McDonald’s Bagged Coffee At Home? Coming Soon

News that McDonald’s bagged coffee will be sold in stores was announced this week — which is a bit unexpected, since it seems the biggest selling point of McDonald’s coffee is the fact that someone else made it for you and you don’t have to brew it or wash the cup.

McDonald’s bagged coffee will hit retail outlets and supermarkets in 2014, offering the taste to which many Americans are accustomed in a home-brewing setting. And while the brew is indeed easily available to those who live or work near a McD’s, rural folk who love the blend but are unable to make or are inconvenienced by a long trip to a location of the chain now have the option of purchasing the product for daily brewing.

News you will soon be able to get a cup of the Golden Arches’ famous brew at home was of interest to many folks, likely in part because coffee is such a strangely habitual thing for most of its regular drinkers. Much of the country is enamored of Starbucks, equally ubiquitous and a trend-setter in the fast-food realm for its coffee creations.

However, when McDonald’s perceived a cut-in by Starbucks, it launched the McCafe concept to compete — adding Starbucks-esque lattes, mochas, and flavored coffee beverages to its menu a few years back. (The prices are scaled to McDonald’s type costs.)

It seems that for as many Americans who favor Starbucks, there are an equal number who find their “drip” brew to taste unpleasant — so the introduction of McDonald’s bagged coffee may be a welcome addition to the number of “trusted brands” in a grocery store location.

Initial information on the offering is preliminary, but it appears the beans will come whole, pre-ground, and may even be available single cup brewer varieties.

The AP reports:

“McDonald’s, based in Oak Brook, Ill., did not disclose any other details. But the company already started selling McCafe packaged coffee in Canada late last year. Those bags weighed about 12 ounces and cost about $7… McDonald’s is teaming up with Kraft Foods Group Inc. to distribute the coffee.”

Pre-launch images of the McCafe McDonald’s bagged coffee haven’t been made official yet, but there are some images of the Canadian test of coffee bean sales branded with the McDonald’s name floating around the internet.

The announcement did not specify precisely when McDonald’s bagged coffee would be available in 2014 — but keep an eye out for a bag that looks like the one above in your local supermarket or chain variety store if you’re a fan of the brew.