'I Had To Dump It Out' — McDonald's New Fall Iced Coffee Is Getting Roasted By Fans

Earlier this year, McDonald's launched its caffeinated beverage expansion with refreshers and energy drinks that had been successfully tested at the now defunct CosMc's. The chain also announced plans to expand its other McCafé offerings. So far, the coffee section of the menu hasn't seen much action, but this week was the much-anticipated debut of new seasonal beverages based around the beloved caramel apple pie flavor, namely the Caramel Apple Pie Iced Coffee. Unfortunately, the excitement quickly curdled.

The hatred is not totally uniform, but many McDonald's patrons really despise the caramel apple pie offerings, especially the iced coffee. Several internet threads have popped up as fans review the new beverage — and the quotes are brutal. "After a few sips I had to dump it out, absolutely disgusting. Wish I would have just got my Reg Iced Vanilla coffee," noted one Reddit user. Another quipped, "Tastes like drinking a candle and mouth feel is really bad."

The Caramel Apple Pie Iced Coffee contains caramel apple pie syrup mixed with a salted caramel whipped topping and an apple pie crumble. Despite the hype around the fall flavor, even those who haven't tried it yet seem to think the very concept was doomed from the start. One skeptical customer added, "Wow, who could have guessed that adding apple pie flavor to coffee would be a bad idea?" Of course, it should be noted that Starbucks' apple crisp flavored coffees have become a fall fan favorite, so this might just be a McD's problem.

While not every review is that bad, most on social media appear to be. On another Reddit thread, the main post praises the drink as "heaven in a cup, 10/10." However, the reacting comments made this user sound like either an outlier or an industry plant. While another Redditor claimed that it wasn't bad ("I like the salted caramel whip"), others echoed complaints about the chemical flavors. "This is the only flavor I highly disliked," stated one user. "I felt like it was way too sweet and artificial." Perhaps the most damning review comes from one fan who tried both McDonald's new Caramel Apple Pie Iced Coffee and Latte offerings: "They both taste like apple pie gasoline."

Since fast food beverages are exploding in popularity, this certainly seems like a big stumble for McDonald's. Dirty sodas are suddenly everywhere, and customizable specialty beverages have been expanding on menus for years. The trend has been linked to younger generations' desire for small, affordable treats, as well as unique flavors and textures like boba. Caramel apple pie certainly falls into that same realm of specialty beverages. As dedicated chains like Swig or like-minded coffee operations like Dutch Bros continue to grow, it's no surprise that larger chains like McDonald's are trying to jump on board.

The burger giant has been trying a lot out recently. McDonald's just launched new Red Bull energy drinks alongside these coffees, so not everything was bound to be a success. Still, since the company reports that its new beverage sales have exceeded expectations, it's unlikely McD's will slow down. Caramel Apple Pie Iced Coffee may be bust but expect more seasonal coffee flavors in the future.