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  • It's a common misconception that Dunkin' is most famous and beloved for its donuts.

  • The truth is, those who are familiar with the east coast chain know that when it comes

  • to Dunkin's, it's all about the coffee.

  • These are some of the most popular Dunkin' coffee drinks, ranked worst to best.

  • "Welcome to Coffee Talk.

  • I'm your host, Linda Richman."

  • Hazelnuts have a rich and beautiful flavor with a long history of sparking serious taste

  • bud joy.

  • But for some reason, when it comes to adding sugary flavor to Dunkin's coffee, this particular

  • swirl choice is kind of, how shall we say this, yucky.

  • Oddly bitter and artificial tasting, it's unclear whether the problem is that the swirl

  • itself tastes like a type of perfume, or if the issue is the combination of the swirl

  • with Dunkin's coffee, whether it's not or iced.

  • The merging of these two entities should be avoided.

  • If you're a coffee lover with a hankering for hazelnut, try ordering a hot or iced beverage

  • and dressing it up with a hazelnut flavor shot instead.

  • If you do, however, be aware that Dunkin's flavor shots are unsweetened, so those craving

  • a sugar rush will need to add in their own sweetener.

  • If these Dunkin' flavors seem foreign to you, it's probably because they aren't offered

  • year round or at every location.

  • But if you do happen to stumble into a Dunkin's at the right time of year and spot Cookie

  • Dough or Rocky Road as swirl options, we urge you not to be seduced by the yummy desserts

  • their titles conjure up.

  • Inspired by some of Baskin-Robbins' most popular ice cream flavors, we learned the hard way

  • that not everything we love tastes great in beverage form.

  • It appears that cookie dough is best enjoyed raw, cooked, or embedded in vanilla ice cream,

  • not floating aimlessly in your morning coffee.

  • While the combination of Arabica beans and uncooked dough may someday be a mainstream

  • favorite, we hope it is not within our lifetime.

  • Along those same lines, Rocky Road, a beloved ice cream flavor comprised of chocolate, marshmallows,

  • and nuts, is perfect as is, and does not respond well when violated by the strong taste of

  • coffee.

  • These two tie as far as placing, since we couldn't decide which was the worst of the

  • two.

  • Just avoid them both.

  • Although the bottled version of Dunkin's iced coffee can be useful to have on hand when

  • you need caffeine in a pinch, the experience of drinking this pre-packaged, cold-ish coffee

  • may leave you feeling a bit deflated.

  • Consumed as served, which means, without ice, this beverage hardly compares to the delightfully

  • refreshing fresh iced coffee that Dunkin' is known for.

  • While the taste is okay, it is virtually impossible to make this drink last more than a couple

  • of minutes since the plastic bottle assures the contents will get warm very quickly.

  • And without ice, drinking coffee from a bottle feels more like drinking a 5-hour Energy shot

  • or a less creamy, less chocolatey, less delicious Yoo-hoo.

  • Let us start by saying that the Butter Pecan swirl in Dunkin's iced coffee is actually

  • quite good; however, simply put, this drink is about as far away from coffee as you can

  • get.

  • Fully loaded with 48 grams of sugar in a large, it would arguably be healthier to just flag

  • down the ice cream truck on your way to work, and then again when you get out, just for

  • good measure.

  • However, if you love the effect of caffeine but hate the taste of coffee, and happen to

  • have a sweet tooth that just won't quit, then Dunkin's butter pecan swirl iced coffee might

  • be the perfect drink for you.

  • The flavor absolutely does its job capturing both the creamy buttery-ness and smooth nuttiness

  • that it promises.

  • In fact, it's so efficient that it actually completely overpowers any coffee flavor.

  • "I'm stayin'.

  • I'm finishin' my coffee."

  • Some of you may not even know that Dunkin' has a secret menu, but they do!

  • And of their more interesting offerings is the coco berry iced coffee.

  • If you're vegan, or simply a nut for nuts and berries, then this beverage hack is a

  • must try.

  • Made by combining Dunkin's iced coffee with almond milk, two shots of coconut flavor,

  • and two shots of blueberry flavor, the coco berry iced coffee is a delightful, refreshing,

  • and completely dairy-free option.

  • That being said, the amalgamation of coconut, blueberry, and coffee is not for everyone.

  • For coffee purists, the coco berry iced coffee flavor profile may prove to be a little too

  • off the beaten path.

  • For mocha lovers, it's worth noting that there is also a different version of Dunkin's coco

  • berry iced coffee that ditches coconut for cocoa.

  • In this non-vegan incarnation, the drink is made by combining a mocha latte with one shot

  • of blueberry.

  • In 2017, the coffee conglomerate replaced the Coffee Coolatta with what they simply

  • call the Frozen Dunkin' Coffee.

  • Like the Coolatta, Frozen Dunkin' Coffee can be customized a number of ways by adding in

  • flavors shots or swirls.

  • Given the popularity of the PSL, it's not surprising that one of those flavors is pumpkin.

  • While hot pumpkin lattes warm the soul and ease the transition from a summer to fall

  • state-of-mind, adding the pumpkin flavor shot to what is essentially a coffee milkshake

  • has a different effect.

  • Although the frozen pumpkin coffee tastes good, there is something about it that also

  • tastes wrong.

  • Pumpkin is a flavor that conjures up sentiments of cold weather, warm sweaters, cozy socks,

  • and sitting by the fire.

  • It just seems that the strange sensation of slurping icy pumpkin is specific to the frozen

  • pumpkin coffee combination, and it's not pleasant.

  • "Oh my giddy aunt."

  • If you are a fan of the cold brew coffee craze that seems to have swept our great nation,

  • then Dunkin' should definitely be a stop on your list.

  • Their cold brew is high in caffeine but low in acidity, and very drinkable for even the

  • non-cold brew lover.

  • This strong but low-cal option is a nice change from the typical iced coffee routine.

  • What is particularly interesting is that even with all the variety and liberties that Dunkin'

  • takes with its coffee options, the cold brew seems to have remained sacred, escaping any

  • corruption by flavor swirls or whipped toppings.

  • Perhaps this is out of respect for the very serious iced coffee drinkers that seem to

  • have separated from the rest of the heard at the inception of cold brew.

  • When thinking of ways to make your coffee even more delicious, adding fruit into the

  • mix probably isn't on the top of your list.

  • Yet, Dunkin' Donuts has managed to open our eyes to a world where berry-flavored coffee

  • is not only available, but is surprisingly yummy.

  • If you're an iced coffee drinker looking to change things up a bit, take a walk on the

  • wild side by adding a blueberry flavor shot to your normal routine.

  • While the essence of blueberry in your cup of Joe might not be for everyone, we do think

  • it is for more people than one might think.

  • However, if fruit in your coffee feels like too big of a leap, try taking a coconut flavor

  • shot for a spin instead, we promise it's just as tasty.

  • Less robust than hazelnut, Dunkin's coconut iced coffee is a nice compromise for nut lovers

  • who are looking for something a bit lighter.

  • This drink also happens to taste fantastic with almond milk, so it's a total win for

  • vegans, too.

  • As the name suggests, this Dunkin' iced coffee hack is a dream-come-true for fans of Hershey's

  • Almond Joy candy bar.

  • By adding toasted almond and coconut flavor shots, as well as a mocha swirl, Dunkin's

  • iced coffee is transformed into a drinkable version of the classic treat.

  • For those of you who are more of the Mounds persuasion, you can be equally as satisfied

  • with the same drink, just hold the toasted almond.

  • Either way, this joining of flavor forces successfully delivers your favorite Halloween

  • treat into your morning coffee in a way that is not overly sweet nor weirdly bitter.

  • And while the actual Almond Joy candy bar has 20 grams of carbs, the drink version has

  • a mere 5 grams, making it a kinda sorta healthy choice.

  • Well, healthier, at least.

  • Like many items on the Dunkin' drink menu, the caramel mocha coffee can be served hot

  • or iced, and both ways are truly delicious.

  • The high marks of this drink are probably not all that surprising since most people

  • would cast a vote for caramel, chocolate, and coffee as a winning combination.

  • Nevertheless, it's always good to get some validation beforehand because, like in the

  • instance of the hazelnut swirl, these things can sometimes not turn out as great as they

  • sound.

  • If you crave sweet and savory, the caramel mocha is also prime for a great drink hack,

  • sprinkling a little salt on the top!

  • This adds that whole yummy salted caramel thing to the experience.

  • It's important to point out that since the caramel mocha is made by adding both caramel

  • and mocha swirls to coffee, it's definitely on the sweeter side.

  • "Tis the season for holiday drinks, like-"

  • "Never mind that.

  • Hey, interview my buddy Dewey for the movie, right here.

  • Dewey, tell 'em what your favorite donut is."

  • Whenever you're talking about merging chocolate and hazelnut, the response is almost certainly

  • going to be, "oh heck yes."

  • When it comes to dessert, Nutella is a buzzword that practically sells itself (unless you

  • have a tree nut allergy and then it's a cautionary warning to run in the other direction).

  • Despite the poor performance of the standalone hazelnut swirl, its presence in the Nutella

  • Surprise will make you sing an entirely different tune.

  • Another favorite from Dunkin's secret menu, the flavor of the Nutella Surprise is quite

  • decadent.

  • While Nutella can be a little intense sometimes, the beauty of the Nutella Surprise is that

  • the hazelnut chocolatey-ness does not overpower the coffee flavor.

  • In fact, it compliments it.

  • Given the popularity of hazelnut-flavored coffee, and mocha's loyal following, the only

  • thing surprising about these two flavors making one kick-butt drink is that it's not part

  • of Dunkin's regular menu.

  • The caramel swirl latte offers a lot of the same delicious flavor as the caramel mocha,

  • just a little less sweet, a little more creamy, and no chocolate.

  • What is great about this drink in latte form is that the espresso offers a rich base that

  • blends really well with the bold caramel flavor, both of which are softened by the high cream/milk

  • quantity.

  • There is something about the espresso-caramel-milk ratio of this drink that is pretty darn close

  • to perfection.

  • Also, because it only uses one swirl flavor, the drink is sweet, but not overwhelmingly

  • so.

  • If you really don't like your coffee sweet, you can order a latte and add in a caramel

  • flavor shot.

  • Since these shots are unsweetened, you're free to add your own sweetener or go without.

  • In a similar vein, the caramel macchiato is also quite yummy and has received rave reviews

  • in its hot form.

  • Whichever caramel drink you choose, don't forget that you can always sprinkle a little

  • salt on top for a sweet and savory twist.

  • You might be surprised to finally get to number one and find that it is just a simple cup

  • o' Joe.

  • Call it an affinity for tradition, but nothing really beats the straight-up, no-nonsense

  • flavor of Dunkin' Donuts' original blend.

  • Smooth and unpretentious, this medium roast is derived from Arabica beans and delivers

  • an even flavor that rivals the slightly bitter taste of Starbuck's Pike Place.

  • While the fun and novelty of Dunkin's more extravagant beverage choices, complete with

  • whipped cream and toppings, are appreciated, it's the original blend that made them famous,

  • and for good reason.

  • If you want to add a little excitement to your morning coffee, or perhaps are just looking

  • for a change, adding one of Dunkin's unsweetened flavor shots is a nice compromise.

  • This combo allows you to enjoy some variety without sacrificing the integrity of the Dunkin'

  • coffee that you know and love.

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It's a common misconception that Dunkin' is most famous and beloved for its donuts.

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