I’ve reviewed sodas, and I’ve reviewed Dunkin’s coffee milk-based Dunkalatte. But I never expected to review those two things simultaneously… until, for better or worse, Dunkin’s new Dirty Soda entered the scene.

“Interesting,” I thought idly when I first saw the word “soda” on the limited-time Spring menu. “I guess they’re trying to branch out to beverages other than coffee.” When I realized that this soda actually contained coffee as well, I practically did a spit take.

If, like me, you’re struggling to wrap your mind around this concept, let me break it down: this new beverage mixes Pepsi, coffee milk, and a Sweet Cold Foam topping. If you remember 2022’s polarizing viral concoction “Pilk” (Pepsi + milk), this is essentially that, but with a jolt of java to boot.

Dirty soda often involves adding creamer to a soda, which, while making it sweeter, doesn’t tend to alter the existing flavor profile radically. The two main ingredients here, though—cola with its notes of caramel and spice and coffee milk with its notes of, well, the two things in its name—both bring distinctive personalities to play.

My first sip was such an overwhelming textural experience that it took me a few minutes to even process the taste. The velvety richness of the coffee milk is underlaid with the Pepsi’s acidic fizz and capped off by the fluffy super-sweetness of the cold foam. Creamy, bubbly, airy, this drink has it all! Once my taste buds realized what was happening to them, they were struck by the interplay between the bitterness of the coffee, the milkiness of the cold foam, and the deep cola flavor lurking beneath it all. These disparate flavors come together to form a molasses-y earthiness that almost reminded me of root beer. The uncanny combination made me feel, not entirely unpleasantly, like I was consuming some sort of medicinal tonic or faerie elixir.

…Okay, you may notice that I’ve gone on about how unique this drink is, but I haven’t actually said whether it’s any good. Much like how Dunkin’ Dirty Soda is hard to define, that question is hard to answer.

The positives: this drink is certainly exciting. I found something quite charming about a massive global chain selling what sounds like it should only be accessible by unleashing a toddler at a soda fountain. I appreciate the creativity and ambition!

That being said, I think it might just be too weird to work. The clashing flavors and textures never quite perfectly gel. Plus, unlike other beverages with clearly defined roles (like coffee when you’re tired or soda when you’re craving a sweet treat), it’s hard to imagine many customers regularly being in a state of mind where they’re craving a Dunkin’ Dirty Soda specifically.

…That also being said, if Dunkin’ ever wants to bring this weird drink back and make it even weirder, I’d be all in. Cherry Pepsi or caramel coffee milk, anyone?

So I say: live a little! Give this one a shot… even if you never want to do it again.

Purchased Price: $5.11
Size: Small
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 240 calories, 119 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 220 milligrams of sodium, 82 grams of carbohydrates, 43 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

Snowflakes are in the air, turkeys are on sale at the grocery store, and festive decorations are starting to spring up all around my neighborhood. That can mean only one thing: holiday seasonal menu items are BACK!

With that declaration having been made, it was time for me to venture out to the wilds of my own (literal) backyard and head over to Dunkin’ to see what Santa brought me.

Along with the usual cookie and candy-themed items on offer was something new and distinctly different from the other holiday items: the Berry Sangria Refresher.

If you aren’t familiar with Dunkin’ Refreshers, they are non-coffee ways to get a nice caffeine boost, in fruit flavors, and they can be mixed with either tea, sparkling water, or lemonade, depending on your particular store’s selections. I tried both sparkling water and lemonade in the new Berry Sangria flavor so I could compare and contrast for you.

Sparkling Water Version

Light, carbonated, and berry-forward, this was an absolute delight to drink. As the name implies, it was very refreshing, with blueberry as the most prominent note, then a gentle mixed berry flavor, and a nice, slightly bitter finishing note that really did remind me of wine.

The sparkling water was an excellent accompaniment to the bold flavors. I thoroughly enjoyed this beverage, and it surprisingly fits in with a holiday-themed menu. It’s almost enough to make me forgive DD for discontinuing my beloved Halloween Blood Orange Refresher a few years back… almost.

Lemonade Version

While I did like this version, I have to admit I liked the sparkling water one a bit more. Something about the lemonade’s sweetness detracts from the sangria’s flavor. That bitter end note was diminished, and the whole drink felt a bit heavier, a bit less refreshing.

That said, it wasn’t bad at all, and if you like lemonade, this is an interesting new twist on an old classic with a burst of caffeine added—basically, a win in my book.

Purchased Price: $3.39 (Sparkling Water), $3.89 (Lemonade)
Size: Medium
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Sparkling Water), 7 out of 10 (Lemonade)
Nutrition Facts: Sparkling Water – 130 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 20 grams of total sugar, and 0 grams of protein. Lemonade – 250 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 20 milligrams of sodium, 60 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 56 grams of total sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

Dunkin’ ain’t messing around this Halloween. It *knows* that this time of year, you have to go big or go home. We’re at a point where excessive isn’t excessive enough anymore. Pretty much anybody can walk into an executive board room meeting at any major restaurant chain in America, describe the most outlandish and preposterous menu item imaginable and there’s at least a 50/50 chance they’ll actually mass release it.

In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s how the Candy Bar Signature Latte came into existence.

The gimmick of the latte is pretty obvious. When it says “candy bar,” it MEANS it. You’ve got the requisite whipped topping, and atop that, you’ve got a purée of all kinds of name-brand candies I don’t think Dunkin’ is legally allowed to mention in its advertising materials. But as soon as you taste it, you know what you’re chomping into. It’s pretty much an edible Where’s Waldo painting of various ice cream toppings — M&Ms (or “multi-color chocolate candies,” if you’re trying to avert a lawsuit), bits of pretzel, some little toffee chunks and pulped chips of what I’m pretty sure are supposed to be bite-size Heath bars. Basically, if you turned a trick-or-treat bag upside down and dumped it into a cup of hot cocoa, it would look a lot like this latte from Dunkin.’

Now, there are two varieties of Candy Bar Signature Latte. The iced version is obviously the more Instagrammable version. But I went with the standard hot latte iteration … which was a mistake on my part.

It’s thermodynamics 101. If you put something really cold on top of something really hot, it’s only a matter of time until one of ‘em gives. By the time I pulled out of the Dunkin’ drive-thru lane and made it back to my place, that beautiful, Willy Wonka-like tapestry had melted into a puddle resembling the atmosphere of Jupiter, complete with melted chocolate husks and soggy, shriveled pretzel pieces bobbing up and down like condemned souls in the river Styx. I used the Where’s Waldo reference earlier — give it about three minutes and you’ll have your own Hieronymus Bosch painting in the same cup.

So yeah, word to the wise — definitely go with the iced latte version here.

Ultimately, it’s not a bad beverage, just sort of a surprisingly muted one. With all of the ingredients in the cup, you’d think it would have a really distinct taste, but the hot chocolate flavor kinda dominates everything else. So it’s more like a slightly souped-up hot chocolate with pieces of toffee you get to occasionally chew on. That might be some people’s idea of a good time, but yeah, it’s not for me.

This is another example of fast food aesthetics over fast food quality. It looks cool and the novelty is appealing, but as something you actually consume, it’s surprisingly mundane. How a beverage with THIS much stuff in it tastes so much like an ordinary, run of the mill mocha latte is almost inspiring; but I guess no matter how much whipped cream and M&M’s you put on top of something, a Dunkin’ latte is still just a Dunkin’ latte.

Purchased Price: $5.99
Size: Large
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 560 calories, 18 grams of total fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 310 milligrams of sodium, 83 grams of total carbohydrates, 75 grams of sugars, 16 grams of protein.