Tag: Dunkin

Dunkin’s summer menu takes inspiration from the fresh, delicious flavors of the season, like watermelon, blueberry, and…donuts? Donuts are an unconventional choice for summer only if you do not celebrate National Donut Day on June 7. If you need a better reason to embark on the spiritual journey known as Hot Donut Summer, reach with me: think of the shape of inflatable pool rings, or the treat you enjoy at work while counting down the days to your beach vacation.

The Frosted Vanilla Donut Signature Latte is a tribute to that besprinkled beacon, reminding you that better times are ahead—even if those times involve only the caffeine-and-sugar-induced euphoria that comes with treating yourself. Available hot or iced, the latte is made with rich espresso, milk, and two kinds of sweet flavoring: vanilla and Donut Swirl, described on Dunkin’s website as having “notes of vanilla frosting, pastry, and donut sugar.” The signature drink is topped with whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and rainbow sprinkles.

I ordered a hot Signature Latte on a chilly day. Removing the drink’s lid revealed fluffy whipped cream, melting against the coffee’s heat and decorated invitingly with caramel and sprinkles. In appearance, it reminded me of an ice cream sundae (foreshadowing established) with a strong vanilla aroma.

After a few sips, my notions of Hot Donut Summer had melted away just like the whipped cream. If I hadn’t known the intended flavor, I would have thought I was sipping on an Ice Cream Sundae Latte. The drink was very richly creamy and sweet—a little too sweet, especially where pockets of unmixed flavor syrup lingered at the bottom of the cup. The drink’s vanilla flavor and general sweetness were the most pronounced flavors, although the coffee wasn’t lost. Lacking any bitter notes, the coffee flavor seemed equal in ratio to the vanilla creaminess, which together reminded me of coffee ice cream. I could have dumped my cup’s contents into an ice cream maker, churned for a spell, and transferred the results to a waffle cone for a nice dessert.

As I envisioned this experiment, my mind’s library of useless knowledge released from its archives a lyric from a Beastie Boys song: “I like my sugar with coffee and cream.” If you share the sentiment, the Dunkin’ Frosted Vanilla Donut Signature Latte will be a good match for you: it is sweet, creamy, with elevated vanilla flavor, with extra sweet toppings as the icing on the alleged donut.

Don’t let my ice cream tangent make you think I forgot about the unfulfilled promise of the donut. While combining the longtime colleagues of coffee and donuts into a latte is a fun idea, the resulting product doesn’t remind me of the pastry at all, save their like sweetness. While it may be a sweeter, more dessert-like twist on your usual coffee beverage, the Dunkin’ Frosted Vanilla Donut Signature Latte feels like a missed opportunity for a unique seasonal treat to bask in the summer spotlight.

Purchased Price: $4.39
Size: Small
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 300 calories, 11 grams of total fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 140 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 39 grams of total sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

“Can I get a Kiwi Strawberry Refresher?”

That’s how I ordered Dunkin’s new Kiwi Watermelon Refresher in the drive-thru, thanks to my mouth, which has said kiwi strawberry or strawberry kiwi so many times that it’s apparently developed muscle memories for saying them. However, despite my mouthy mix-up, the person taking my order didn’t correct me, and I ended up with the correct verdant green-colored beverage.

As I sipped on the new Dunkin’ Refresher flavor, I realized that kiwi watermelon is a rare fruit combination in the beverage world. In fact, I couldn’t even recall a product that had the two-fruit combo. This curiosity led me to delve into my extensive photo library of 26,667 Spotted product images, but my search came up with zilch.

Dunkin’s Kiwi Straw…I mean, Kiwi Watermelon Refresher is available with either green tea or lemonade. I went with green tea because my body doesn’t function well without caffeine; hence, perhaps it’s the reason why I mouthed “kiwi strawberry” instead of “kiwi watermelon” since the beverage was my first kiss of caffeine of the day. Oh, for you lemonade fans, Dunkin’ announced that it’ll now be a permanent offering. So pucker up! A large size with green tea has 132 milligrams of caffeine, which is surprisingly high for something with green tea. I wish Arizona Green Tea had that much.

The grassy green color without a hint of red watermelon gives a clue as to how this beverage tastes. The dominant flavors are kiwi and green tea, and I’m not sure I ever noticed the watermelon. Although there’s a slight sourness, which could’ve come from the kiwi or watermelon. Even though it tasted like it was missing the melon flavor, I thought it still was a delicious and refreshing drink. A kiwi and green tea mix is quite good.

If you need a sweet, tasty beverage that color coordinates with Dunkin’s new Green Goddess Wrap or a pick-me-up that quenches your thirst, Dunkin’s Kiwi Watermelon Refresher is a great option.

Purchased Price: $5.59
Size: Large
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 160 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 20 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 37 grams of sugar (including 37 grams of added sugar), 1 gram of protein, and 132 milligrams of caffeine.

I’m not a goddess. Nor am I a god, so trying Dunkin’s new Green Goddess Wrap feels weird. But, then again, you can’t spell Goddess without odd, which I absolutely am, as you can tell from this nonsensical introduction, so I guess I shouldn’t feel weird reviewing this.

According to Dunkin’, the Green Goddess Wrap has a satisfying mix of egg whites, farro, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, feta, and green goddess dressing, all wrapped in a verdant green lavash.

Let’s start with that spinach lavash, which doesn’t have much flavor and comes in a green color that’s not very verdant and appears more brown if the light is right. But when it’s green in my eyes, I can’t help but think it looks like a hemp wallet. Unfortunately, unlike all wallets, it didn’t do a great job at completely keeping in its contents. The Green Goddess filling squeezed its way out of the wrap through any possible opening. So eat over a plate or keep it in the sleeve it’s served in.

After a 24-minute drive home from my nearest Dunkin’ location, it retained a decent amount of warmth. Full disclosure: This is my first time with a Dunkin’ Wrap. Because this was my first time, I was surprised by its almost square shape. When my head thinks of wraps, foodstuffs shaped like burritos, not wallets, come to mind.

When I cut open the hemp wallet, my eyes could point out the sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, some farro, and egg whites. But I was a bit disappointed that the filling didn’t have a green tint to it from the green goddess dressing. But that could be forgiven because this wrap is tasty. My taste buds mostly noticed the garlic and basil in the dressing, and they also tasted the sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and egg whites. However, the feta didn’t contribute much flavor. But that doesn’t matter because I thoroughly enjoyed what this hemp wallet offered. Overall, the filling’s flavor kind of reminded me of a spinach artichoke dip but slightly milder.

If my review convinced you to try Dunkin’s Green Goddess Wrap, and it’s between May 15-31, 2024, Dunkin’ Rewards members can try it for three dollars. Definitely worth it if you get it for three bucks, but not so much if you happen to pay almost seven smackers.

Purchased Price: $6.89*
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 260 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 900 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar (including 1 gram of added sugar), 15 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

Summer is here, and with it comes the sounds of bees buzzing, grills sizzling, phones ringing, and, wait, what? Phones ringing? Yup, Dunkin’s summer menu has arrived, and at least in the case of the new Blueberry Donut Iced Coffee, the chain definitely phoned it in. The Blueberry Donut Iced Coffee is made with brewed Arabica coffee, donut-flavored swirl syrup, cream, and blueberry flavor.

The berry flavor hopes to evoke the spirit of the juicy summer fruit, while the donut swirl promises to bring notes of vanilla frosting, pastry, and donut sugar to the mix.

My first impression was that this drink looks pretty regular, and that’s okay. It’s perfectly fine that this looks like coffee and isn’t colored with blue dye, nor does it contain any bursting blueberry boba. As long as it tastes good, I don’t mind that it isn’t going to turn my mouth blue. It certainly smelled like blueberry, which I took to be a good sign. Unfortunately, the smell is kind of where the berry stops.

A few sips in, I found the blueberry less and less noticeable. It was almost like drinking regular coffee out of a blueberry-scented cup. With the blueberry taking a backseat, you might think it was due to the donut swirl hogging the spotlight, but it isn’t particularly donut-y either. The swirl brings a welcome creaminess and sweetness that wasn’t too sugary for my liking, but it doesn’t really stand out as having a donut flavor. That’s the real issue here; nothing stands out. I found it enjoyable enough, but nothing about it would inspire me to repurchase.

With National Donut Day coming up on June 7, Dunkin’s attempt to celebrate the pairing of coffee and donuts is a bit lackluster. If the goal was to mimic the taste of a mediocre blueberry pastry, I suppose it was achieved. This coffee won’t leave you with any Violet Beauregarde vibes, and I guess being spared a trip to the juicing room isn’t the worst thing. If you’re okay with a simple switch-up to your regular iced coffee, this might be worth a try. But much like Spring’s Churro Latte, it seems not special enough to be headlining a limited edition menu.

Purchased Price: $2.00 (Normally $3.69, there was a $2 medium iced coffee deal at time of purchase)
Size: Medium
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 260 calories, 9 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 110 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of total carbs, 0 gram of dietary fiber, 39 grams of total sugar, and 4 grams of protein.