage" all that much (especially the "new" version), so I thought this offered Mickey D's a pretty level playing ground.

The McDonald's Frappe comes in Mocha and Caramel. I clearly opted for Caramel.

The texture is super, super smooth -- almost more like a melted milk shake than like the somewhat chunky with ice bits version that you maybe are more familiar with. I actually have to give McDonald's a point for this one. I really did prefer the smoother, thinner texture.



The caramel: Well, there is a generous drizzle on top of the whipped cream topping, and that's not bad. The caramel that is actually blended into the drink (all I know is that it is a liquid caramel flavor that is part of the drink's base) does taste like caramel -- a chemical version of caramel. There is an ultra sweet aftertaste, and if you like ultra sweet drink, you probably won't notice quite as much as I did.

The coffee taste is light, with just a little bit bitterness towards the end. If you like your frozen coffee drinks to be bolder, this may not be the drink for you. But if you are just a casual coffee drinker, it is probably about what you are expecting. I do prefer my coffee bolder as a rule, but in frozen/cold drink I would rather have a sweeter and lighter coffee flavor.



In the end, while there is no question about where my preferred hot coffee drinks come from, I would not write the McCafe Frappe off my list. It's light and sweet, and I can even overlook the not-so-great caramel. For fast food coffee, it is a really good option.

There is one other thing that I noticed that I feel the need to share: it's kind of weird, but I noticed that it does leave a lingering aftertaste that I could best call "jelly doughnut revisited." It's not bad, but it's...kinda weird.



PURCHASED FROM:
McDonald's

PRICE
$2.29

CALORIES:
550 calories per 16 oz drink.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains dairy.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
mcdonalds.com

McDonald's Shamrock Shake

Once a year, McDonald's bestows upon us what a much younger Gigi thought was just the single coolest shake ever: The Shamrock Shake, in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

The Shamrock shake is a shade of bright green that reminds one of freshly rendered Leprechauns -- and, as you can probably guess, it is mint flavored. Until today, I don't think I have had one since roughly 2003.



The shake smells a bit like a breath mint..and actually it kinda tastes like one too. It reminds me a lot of those Starbright mints (the classic red and white swirled disk mints found often when leaving doctor's offices or restaurants). It's a brisk peppermint that is mixed with vanilla. It's good, but it's such a strong mint that it almost comes off as medicinal. Drinking this shake "straight" reminds me of why in the past I always preferred to have the Shamrock base mixed 50/50 with the chocolate shake. (I would have ordered it that way this time, but I considered that cheating on the review). Personally, I think the mint tastes much better mixed in with something else than it does on its own.



The texture is good. It's very thick, but still easy to get through the straw. It's a really aerated base, so it's almost fluffy at the same time.

I admit, Older Gigi is not nearly as fond of this shake as Younger Gigi was. (Although the addition of chocolate would have helped.) It's not bad, but kinda like an overly eager date -- it just comes off as trying too hard. If it were just a little more subtle, that would make a huge difference.



PURCHASED FROM:
McDonald's

PRICE:
$1.99 small size (12 oz)

CALORIES:
420 calories per 12 oz shake.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
mcdonalds.com

McDonald's Mac Snack Wrap

The Mac Snack Wrap has been around for more than a year now. But I don't often eat McDonald's, and when I do, it is hard to resist the allure of a Quarter Pounder (no onions, no ketchup, add Mac sauce). And since I've been asked a couple times in the past if I'd tried the Mac Snack Wrap yet -- no, I hadn't -- I figured today was the day.

The Mac Snack Wrap is made up of half of a Quarter Pounder patty, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions (I had mine without), special sauce, and then the whole thing is wrapped in a flour tortilla.



The other reason I have resisted trying this is that I tend to not like wraps. I like tortillas (a lot!), and I like wraps that I make myself. But I hate how prepared wraps often end up either dry or gummy. Well, give points to McDonald's for keeping the tortilla neither gummy nor hard. It's a lot like biting into a burrito.

All of the essential flavors of a Big Mac are there. The only real difference is the mouth feel. I found myself missing the bun (yes, I confess...I do actually like McDonald's buns as a rule). Because McDonald's is only a "sometimes" food for me, I don't feel terribly guilty about having an actual Big Mac when I indulge. For those who eat there more than I do, and are trying to watch the calories, this might be a good alternative.



The Mac Snack Wrap has 330 calories (170 from fat) versus the standard Big Mac at 540 calories (260 from fat). I will grant that there are much healthier options out there. But if you simply must have a Big Mac, this does allow you another choice.

Be sure to watch Marvo's Impulsive Buy Podcast #12 and watch his review of the Mac Snack Wrap here.



PURCHASED FROM:
McDonald's

PRICE:
$1.49

CALORIES:
330 calories per wrap

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
mcdonalds.com

McDonald's Angus Third Pounder Burger with Mushrooms & Swiss

The Angus Third Pounders have been national for a few months now, though I actually tried my first one last summer. (My local McDonald's is a regional West Coast test store.) I didn't review it at the time because, as it was merely being test marketed, there was a good chance it would never become a menu standard. Once it did go national, Marvo over at The Impulse Buy was brave enough to review all three Angus burgers without a cardiologist on hand...and luckily for the rest of us, did live to review again.



The Mushroom & Swiss Angus burger is a fairly simple burger. The bun is a "grown up" sesame seed bakery style roll. The topping is mayo, Swiss cheese and mushrooms. Let me pat McDonald's on the back for the mushrooms. No, they are not fresh mushrooms (that would have been awesome, but c'mon, it's still McDonald's) but they are reasonably un-rubbery. They also manage not to be greasy or slimy. They add a nice texture and taste, and thankfully they don't slide off in a mushy grey sluglike sludge. (Yes, Carl's Jr, I am glaring right at you. J'accuse!)

The burger isn't drowning in the mayo. The Swiss cheese is serviceable and melted nicely.



The burger itself is the same diameter as your average Quarter Pounder, but it is thicker. The flavor is much more "beefy" than your average McDonald's burger...in fact, it's extra beefy to the point I have to wonder if some sort of beef flavor was added. The texture is more like a burger you might make at home. The only drawback is that it was dry. As in Metamucil Biscuits dry. I found myself wishing that I could put this topping on the Carl's Six Dollar Burger because that would have been outstanding (and yes, I know I could just put my own toppings on the burger of my choice...but if I am going that far, I may as well just do the whole thing from scratch).

Minus the dryness of the patty--which could have been just bad luck on my part; maybe mine wasn't quite fresh off the grill--I have to say this is one of the best burger options Mickey D has on the current menu.



PURCHASED FROM:
McDonalds

McDonalds McCafe Caramel Latte

McDonald's recently started a nationwide launch of they're McCafe coffeehouse style coffee's
In my area in the last month or so the local McDonald's have been doing a serious push, even offering times when they are sampling the coffee's.
I have somehow managed to avoid each of this events- mostly because I work an obscene amount of hours. I also can't do caffeine after 4:00 P.M. or so and the McCafe line is not available in decaf.
The other reason is I have never been a fan of McDonald's coffee. I prefer my coffee to be roasted so deep it could be considered burnt (which is one of the reasons I love Starbucks) and I always felt that McCoffee was weaker then I liked. But, even with that said I could not resist the urge to have a whole new set of items to review soooo...

Since it was something to the tune of 20 degree's hotter then normal here in Southern California I decided to start my McOdyssey with the Iced Caramel Latte. I was not smart enough to take a few photo's but I assure you that it looked just like the stock photo.

I ordered a large and I was presented with a huge 32 oz's of iced coffee. On outside appearances if I hadn't know for a fact I ordered the caramel latte there was no way to guess it was anything beyond plain iced coffee. There is no whipped topping and no visible caramel swirl. I could live with that, I personally have to be in the mood for whipped cream on my coffee- and on a super hot day such as today I would have opted out anyway. Just like in the picture it is pretty light from the amount of dairy already in the drink anyway.

Flavor.
In the first few sips what really stood out was the caramel flavor. It was the type of caramel flavor that is super fake. Sweet to the point it is cloying. I gave the coffee a good stir but it didn't matter. What's interesting though is that as the ice melts and the coffee gets more diluted the caramel seems to taste better, it gets less sweet, a little more buttery. Perhaps that's a sign that they used too much syrup in this drink- or maybe the chemical's just get spread farther.
The coffee it's self is still what I consider weak. It's diner coffee on a good day- but it's not bad. It's not the deepest roasted or the most complex coffee you will ever have but it is satisfying. Not bitter and even though there is a large amount of milk (and that caramel) to compete with it holds it's own. I think I would actually really like just the plain iced coffee.

Truthfully I would never pick this over an Iced Latte from Starbucks but it was pretty good. I do have to say it is a fantastic bargain ringing in at barely over $2.00 for 32 ounces.



PURCHASED FROM:
McDonalds