McDonald’s – Double Big Mac

McDonalds burgers have been a topic of discussion at Cheeseburgerme for many years. I have never been a fan of McDonalds and have been extremely vocal about that fact for a long time. The Double Big Mac was released around a month ago and the advertising has had me inquisitive, as it does look the part! I cannot deny that the construction in the advert has had me raising an eyebrow ever so slightly. Well, I finally took the plunge. After, at least 10 years, I walked into a McDonalds and ordered something for myself, not my kids, but myself – The Double Big Mac. Read on to see how it went…

The Bun: 6/20

Ok, so the bun I thought was below average. Admittedly, the average has probably been raised with the quality buns we have had from so many of our reviewed burgers but, still, definitely below average. The signature seeded bun looked forlorn with seeds missing, sporadically situated across a grey-looking bun with no shine and no real quality. The taste was what you would expect, quite dry, brittle almost with a, verging on stale, texture. Disappointing, but expected, even with my predisposition on McDonalds being historically negative but trying to stay objective in a review!

The Toppings: 9/10

Lettuce and Pickle are as basic as they can come but I was actually surprised at the freshness of the lettuce. I was warned by a friend, somewhat of a connoisseur of McDonalds to ensure to open the Double Big Mac as soon as possible so it didn’t sweat inside causing the lettuce to turn soft. I did as was suggested and the result was crisp shredded lettuce that tasted good and helped with the texture of the stack. The pickles at McDonalds have always been good, I have to admit that. I was actually excited just to have one of the burgers again for the pickles alone. This should have been a 10 scoring category for the Double Big Mac, the only disappointment was only having 2 pickles. Surely if it is the Double Big Mac there should have been at least 4?

The Condiments: 10/10

The Big Mac sauce is ridiculously good! The “Special Sauce” has been documented online to have Paprika, Mayonnaise, Ketchup, Vinegar, and Onion Powder. There has been more acute a tongue try to decipher the amazing sauce that is the Big Mac sauce so I will keep this really simple. I loved this sauce, the colour and, the flavour that was sweet in taste but with a sharp edge like a traditional burger sauce. Whatever they put in this thing is perfect and is the nucleus of the Big Mac, my only gripe, was that there was not enough of it.

The Cheese: 8/20

I did not have high hopes for the McDonalds American Cheese and, I was proven to be right. It tasted processed, cheap and, not of a standard that could compete with any of our reviews in this category. Even more disappointing, the single cheese slice at the bottom of the stack needed to be focused on to taste. Against 4 patties, a little sauce and 3 pieces of bread it would need to have outstanding flavour or texture to establish any sort of identity in the stack.

The Patty (s): 6/20

What did you expect? After all these years, the “100% Beef” is still debatable for me. Starting with the size, the reduction in the burger left for a huge border of bread all around that just wasn’t sightly. Combine this with the flavourless “beef” and it was a calamity zone of a burger. I remember being younger and opting for the Quarter Pounder meal as the meat tasted more “real meat”. Not much has changed unfortunately and, the 4 patties that were as thin as the nomadic layer of cheese just didn’t impress on any front.

The Taste: 12/20

The saving grace was the signature sauce and the delightful texture that the lettuce brought to the stack. Seems sad that one of the highlights of a burger would be something as simple as the lettuce but that is the unfortunate story for the Double Big Mac. I am not sure if McDonalds has some sort of secret ingredient that anyone under the age of 16 can appreciate but at my age, the taste was above average because of the sauce and lettuce but everything else, thumbs down.

Our Verdict: 51/100

If 50 points would be an average burger then I think this score is certainly a fair reflection on The Double Big Mac. McDonalds is not a favourite of mine and, I actually expected the burger to score less, a preconceived idea. Having carefully segmented each component of the stack the Double Big Mac did okay. I cannot say that I would go and get another from McDonalds any time soon but, for under a fiver and something quick to grab it is worth it, if only for the “Special Sauce”. I know there will be a number of McDonalds fans out there that disagree with me on the Double Big Mac. It seems almost unfair to have a review of a McDonalds product against some of our big hitters in the Hit List but hey, we needed to check this one out!