Tag: Fast Food

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Blueberry Donut Iced Coffee

Erin Leave a comment

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.

REVIEW: Popeyes Golden BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Marvo 2 Comments

Remember that catchy Popeyes jingle? “Love that chicken from Popeyes!” However, its chicken is not the only product I adore from the fast food chain. Its array of unique sauces is equally impressive, from tangy to spicy. In fact, there are so many that even the McNugget Buddies might be a tad envious of the variety Popeyes has to offer.

The newest, a BBQ honey mustard, is on Popeyes’ Golden BBQ Chicken Sandwich. It features the same buttermilk-battered all-white meat chicken breast, barrel-cured pickles, and butter-toasted brioche bun as the chain’s famous Classic Chicken Sandwich. So it’s the original, with the new sauce swapped for the mayo. If you enjoy the other sandwiches Popeyes offers, this BBQ honey mustard is also available in the Blackened and Bacon & Cheese varieties.

The condiment makes the menu item look more monochromatic than it usually does. If not for the pickles, it would be a golden brown chicken breast with a golden sauce on a golden bun. At least with the original, the white mayonnaise provided some contrast. But, taste-wise, the BBQ honey mustard is a step up from the mayo. Or maybe I feel that way because I’ve eaten the original multiple times, and my taste buds wanted a change.

Whoever made mine didn’t skimp on the topping, which was liberally applied to both buns. Despite the generous squirts of sauce, the soft, sweet brioche bun kept the sandwich together. The tangy and sweet sauce with a hint of smokiness is a delicious condiment that complements the crispy chicken breast and all its seasonings. There’s no kick to it, so those who are heat-adverse need not worry. While the chicken, bun, and sauce made for a tasty sandwich, I thought the pickles were unnecessary and got in the way of the creamy topping’s taste. They added their usual tanginess and crunch but were okay in this sandwich. I’d probably get it without pickles if I get this limited-time-only offering again before it leaves.

I’ve had the other saucy Popeyes Chicken Sandwiches, like the Truff Hot Sauce and Buffalo Ranch ones. But I enjoyed this Golden BBQ Chicken Sandwich more than those, and I think I might like it as much as the original.

Purchased Price: $6.99
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 620 calories, 32 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 2 grams of trans fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 1550 milligrams of sodium, 54 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 28 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Starbucks Summer-Berry Refreshers

Marvo 1 Comment

Summer.

A time when the days are long and the nights are short. A time when you hope your deodorant’s claim of lasting 24 hours is accurate. A time when you’re very likely to sweat bucket if you hang outside for any decent length of time during the day. Okay, maybe not buckets, but you might perspire so much that you could fill a Tall-sized Starbucks cup with sweat. To replenish the liquid you’ll lose this summer, Starbucks has a shiny new Summer-Berry Refresher, available in cup sizes from Tall to Trenta, which you can reuse to find out how much you sweat during these upcoming hot months. I hope you don’t fill a Trenta-sized cup.

Starbucks says the drink is “a sweet summer blend of raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry flavors, shaken with ice and poured over raspberry flavored pearls that deliver a delicate and deliciously sweet burst of summer fun.” There are also versions that come mixed with either lemonade or coconutmilk. I decided to hydrate myself with the regular one.

The beverage looks more Instagrammable than my photos make it out to be. According to Starbucks, this is its first blue-colored drink. Well, primarily blue because the many raspberry pearls create a purple-red pearl pillow for the Summer-Berry base to sit on. I love how the ice spheres and blue base combine to look like a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. I could stare at it until the clouds have faded, I mean, until the ice has melted.

Its smell and taste reminded me of an ice pop. Although the base has multiple berries, I thought the blueberry stood out more. But the drink got raspberry-heavy when the fruit-flavored liquid trapped in the pearls was released as they exploded between my teeth. That’s when this Refresher really tasted like a blue raspberry popsicle. Crushing the ice between my molars kind of made me feel like I was chewing on an ice pop and doing stuff my dentist would disapprove of.

I’ve had popping boba before, so the sensation of chomping down on these pearls is not new to me. But I’ve always found that making them explode in my mouth is soothing and that my teeth can experience what my feet feel when they step on bubble wrap.

Starbucks’ Summer-Berry Refresher is like summer in a cup with a blue sky color, pearls that pop like fireworks, and a flavor that’s like a summer frozen novelty. It’s a great way to beat the summer heat and make you feel refreshed.

Purchased Price: $6.75
Size: Venti (24 fl oz)
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 160 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 80 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 36 grams of sugar, 0 grams of protein, and 75 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Burger King Frozen Cotton Candy Cloud

Vin 3 Comments

Am I the only one noticing weird weather in the forecast?

It’s almost May, and my weather app says it’s gonna be ice-cold and cloudy. Not only does it say Wednesday is gonna be, what I can only assume is some kind of crazy weather phenomenon, a “Whopper?” Is that a new meteorology term or—ya know what? This is the Burger King app. I’m in the Burger King app. False alarm, everybody.

We good? Ok!

Burger King has a new Frozen Cotton Candy Cloud that is a perfect treat for my actual weather forecast, which looks quite idyllic. The Cotton Candy Cloud is essentially a slush with Burger King’s answer to a coffee shop “cold foam.”

The base drink here is described as a “blue raspberry cotton candy frozen beverage,” but ignore the “blue raspberry” because I think it only applies to the color. It tastes like cotton candy. I never really even clocked any blue raspberry flavor, so if it’s there, it’s negligible.

The slush has a surprisingly soft cotton candy flavor. I expected it to be a lot more cloying. This might be obscure, but it reminded me of the Cotton Candy Swirl ice pops I got from ice cream trucks as a kid. Anything that reminds me of ice cream trucks of my youth gets an instant bump from me. If I could, I would wallpaper my house with photos of all the old Good Humor offerings.

The slush would be just fine on its own, but it’s the “cloud” that really puts it over the top, which might be an intended pun? I don’t know.

The cloud is vanilla ice cream, but the consistency lands somewhere between a milkshake and a cold foam you’d get from Starbucks or Dunkin’. It was the ideal viscosity to plop on an iced drink like this. Vanilla bled into the cotton candy ice, but the cloud managed to mimic its namesake and just float there until I finally decided to mix it in. Apologies for using the words “viscosity,” “plop,” and “bled.”

The churned-in vanilla turned the drink into an icy cotton candy cream milkshake and made for a delicious dessert to my Crispy Royal Wrap that tasted like a deep-fried eraser.

So, this is a cotton candy slush that is not quite like a cold foam coffee and not quite like a soda float, but somewhere in the middle. I would actually love to try this “cloud” in a soda and a coffee to see if it keeps the form it had with the slush.

Did I get brain freeze? Yes.

Did this turn my tongue a little blue? Yep.

Did it give me stomach problems? Sure did.

But did it fill a void in my life I desperately needed to fill? No. It did not.

It’s good though! I knew it would be when the kid at the drive-thru window told me I made “the right choice.” Who knows better than him?

I played a game in the app (horribly, I might add) and got a “free” medium Cotton Candy Cloud with a $1 purchase. Otherwise, it’s $1.49 for a limited time, which is still a great deal. Grab one on the next beautiful day and enjoy yourself.

Purchased Price: $1.49 in the app (probably considerably more without it)
Size: Medium
Purchased at: Burger King
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 250 calories, 9 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 42 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Starbucks Spicy Cream Cold Foam

Holly 3 Comments

The barista raised her eyebrow after I placed my order. “Have you….” she paused. “Have you tried the spicy stuff yet?”

I ordered my standard drink (three shots over ice) and added the new Spicy Cream Cold Foam from Starbucks. This order prompted the barista to ask me the question laced with unspoken caution. No doubt people have been trying the drinks and, I’m guessing, disliking them. “No, I’m just curious to try it,” I answered.

The “swicy” (spicy + sweet) trend started in late 2023, but the combination of sweet and spicy is not new. I’ve been enjoying swicy foods such as hot honey and Tajin-dusted fruits for a while. By having the sweet element, it cuts down on the burning aspects that come with most spicy flavors that aren’t an enjoyable sensation to everyone.

Getting the drink, I could see the chili blend (paprika, chili powder, ancho chili powder, and cayenne pepper) in the cold foam. Interestingly, I couldn’t smell it; it smelled like the standard cold foam. My curiosity got the best of me, and I tried the foam on its own. At first, the blend of sweet heat was enjoyable. The creamy sweetness of the cold foam and chili spices gave me that swicy flavor I enjoy. However, a few moments later, things took a bit of a turn.

After the initial taste, I felt an uncomfortable, dry burning in the back of my throat. Even without knowing the exact spice blend at the time, I immediately knew the culprit for my discomfort: cayenne pepper. It had to be cayenne, as the sensation was exactly the same as when I tried the Master Cleanse diet years ago, which involved mixing maple syrup, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper into water.

Giving my drink a swirl, I took a sip to see if the espresso would help mellow the cayenne a bit. At the top of the sip, the addition of the espresso was wonderful. The normally somewhat bitter bean juice was smooth and had a bit of sweetness. The flavors were working so well, only to be ruined by the aftereffect of the cayenne’s dull burn in my throat.

I love seeing Starbucks taking swings with some of its newer drinks, but this wasn’t the home run I had hoped it would be. The flavor was outstanding, but the physical sensation from the cayenne was terribly uncomfortable. It wasn’t until I reached the last few sips that I tapped out. No amount of swirling could stop the settling of spice at the bottom of the drink. I imagine an iced latte might be better suited for the Spicy Cream Cold Foam, but I don’t think potentially being uncomfortable again is worth a second attempt.

Purchased Price: $4.90 (drink + cold foam)
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Cold foam nutrition facts are unavailable on Starbucks’ website.