I tried 3 types of coffee from Starbucks, McDonald's, and Dunkin' — and the winner was clear (SBUX, MCD, DNKN)

• Starbucks, McDonald's, and Dunkin' are battling for morning-coffee customers.
• But which has the best-tasting coffee?
• I tasted a regular coffee, an espresso-based drink, and a frozen coffee drink from each of the three chains.
• Starbucks came out as the overall winner, with the best regular coffee and frozen coffee drink.
• McDonald's coffee drinks tasted good, but the mocha and the caramel frappé didn't taste how I expected them to.

When it comes to coffee, most people know exactly how they like it: black and scalding hot, syrupy sweet with a swirl of whipped cream, or somewhere in between. Where you get your fix is also a key detail, and in the Starbucks-Dunkin' battle for coffee-chain dominance, there are fierce supporters on both sides.

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But which chain makes the better coffee, and how do McDonald's McCafé offerings fare in the mix?

I tried a regular black coffee, a mocha, and a frozen caramel drink from each of the three chains to determine the best in each category and an overall winner.

Here's how it went down:

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First stop: Starbucks.

Oh, Starbucks. I've chugged many a PSL and a selection of its other sweetened espresso beverages throughout my college years, but as my tastes have grown to crave specialty roasts and rich, chocolatey syrups (mochas are my go-to coffee drink), my Starbucks visits are much fewer these days.

As I am most familiar with Starbucks' offerings, I thought it would be a good place to establish a baseline for this taste test.

I ordered a tall Pike Place roast ($1.95), a mocha ($3.75), and a caramel Frappuccino ($3.95).