REVIEW: Dunkin’ S’mores Cold Brew

The classic summer flavor of s’mores has descended on Dunkin’, so if you’re the kind of person who enjoys campfire-melted candies smashed between graham crackers, get ready to mix all that up in your coffee. The S’mores Cold Brew combines Dunkin’s classic cold brew with s’mores flavored syrup and is topped with marshmallow cold foam and graham crumbles.

Before I get into how this drink tastes, I must say I’m absolutely smitten with its visual appearance. The initial presentation was pleasant enough with its thick layer of cold foam. But after a few minutes, as the foam cascades down and mixes into the cold brew, the drink divides itself into three neat sections of white, tan, and brown, looking like some sort of s’mores-inspired candy corn cup. Just carrying it around, I feel like I’m holding a special treat. It could taste like garbage and I would still not be angry that I purchased it because it brought my eyes several moments of joy. Luckily, it’s more than a pretty picture.

The drink is topped with a hefty layer of cold foam that is so distinctly marshmallowy in taste and texture. It’s not just foam that’s vaguely vanilla or marshmallow flavored; in fact, it’s less like foam and more like you’ve scooped half a jar of marshmallow fluff on top of your coffee. It even has the slightly sticky consistency you’d expect of any gooey marshmallow product, and while stickiness may sound like an unappealing quality in a drink, I assure you it isn’t here.

Noticeably absent from my first purchase of this was the graham crumble topping, and I wondered how much that changed the overall feel of the drink.

Once you get beyond the sweet foam (which may take a few sips if yours came with as much as mine), you’re met with Dunkin’s cold brew mixed with s’mores syrup. The syrup contributes more sweetness but not a whole lot in terms of s’mores flavor. I thought I could maybe detect a very slight suggestion of mocha, but given that s’mores only have three ingredients, and one is chocolate, you’d expect that to be more prominent. I also didn’t pick up anything particularly toasty or graham cracker-like. But I was happy with the smooth coffee taste of the cold brew, and the marshmallow foam continued to be a standout, maintaining some presence even as I got to the end of the cup.

My second attempt came with the graham crumbles, and they’re a welcome addition as far as s’mores authenticity goes. They’re more sandy and cookie-ish than graham crackers exactly, but they bring toasty, honey notes and a slight saltiness that helps cut the very sweet marshmallow-forward beverage. The foam is the star here and your enjoyment will largely depend on your feelings towards those squishy confections. If you love marshmallows, don’t miss this one. If you don’t, I’d probably give it a pass.

Purchased Price: $4.89
Size: Medium
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 390 calories, 20 grams of total fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 80 milligrams of sodium, 53 grams of total carbs, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 66 grams of total sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

SPOTTED: 7/2/2024

Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments.

Trader Joe’s Tropical Green Tea Instant Boba Kit
Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Pillows
Trader Joe’s Organic Peanut Butter & Cocoa Crunch Cereal
Trader Joe’s Passion Fruit Granola
Trader Joe’s Crispy Battered Calamari

(Spotted by Sarah R at Trader Joe’s.)

7-Select Spicy Dill Pickle Kettle Potato Chips
7-Select Cheesy Garlic Bread Potato Chips

(Spotted by Robbie at 7-Eleven.)

RW Garcia Organic 3 Seed Sea Salt Crackers

(Spotted by Sarah R at Whole Foods.)

Pretzelized Sea Salt Pretzel Crackers
Pretzelized Cheddar Pretzel Crackers
Pretzelized Honey Mustard Pretzel Crackers

(Spotted by Sarah R at Whole Foods.)

Kraft Flavor Fusions Tomato Basil Monterey Jack Cheese

Covered the other two flavors in a previous post. (Spotted by Amanda Y at H-E-B.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

SPOTTED: Post Limited Edition Fruity Pebbles Waffles Cereal

Post Limited Edition Fruity Pebbles Waffles Cereal.

Yabba dabba fruuu-ity! (Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

SPOTTED: Post Limited Edition Frosted Chocolate Cake Cereal

Post Limited Edition Frosted Chocolate Cake Cereal.

Post Limited Edition Frosted Chocolate Cake Cereal 2.

Can’t fool us, Post. This is just shredded wheat with chocolate chips in them. (Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: Pizza Hut Chicago Tavern Style Pizza

As a born and bred New Yorker, just hearing “Chicago-style pizza” puts me in a fighting mood. Deep-dish pizza is not pizza! It’s a casserole! How many times do we need to have this debate? How long will it take for everyone to accept the plain, unvarnished truth?

Then I read that Pizza Hut has released a Chicago Tavern-style pizza, which has a thin crust, not unlike a certain other type of pizza that gets enthusiastically consumed in my house on a nearly weekly basis. Ah well, I guess I need to put away the boxing gloves and nunchaku and give this thing a fair shot. You have a choice of Double Pepperoni, Pesto Margherita, Spicy Chicken Sausage, or Ultimate. I went with the Double Pepperoni since I didn’t want the different toppings to complicate the eating experience.

My first thought was that the crust was actually not as thin as I was expecting; I think Domino’s has had thin crust pizza with thinner crust than this. Aside from being a little thinner and cut differently, the Tavern-style pizza is actually very similar to another Pizza Hut product, The Big New Yorker; it has the same parmesan-forward taste. The main differences are that the thinner crust on the Tavern pizza makes for a cheesier bite (although it’s a fairly subtle difference), and the whole thing is a fair bit less greasy.

And yes, I have ordered The Big New Yorker several times, despite being located in NY and having access to actual, authentic NY pizzerias. I can only attribute this to some kind of sophisticated mind control programming on Pizza Hut’s part. I always start dialing the number to Johnny D’s Authentic New York Pizza, then slam the phone down, muttering, “But you can’t Out-Pizza the Hut….”

Ahem, anyway, due to the nonstandard cut, some pieces of the Tavern-style pizza have toppings that go all the way to the edge, while some have a more traditional crusted end. I found the exposed crust, pleasantly studded with air bubbles, was the most fun part of the pizza to eat. It’s just really satisfying on a texture level, almost like eating a cannoli and feeling the crust flake apart under your teeth. That said, it was kind of a bummer that many of the slices in the box were missing this feature.

Also, don’t make the mistake of thinking this is lighter fare because it’s thinner: I ate three pieces, which, while much smaller than three slices of traditional pizza, made me feel like I just ate enough fat and salt for the rest of the week. However, it was not to be the extent of my salt and fat intake for the week because I had some again…the next day. Microwaved.

I know, I know, microwaving pizza—especially thin-crust pizza—is usually a bad idea. I can only argue that I was extremely hungry and impatient and was easily swayed to the dark side. Surprisingly, this pizza holds up pretty well to microwaving. Some of the crust became limp, but the crunchy end pieces were still delightfully crunchy.

On the whole, Pizza Hut’s Chicago Tavern Style Pizza was enjoyable enough to make this New Yorker consider the possibility that maybe good pizza can come from other states. Just don’t try to get me to compliment Detroit-style pizza. I have my limits.

Purchased Price: $12.00
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Double Pepperoni)120 calories, 6 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 15 mg of cholesterol, 290 milligrams of sodium, 11 grams of carbohydrates, and 6 grams of protein.