Regardless of the time of the year, weather, and country, there will be people drinking, buying, and making coffee. The coffee culture has expanded immensely with the introduction of global corporations providing hot drinks like Starbucks and Dunkin. There are many variations from bitter ice to seasonal pumpkin coffee, all of which are loved and purchased by coffee drinkers. Most of the known to humans coffee-making methods and hot drink types can be easily purchased at Starbucks or Dunkin. It has even entered the state of routine, so people stop noticing the differences between the producers as long as they get their desired drink. The problem is that the coffee made at the two cafes is similar, and it is difficult to differentiate for a casual buyer. However, there is a slight difference in taste between Starbucks and Dunkin coffee, which draws the careful attention of biomedical informatics scientists.
People usually associate coffee with a bitter taste, which may be a huge public delusion. When Tyler (2018) from Business Insider decided to compare Starbucks and Dunkin shops in downtown New York, she claimed bitterness as her coffee quality indicator. Tyler (2018) went to both bakery shops and structured an overall overview of the two, purchasing a cold brew as her final say. She stated that Dunkin’s drink was not “bitter, but … strong” and “super refreshing” (Tyler, 2018, para. 14). Still, Tyler (2018) preferred Starbucks for its stronger bitterness and cheaper price, emphasizing a less “watered down” state (para. 21). Although it may be just what is needed after a short sleep and before a long work-day ahead, a coffee expert Erika Vonie told Grub Street that professionally made pure coffee, espresso, should be “immediately sweet and creamy” instead (as cited in Richardson, 2018, para. 3). Interestingly, Vonie later declared Dunkin’s espresso a winner compared to Starbucks’ “over-extract[ed]” coffee, which prevented the sweet and creamy taste (Richardson, 2018, para. 7). In a chase for more customers who think of coffee as bitter, Starbucks makes their coffee too burnt to be enjoyed by experts like Vonie.
Bitter coffee taste forces many to add significant amounts of different sugars and syrups into their drinks, which can result in health problems. The impact of caffeine on the human body has long been debated in the medical world, which connects it to cardiovascular side effects (Grosso et al., 2017). Additional amounts of regular sugar and sugar-based syrups included in coffee making limit research conducted and can be harmful (Grosso et al., 2017). Problems linked to caffeine and in-coffee-sugar consumption are a part of medical informatics scientists’ approach to ensuring food safety. The healthcare data science can significantly improve the state of public treatment through discovering new innovative solutions and updating medical knowledge. The lack of cohesive and concrete information on all possible relationships between caffeine and human health pose an opportunity for informatics experts. More research in this field can go as far as confirming several benefits of coffee consumption, such as the prevention of chronic diseases (Grosso et al., 2017). Thus, the growing and widely practiced coffee culture has great potential for research, in which biomedical informatics is closely involved.
Both Starbucks and Dunkin companies make great and affordable coffee, which is enjoyed by millions of regular coffee drinkers worldwide. Even though their methods of making and selling hot and cold drinks differ, there are many similarities. For many, the difference is almost undiscoverable because their preferences are based on individual perceptions and experience with the products. Some might prefer bitter coffee, while others lean towards a sweeter version. The influence of caffeine and sugar on human organism has been an issue of major interest. Therefore, the industry stores an enormous potential for health informatics, which aims to ensure safety and prevent harmful outcomes.
References
- Grosso, G., Godos, J., Galvano, F., & Giovannucci, E. L. (2017). Coffee, caffeine, and health outcomes: An umbrella review. Annual Review of Nutrition, 37, 131-156. Web.
- Richardson, N. (2018). Is the new Dunkin’ espresso any good?Grub Street. Web.
- Tyler, J. (2018). We compared Dunkin’ Donuts’ ‘store of the future’ with Starbucks to see which was a better coffee shop: Here’s the verdict. Business Insider. Web.