Better Than Most Other Brands, Actually Tastes Like What They Brew in Their Stores
Written: Mar 15 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Consistency, good flavor, strong (in a good way), availability
Cons: Price
The Bottom Line: I love DD coffee
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When I lived in Western New York, the then Canadian-owned Tim Horton's was the best coffee you could purchase locally, and probably still is. When I moved south to Charlotte 7 years ago, I quickly realized that there were no Tim Horton's and the southernmost ones are in Kentucky and Virginia. At the time, we did not even have too many Dunkin Donuts' shops, but there were a few Krispy Kreme's here and there. Krispy Kreme is not known for their coffee, and rightfully so because it isn't very good.
Fastforward a few years and DD has realized that the Carolinas have a huge amount of transplants from the Northeastern area of the US so they have opened a lot of franchises in the area. Also, DD coffee is roasted at S&D Coffee in Concord, NC, just outside of Charlotte. S&D also processes coffe for McDonald's and Burger King, just to name a couple, and it is a huge business currently working at capacity. DD claims about 83% of their business is from profitable coffee and coffee-based drinks, and from what I see in the stores that's probably about right. So with all these DD's popping up all over the place, I thought I would try them out again. Wow, the coffee is a lot better than it was 20 years ago in their older style stores with the sit-down counters. So, no when I splurge for coffee away from home, I buy it from DD. I've come to like it so much that I often get DD gift cards as gifts since everyone knows I like it. I would also occasionally buy the bags at DD, but at $7.99 per pound, that's pretty steep but still cheaper than some other brands. Now, the same coffee can be found at the grocery stores, and often on sale for a few dollars cheaper per bag.
The main thing I like about the Original Blend is that it's very good, but also consistent. The coffee I brew at home tastes very similar to what I purchase already brewed in the store. It is rare to make or get a bad cup, unlike some other coffee chains who need to work on consistency of brewed coffee. The coffee is very strong, and Maxim magazine had samples of several different coffees tested for caffeine a couple of years ago. DD coffee topped the charts with about 260 mg per 12 ounce cup, Starbucks was next at a little over 200mg, and 7-11 came in after that with a little under 200 mg. The coffee is also best when very fresh; you can actually taste the difference by the time you get to the bottom of a large cup. I enjoy it best with soy milk and no sugar as that is my preferred coffee addition, but occasionally I will get it with half and half. The coffee definitely has a rich robust flavor, and if someone is drinking it, you can smell it from a mile away.
The company I work for provides contract foodservice, so we also sell a lot of coffee. We are one of the few companies licensed to sell prepared Starbucks in our locations (similar to Target), but at our corporate headquarters cafe, they change the coffee offering every few months to get feedback. Currently, they are serving DD coffee and most people like it, as do I.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
groove1
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Location: Charlotte, NC and Fort Mill, SC USA
Reviews written: 126
Trusted by: 7 members
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