Tag: Coffee

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Bakery Series Canned Iced Coffee

Mike

Dunkin’ has released three new canned iced coffees inspired by its bakery offerings to excite pastry and coffee aficionados alike. The Bakery Series includes the Brownie Batter Donut, Cake Batter Donut, and Coffee Cake Muffin iced coffees. Will they be able to capture the essence of their namesake baked good and turn it into a caffeinated treat?

As a coffee snob who is also an absolute garbage person who will drink any swill if it has enough sugar and cream, I appreciate that Dunkin’ can straddle that line. While my Technivorm Moccamaster demands to be fed Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and gives me the side-eye if I drink it any way but black, I think Dunkin’ offers a good quality brew that can be doctored up without ruining it.

The three pale brown beverages are very sweet with a cream flavor, and the coffee flavor is mild. The dominant taste can be guessed from the names: Chocolate Brownie and Cake Batter Donut taste like chocolate and vanilla, respectively, and Coffee Cake Muffin tastes like cinnamon.

The issue with these three has nothing to do with the flavor, which is good if uninspired, and everything to do with the over-ambitious naming. Dunkin’ has released a Brownie Batter Donut that featured a thick, batter-like filling that was distinct from their run-of-the-mill chocolate crème. But how do food scientists translate chocolate filling, much less chocolate brownie batter filling into an iced coffee that’s not simply chocolate flavored? They mostly don’t.

To the extent that these beverages have a flavor other than plain chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon, it’s of additives used to replicate the ineffable “batter” and “muffin” essence. The result tastes good when gulped down, but slightly off-putting if you stop to study it, especially with the plainer cake batter flavor. Vanilla lets more weird science-y flavor through.

Vanilla, chocolate, and cinnamon coffee are classics for a reason, and that’s mostly what these are. Dunkin’s reach exceeded its grasp in attempting to capture a pastry in a can, but the result is still an enjoyable coffee experience.

Purchased Price: $2.49 each
Size: 11 oz cans (325 ml)
Purchased at: Woodman’s Market
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 200 calories, 6 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 mg milligrams of cholesterol, 220 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 grams of fiber, 30 grams of sugar (including 22 grams added sugar), and 6 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Caramel Cold Brew M&M’s

Julie 10 Comments

Can you ever have too much coffee and chocolate? M&M’s doesn’t think so, and the brand rarely steers me wrong. I recently reviewed and loved Espresso M&M’s, so another coffee-flavored variety came as a welcome surprise to this candy fiend. This time, the flavor inspiration is Caramel Cold Brew, represented in the milk chocolate M&M’s through coffee flavor and a chewy caramel center.

(For coffee novices, cold brew is made by steeping coarse ground coffee beans in cool water for long periods of time. The resulting concentrate is diluted with water or milk and can be served cool or hot with various flavorings. For coffee aficionados, the ingredients list includes natural and artificial flavoring, so I can’t speak to what extent the cold brewing process was honored during the production of these M&M’s. Rage as you must.)

Even though caramel filling is not new to M&M’s, I was surprised to find the chewy center rather than a caramel-flavored chocolate core. I do not think of texture when I think of cold brew. If you are chewing your cold brew, you might want to double check the expiration date of the milk you added to it.

Luckily, chewy caramel centers are delicious, so I couldn’t hold the choice against the M&M’s. Also, the caramel appears to be doing double duty here by holding the coffee flavor. The milk chocolate tastes like the standard chocolate component of a Plain or Peanut M&M, while the caramel has a robust, bitter-edged coffee flavor. I determined this after several rounds of carefully nibbling the chocolate off one M&M, then tasting its center separately. This process made me look like a hamster cracking apart a sunflower seed with its wee teeth, but that’s showbiz, baby.

However you eat Caramel Cold Brew M&M’s, the experience is interesting. There is an initial strong burst of coffee flavor that pairs beautifully with the chocolate and caramel. As you work the caramel center, the coffee taste fades, and the buttery glory of the caramel takes over, retaining a hint of coffee flavor. If you asked me to guess, I would have wondered if the world had been granted Kettle Corn M&M’s. The hint of coffee deeply flavors the caramel and gives it a brown butter or toffee vibe that lasts for most of the eating experience. The caramel paradoxically provides and dilutes the coffee flavor, but I guess I’d rather have my coffee diluted by caramel than by an ice cube that could sink the Titanic.

That initial coffee burst, though, removes all doubt of the product’s intention. The coffee aftertaste is also really strong, as though I spent all day drowning my sorrows in my favorite cafe, which I’m not scheduled to do until later in the week.

Like Caramel M&M’s, these candies are on the larger side and come in a rainbow of colors (no coffee-colored shells here). If you love that product, the enhanced flavor of Caramel Cold Brew M&M’s will pep you up come snack time or coffee break.

Purchased Price: $4.69
Size: 9.05 oz (256.6 g) stand up pouch
Purchased at: Target.com
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 1 oz serving, or about 11 candies) 130 calories, 5 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 18 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Starbucks Cinnamon Caramel Cream Nitro Cold Brew

Heather 2 Comments

Starbucks seems to be churning out new cold brews faster than Nick Cannon is having kids. All jokes aside, the newest cold brew to grace the Starbucks lineup is the Cinnamon Caramel Cream Nitro Cold Brew. (Note that there is also a non-nitro version, as not all Starbucks locations have nitro taps. Pro tip: The Starbucks mobile app will tell you which stores do in the location info!). A refresher for those not familiar, a cold brew on nitro means it’s infused with nitrogen and has a smooth texture.

The Cinnamon Caramel Cream Nitro Cold Brew has a cold brew coffee base with a new cinnamon caramel syrup, plus vanilla sweet cream cold foam and cinnamon dolce sprinkles (a.k.a. just cinnamon) on top.

Three observations right off the bat when I got my drink:

  1. SO MUCH FOAM… and I am here for it. If you look at my photo at the beginning, nearly half of the tall size beverage had foam, and I loved it. The vanilla sweet cream and cinnamon were delightful.

  2. You can also clearly see the pool of cinnamon caramel syrup at the bottom of my cup in the photo below… more on that later.

  3. I haven’t had a nitro drink in a while, so I forgot and then realized there is no ice in this drink! No ice helps create a smoother flavor. If you don’t love watered down coffee, this one might be for you!

There’s an overwhelming cinnamon flavor right at the first sip, which I liked. I definitely got some cinnamon roll flavor vibes, which is perfect for the Midwest where I live. It’s like a hug in a drink married to a cold beverage, so whether it’s 70 degrees one day or 35 the next (this really happened last week), this one suits the weather.

My only knock on flavor was the caramel was pretty non-existent. This is likely due to the syrup at the bottom, so I’m eager to try the cinnamon caramel sauce in an iced latte to compare.

On another note, I might never go back to regular cold brew because the nitrogen makes it so smooth. It cuts the bitterness the cold brew can sometimes bring and feels like a morning indulgence. Despite no ice, it stayed cool as I sipped.

This cold brew is a winner in my book, and I’m happy it’s available year-round. After my not-so-excited review of the Pistachio Cream Cold Brew back in January, I was delighted with this one.

Purchased Price: $5.25
Size: Tall
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 180 calories, 10 grams of total fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 22 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of protein, and 185 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Brown Butter Toffee Latte

Erin 1 Comment

If there was an intersection where coffee and toffee met, you’d find me in the middle, impatiently waiting for waves of espresso and the butter/sugar confection to crash into me. Before Ben & Jerry’s ruined it, its Coffee Heath Bar Crunch was my go-to ice cream, and I make batches of my own coffee toffee several times a year. Coffee and toffee play well together beyond just rhyming, and Dunkin’ is here to take advantage of that with its new Brown Butter Toffee Latte. The winter menu drink features your milk of choice plus “bold espresso and subtle brown butter and toffee flavor notes.”

When I removed the lid on the hot version, I was briefly thrown off by a bizarre orange hue around the edges until I realized this was the result of sprinkles that had melted into the drink. It definitely captures the aroma of toffee, and the flavor is rich and buttery with the latter being almost a little startling at times. Browned butter is delicious, but here and there, I got a sip that almost seemed like I was just drinking browned butter. It isn’t necessarily off-putting, but if anyone asked, you’d certainly have no trouble identifying what that flavor is. Apparently, Dunkin’ and I don’t have the same definition of “subtle.”

We also differ on the word “bold” because I wish the coffee was more present here. While packing a fair amount of sugar, the sweetness isn’t totally overwhelming for me. But I think it could be better balanced with a stronger coffee element or maybe a bit more molasses flavor for depth and bitterness. Overall though, these are minor quibbles because the toffee flavor is well executed, and the drink has a toasty, wintery vibe that’ll help comfort you in this post-holiday time when you’re forced to throw out your Christmas tree.

The iced latte is creamier and more mild tasting which can be good or bad depending on how much you enjoy the two main flavors here. It doesn’t smack me in the face with browned butter the way the hot version sometimes did; here, it is more subtle. The toffee smell is still strong, but the taste is toned down a bit. Not sure if you love toffee, but can get on board with caramel things? I’d go the iced route.

Both hot and iced drink like dessert beverages and less like your morning coffee. Neither achieves the highest levels that a coffee/toffee pairing can, but if you’re looking for a sweet way to usher in January, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in these cozy lattes.

Purchased Price: $4.29 (hot), $4.69 (iced)
Size: Medium
Rating: 8 out of 10 (hot), 7 out of 10 (iced)
Nutrition Facts: (Medium hot with whole milk) 280 calories, 9 grams of total fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 140 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 37 grams of total sugar (24 grams of added sugar), and 9 grams of protein. (Medium iced with whole milk) 280 calories, 9 grams of total fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 37 grams of total sugar (24 grams of added sugar), and 9 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Starbucks Pistachio Cream Cold Brew

Heather 2 Comments

New Year, New Starbucks drink. That’s the saying, right? Back in 2021, Starbucks introduced a Pistachio Latte. Two years later, the pistachio flavor is now being adapted into a cold brew with the Pistachio Cream Cold Brew. This one has the signature Starbucks cold brew coffee with pistachio cold foam and a salted brown butter topping.

A quick reference to my 2021 Pistachio Latte review reminded me that I LOVED it. But this one? It wasn’t amazing, but it wasn’t bad either. A “meh” kind of beverage, if you will.

The cold brew itself is just that: cold brew. With 145 milligrams of caffeine in a tall, you’re definitely getting a good caffeine hit for the day. (A venti boasts 275 milligrams of caffeine.) The pistachio cold foam is where the drink fell flat for me. At first sip, I liked that it was mellow and subtlety sweet. But the flavor of the pistachio syrup in the cold foam did not shine through. It was missing the nutty taste I hoped for and was masked by the coffee-ness of the cold brew. I was also surprised to see the drink had 25 grams of sugar, as it definitely didn’t taste that sweet. If something has 25 grams of sugar, I want it to tame my sweet tooth!

Also lacking, just like my one negative of the latte, was the salted brown butter topping. This had the potential to be such a scene stealer, but I barely had any on my drink and none of the flavor came through. Of course, this might depend on if the barista making your drink is heavy-handed with the topping or not. A quick recon in the Starbucks app shows that you can ask for extra topping. Let me know in the comments if you try that – it might convince me to give it a go and see if the flavor adjusts!

That all being said, the drink was still decent and totally palatable. It just didn’t knock my socks off. I did start to like it more as I kept drinking and the cold foam began to settle into the cold brew. It’s not something I’d go back to in a heartbeat, but I may have to try the Pistachio Latte iced for a comparison.

Purchased Price: $4.75
Size: Tall
Purchased at: Starbucks
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 210 calories, 12 grams of total fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 25 grams of total sugars, 2 grams of protein, and 145 milligrams of caffeine.