People are always dumping on CNN for being too liberal, or not liberal enough. But I, for one, am just grateful we have a media outlet with CNN's resources willing to ask the tough questions and tackle the burning issues of the day.

The question, yesterday, was “How does McDonald's new premium McCoffee compare to Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts?” To get an answer, CNN's Jeanne Moos stood outside CNN headquarters at the Time Warner Center on Manhattan's Upper West Side and persuaded passers-by to participate in “an unscientific, totally amateur” blind taste test.

Being brew-it-yourselfers, Matt and I divide our loyalties between Peet's Major Dickason's blend and Whole Food's own organic Peruvian blend. But if I couldn't have my own home brewed cup of coffee in the morning, I'd prefer Dunkin' Donuts, which has surprisingly, consistently good coffee.

Starbucks? I know a lot of people swear by it, but I just can't get past the whole “tall,” “grande,” and “venti” thing (“venti,” by the way, is actually trademarked). Why pay a premium for silly semantics?

The new “upscale” McCoffee comes from a coffee company called Gaviña, who's been making gourmet coffees since 1870. McDonald's is offering two blends, “Smooth” and “Bold.”

I watched a few French tourists give the McCoffee the thumbs up, only to be stricken with a look of horreur when Jeanne Moos informed them they had chosen McDonald's. “It fooled even the fussy French,” Moos chuckled.

“McDonald's,” intoned one disillusioned young French woman, shaking her head in disbelief. “Sad.”

Intrigued, I pulled on my sneakers and dashed to the McDonald's three blocks away, ordering a large “Smooth” and a large “Bold,” which sell for a mere $1.19, and brought them home to do my own unscientific, totally amateur taste test.

Matt and I agreed that the “smooth” was weak and watery, but the “bold” was really very good. As good as Dunkin' Donuts? Well, not quite. But now that Dunkin' Donuts is owned by the Carlyle Group, I'm reluctant to buy their coffee, since I try not to support companies that are in any way affiliated with Satan.

So I'm glad McDonald's is offering a decent, high quality coffee at a fair price. How did the McCoffee fare in CNN's test? Of the thirty people Jeanne Moos polled, a third chose the Starbucks, a third, the Dunkin' Donuts, and a third, the McCoffee. Three factions, unable to reach a consensus. Stay tuned; if there's a surge in caffeine-fueled sectarian unrest, CNN will be right on top of it.