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Joffrey's vs Starbucks

Writer's picture: MikaelaMikaela

Which is the best Walt Disney World coffee?


The two coffee providers of Walt Disney World are often compared, but which is the best? Let's start with an overview of the two companies & what they provide.


STARBUCKS

I imagine most people are aware of Starbucks and are used to seeing their recognisable logo. This American, multinational chain of Coffeehouses was founded in 1971, coincidentally, the same year WDW opened! It has over 40,000 locations in 87 countries and it serves coffee drinks, smoothies and tea as well as baked goods & sandwiches. There is one Starbucks location at each WDW park & two at Disney Springs.


Image shows a coffee shop menu boad. It is made of dark brown wood with three square black inserts. The items being sold are listed in white writing.
Main Street Bakery Starbucks at Magic Kingdom

JOFFREY'S

A lesser known coffee company to Starbucks, Joffrey’s is based in Tampa, Florida and has been going since 1984, just over 40 years strong! Joffrey's is the official coffee of WDW, with the partnership having been going since 1995. There are 23 Joffrey's locations across WDW with more than 25 exclusive blends having been crafted as part of the Disney Speciality Coffee Collection.

A circular coffee stand building. It has a large white roof that extends at the back into a tail up into the air. At the top of the tail is an oval sign with a blue background that says 'Joffrey's Revive' in White. The main façade of the building has a glass serving window and white walls with deep purple accents
Joffrey's in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom

So what can you expect from the coffee provided by these companies?

Starbucks will provide you a consistent selection of coffees across all their locations, both inside and outside WDW. When I'm at home in the UK, I frequent Starbucks quite a lot and I love their Caramel Macchiato, both hot & blended in summer. They also do some great seasonal flavours such as Pistachio, Crème Brulé, Toffee Nut & Gingerbread among others. You will be able to get all your usual favourites at the WDW Starbucks locations, and you absolutely can't go wrong!



The Joffrey's locations all do a standard coffee menu, such as cappuccino, latte & espresso, all made with the Walt Disney World Resort Blend. You can also get their flavoured coffee, such as my favourite on a hot Florida day, the Shaken Jamaican Cold Brew! Joffrey's also do seasonal & speciality coffees.


However unlike the standard menu at Starbucks across all locations, Joffrey's have different coffees for each of their locations. I have tried a number of these coffees, with my favourites being the 'Round 'em up Latte' served at Hollywood Studios near Toy Story Land and the 'Savannah Banana' served at the Animal Kingdom entrance.



The downside of Joffrey's being so specialised though is that you might find a drink you really like, but it's only available in one location, which can be a pain if it's at Magic Kingdom, but you're at Animal Kingdom.


A female hand with manicured nails holds a small cake. The cake is made of two round orange layers of carrot cake with white buttercream frosting sandwiched in the middle.
The Carrot Cake Whoopie Pie

Other items available


Starbucks have a large array of items to purchase at their locations other than drinks. You can get great breakfast items, cakes, giant cinnamon rolls, cake pops, the list is endless. A favourite of mine is the carrot cake whoopie pie from the Hollywood Studios location. It is amazing, and huge! I've had it multiple times and will no doubt have it again!



A large donut, with a hole in the centre,  sitting on a white paper bag. The bottom of the donut shows it is golden in colour. The majority of it is covered in a bright blue icing. It is topped with blue and white sprinkles
The Giant Donut


Joffrey's has nowhere near the same selection of foodie delights, but they do have the giant donut. And when I say giant, I mean giant! It was as big as my head. They come in a few different flavours and are a good shareable snack.







The Winner

But which one wins out? I'm going to leave it up to you to make that choice for yourselves, but for me, when at WDW, Joffrey's wins! I prefer Joffrey's coffee because of the variety of all the specialties, but also I think the coffee they produce is so good. I love the many different flavours & blends. We make the Disney Springs shop a stop on our first night to get some coffee to use in our rental home for the duration of our trip.


We've even been known to order online & have coffee beans delivered to our home in the UK. Our favourite coffee beans are V&A, Flying Fish & the In Room French Roast, as well as the Jamaican Me Crazy flavour which I use to make my own Shaken Jamaican cold brew, on the odd occasion it's hot enough for it here in the UK!


That doesn't mean that I dislike Starbucks though, far from it, but it doesn't feel special, as it's nothing different to what I get at home, and I can't say I like the coffee enough to want to go & buy it for use at home.


So what do you think? Where do you stand in the Joffrey's vs Starbucks debate? Are you a fan of one over the other?

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