Think your Starbucks "double-mocha skim half-caf latte" is the tastiest thing in upscale coffee? Turns out the Golden Arches has it all over the Seattle-based java merchant.

McDonald's beats out Starbucks for best-tasting brew, according to the March edition of Consumer Reports magazine.

A taste-test of coffee from the fast-food giant, which unveiled its own premium blend nearly a year ago, and coffee from Starbuck's, Burger King and Dunkin' Donuts had McDonald's restaurants leading the pack.

Plus, at $1.35 for a medium-size cup, McDonald's was the cheapest, not to mention "decent and moderately strong," with no flaws, according to Consumer Reports' trained tasters. The blend of 100 percent Arabica beans, however, "lacked the subtle top notes needed to make it rise and shine."

Starbucks, by contrast, at $1.55 a cup, was strong "but burnt and bitter enough to make your eyes water instead of open," according to the report.

The most expensive cup, Dunkin' Donuts, at $1.65, was "weak and watery," "with no oomph." Burger King's premium coffee, at $1.40, "looked like coffee but tasted more like hot water."

Erin Gudeux, a senior project leader for Consumer Reports' "sensory" division -- which tests everything from food to perfume to textiles -- said Starbucks is known for its dark roast, which coffee purists tend to scorn.

"When you roast things to such an extent, you cook out the aromatics of the bean," said Ms. Gudeux.

Starbucks officials issued a statement calling the choice of coffee "a personal decision, as taste is subjective and may vary from consumer to consumer."

"Starbucks serves coffee made from the highest quality Arabica beans available. The 44 million customer visits to our stores per week globally indicate that many people enjoy our premium coffee and the Starbucks Experience."

Indeed, the company's CEO Jim Donald said recently that McDonald's new coffee will benefit Starbucks in the long run, since consumers who develop a taste for McDonald's will be more likely to eventually migrate to Starbucks.

McDonald's Corp. spokeswoman Danya Proud said Consumer Reports' findings come "as no surprise to us. We've gotten extremely positive reviews from customers ever since we started serving our new coffee."

The Oak Brook, Ill.-based chain, which leads the market in "hand-held" breakfast sandwiches and other early-morning fast food, made its move into higher-end coffee "after consumers told us we want a more premium cup," Ms. Proud said.

McDonald's offers two blends to coffee drinkers in the Pittsburgh area -- smooth, which has a lighter taste, and bold, which is somewhat stronger.

The company would not provide any figures showing any boost in coffee sales, but has said its move to compete in the upscale coffee market has helped drive up 2006 sales by 9 percent.

Mike Ferguson, a spokesman for the Specialty Coffee Association of America -- of which both Starbucks and McDonald's are members -- has noted that coffee's taste is relatively subjective, plus "there are so many variables, from the beans to the way they were roasted."

But he says that McDonald's entry into the upscale coffee arena is a trend that has been building for at least a decade.

"Great coffee is no longer a destination for consumers," he said. "Ten years ago, coffee drinkers maybe knew three or four places where they could go to get a good cup, but now they want to find it as they go about their business throughout the day. That's why fast food chains and convenience stores are all upgrading their coffee to keep up with the demand."

Still, local coffee roaster Sam Patti, of La Prima Espresso in The Strip, said neither chain can ever match the quality of smaller coffee houses, which roast their beans in smaller batches and in light and medium roasts, which many coffee enthusiasts prefer.

Indeed, when tasting coffee, professionals -- and amateurs -- should look for three things, said Philip Johnson, roast master and green coffee buyer for La Prima.

"First of all, aroma is very important. Then, how bright is it, versus dull and flat, on the palate? And finally, what is the taste like? Coffees, from Kenya, for example, are often described as having a winey, fruity taste. There's a coffee from Ethiopia that we like because of its notes of blueberry and cherry and spice."

It's easy to get obsessed with coffee, and more people are becoming increasingly fascinated with the complexities of its production, even roasting their own beans at home, added Mr. Ferguson of the coffee association. But in the end, the "coffee continuum out there is about coffee that's good, coffee that's good enough, and coffee that's just a caffeine delivery opportunity."

But Ms. Gudeux, of Consumer Reports, is no coffee snob.

While she grinds her own beans, she doesn't drink either Starbucks or McDonald's, or any of the artisanal brands available at local coffee shops. Instead she prefers good old Eight O'Clock Coffee, available at local supermarkets.

"I consume a lot of coffee," she said, "and it's a very good brand."