I’m wondering if it’s a smart move to offer these cereals during New Cereal Season. I mean, yeah, these are new cereals, but I wonder if they’d get lost among all the new offerings from the major cereal companies. Sorry. I thought for a second I was on CNBC. (Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)
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.
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.
(Spotted by Robbie and Allison H at Target.)
The ONLY interesting one here is the Maple Bacon Donut Cereal. It’s so compelling that by tomorrow I will have forgotten what the other two were. (Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)
Spicy food is pretty new to me. I’ve been too afraid to order fiery food for most of my life, and only recently realized that I actually like the burn of mild-to-moderately spiced food. I’m still never going to order a Super Triple Spicy Ghost Pepper Burger or whatever, but I like me some Wendy’s Spicy Nuggets.
What makes this item interesting — yet another burrito from Taco Bell, oh joy — is that it seems like the spiciness has been calibrated for people like me. You’ve got the salsa verde, which Taco Bell calls “green sauce,” which is spicy, but the presence of rice, grilled chicken, reduced fat sour cream, and a three-cheese blend are all fighting valiantly to cancel out that spice. What I ended up with was a burrito that created a pleasant, light-burning sensation on the tip of my tongue and the roof of my mouth, but did not spread that heat to the back of my mouth.
Other than the perfect spice level (for me, anyway), there isn’t that much to talk about. The other foods that complement the green sauce, save the cheese blend, are all relatively bland, which leads to a bland dining experience. The chicken tastes fine, but lightly marinated chicken is never going to rock your socks off with flavor. The cheese blend could add some flavor contrast, but I tasted very little cheese in my burrito. I’m assuming that means there wasn’t much in my burrito to begin with because cheese has a flavor that would have stood out if it was there in any reasonable quantity. More green sauce would have dialed up the flavor, but then the burrito would lose its “perfect for spice-wimps” level of heat.
Since I have so little to say about the flavor, I spent a little time online seeing what other reactions this burrito has been inspiring. Surprisingly, some eaters noted that it had too much cheese and not nearly enough salsa verde, which does not match my experience at all. Apparently, there may be some quality control issues going on here, which will not shock anybody.
The last thing I want to mention is the fact that this burrito is only two dollars on Taco Bell’s “Cravings” menu. Criticisms aside, this is a pretty hefty burrito for only two dollars; if you’re a somewhat light eater, this could serve as a really cheap lunch. Taco Bell is known for providing cheap eats, and while this burrito is far from perfect, it’s a pretty good deal for what it is.
Purchased Price: $2.00
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 390 calories, 12 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 1110 milligrams of sodium, 50 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of sugar, and 18 grams of protein.
