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REVIEW: Dunkin’ Toasted Gingerbread Signature Latte

December 5, 2019August 6, 2021 Ann 3 Comments

Dunkin Toasted Gingerbread Signature Latte

While other coffee chains attempt to dominate the autumnal flavor board, Dunkin’s New Signature Latte line-up takes a commanding stronghold of classic winter holiday flavors. One of its four new varieties, available hot or cold, is the Toasted Gingerbread Signature Latte, which features “the flavors of gingerbread, marshmallow and chocolate all in one cup, topped with whipped cream, caramel drizzle and cinnamon sugar.”

I’ll be completely transparent here, I bought this drink twice, and I’m still not sure I’ve had the website description of this beverage. But look, I get it, seasonal menus are difficult with unique flavors, special prep instructions, and stress!

Dunkin Toasted Gingerbread Signature Latte First Latte

The first version of the Toasted Gingerbread Latte I received had nothing on top. No whipped cream, no drizzle, no cinnamon sugar. It was overwhelmingly sweet and tasted like a lightly spiced hot chocolate. If I got this at a freezing cold football game, I wouldn’t be mad, but I was definitely missing any trace of the traditional gingerbread flavor (cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, molasses, etc).

Dunkin Toasted Gingerbread Signature Latte 2nd

Feeling like surely something had gone wrong, I tried a second Dunkin’ location a few days later and received an entirely different beverage. This time, there was whipped topping, chocolate drizzle (the website says this was supposed to be caramel, but I didn’t mind this modification), and a cinnamon spice sprinkle topping. Again, I’m not sure this was “correct” either, but it was a massive improvement from the first attempt.

Dunkin Toasted Gingerbread Signature Latte 2nd Top

This second version of the Toasted Gingerbread Latte had a much stronger spice flavor both in the drink and from the cinnamon sugar topping. It was still ridiculously sweet and could pass more as gingerbread spice hot chocolate, with almost no coffee taste coming through. It was much more enjoyable with any type of topping accoutrements. I do think Dunkin’ could have done more with the notion of “toasted” (maybe if it was made with oatmilk?), and I would have loved more molasses flavor. But all-in-all, this wasn’t a total miss.

If you’re a fan of sweet drinks, holiday spice, and random barista surprises (because WHO KNOWS how this drink is really supposed to be made), go ahead and roll the dice to see what your local Dunkin’ decides the Toasted Gingerbread Signature Latte is. Maybe try one every day in December like an Advent Calendar surprise!

Purchased Price: $3.08
Size: Small
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Small made with whole milk) 300 calories, 11 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of cholesterol, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 39 grams of sugar, and 8 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Merry Mocha Mint Signature Latte

November 19, 2019November 19, 2019 Dustin 4 Comments

Dunkin Merry Mocha Mint Signature Latte 1

Peppermint and chocolate make a magical team. Their combination is my most treasured flavor of the holiday season and one of my favorites year-round. Nothing makes me feel like everything is as right with the world as peppermint and chocolate when they’re doing their thing.

After taking a year off, Dunkin’ has brought back their peppermint mocha with a new name: The Merry Mocha Mint Signature Latte. It’s a peppermint mocha topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup, dusted with hot cocoa powder. It’s available hot or iced, and since it was nearly 90 degrees when I ordered it, I opted for the iced version.

Dunkin Merry Mocha Mint Signature Latte 2

Being that it’s been a couple of years since I’ve had Dunkin’s peppermint mocha, I couldn’t remember if it always came with a sprinkle of hot cocoa powder on the whipped cream. This sounded really promising to me, but, unfortunately, the one I received had such little powder that it didn’t impact the taste of the whipped cream in any noticeable way.

Dunkin Merry Mocha Mint Signature Latte Top

The chocolate in the latte was decadent, with a sweetness level was on par with semi-sweet chocolate. The syrup on top tasted exactly as I hoped it would. It was just as rich as the what’s in the drink and didn’t have that typical synthetic chocolate syrup flavor.

The peppermint level was perfectly balanced. It danced around with the chocolate and delicately enhanced the drink. It was strong enough to be prominent, but it didn’t feel like I had ravenously sucked down an entire tin of Altoids.

All this positivity aside, I was disappointed for one very important reason: I could not taste any form of coffee in the latte at all. The drink tasted like a delicious minty chocolate milk on ice, but not any type of legitimate mocha or latte.

I can’t be certain if the Merry Mocha Mint Signature Latte was supposed to taste like this or if I got a dud. Judging by the simple discrepancy between the cocoa powder on my drink and the promo photographs, I’m leaning towards the latter.

This time around, Dunkin’ failed to give me the full “warm and fuzzy” experience that I was craving. Taking a year off from the peppermint mocha has clearly made them a little rusty.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: Medium
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 340 calories, 5 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 62 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 56 grams of sugar, and 11 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Holiday Eggnog Signature Latte

November 14, 2019December 6, 2019 Vin 1 Comment

Dunkin Holiday Eggnog Signature Latte

What is Dunkin’s Holiday Eggnog Signature Latte?

From my experience, eggnog is a pretty divisive beverage. You either love it, or you think it’s Krampus saliva. I happen to think it’s absolutely delicious, so you better believe I’m all about Dunkin’s new twist on the holiday favorite.

How is it?

I apologize for getting your hopes up with the word “twist,” because this is just straight eggnog.

Dunkin’ claims their signature lattes are “steamed milk poured over espresso,” which one would assume, but I’m pretty sure I drank a glass of iced eggnog.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? On the one hand, I love it, on the other, why go to Dunkin’ for a normal glass of eggnog?

This “latte” looks like eggnog, smells like eggnog, and tastes like watered down eggnog. Mission accomplished?

Is there anything else you need to know?

Clearly, there’s no hint of espresso here. The milk I understand, it’s definitely thinner than the usual gloppy stuff you’d get in a carton, but there’s no coffee taste or buzz.

Dunkin Holiday Eggnog Signature Latte Whipped Topping

While the flavor is almost dead on, there was slightly less of that nutmeg/cinnamon spiced flavor. I chalk that up to the barista forgetting to sprinkle the whipped topping with cinnamon sugar. I didn’t get the caramel drizzle either, but I don’t care even a little bit about that.

In all honesty, I’m pretty sick of whipped topping. It melted immediately, and I don’t think it enhances anything.

Conclusion:

This probably should have been a Coolatta to set it apart, but I can’t complain too much.

Dunkin Holiday Eggnog Signature Latte Closeup

Despite being bummed about the lack of coffee flavor, I love eggnog, and this was my first of the season. The stupid non-festive Yankees cap tried to ruin it, but I was in my holiday glory while sipping this. It almost felt like I was…sing it with me, folks:

Nog, nog, noggin on heaven’s doo-oo-rrr…

You’re not singing, are ya?

It’s all good, like eggnog, my horrific musical puns are an acquired taste.

Purchased Price: $3.69
Size: Small
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 320 calories, 11 grams of fat, 7 grams of sat fat, 0 grams of trans fat,90 mg of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 41 grams of sugar, and 7 grams of protein.

Wondering about Dunkin’s other holiday Signature Lattes? Click the following links for our reviews for the Toasted Gingerbread and Merry Mocha Mint Signature Lattes.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Beyond Sausage Sandwich

November 13, 2019November 13, 2019 Vin 2 Comments

Dunkin Beyond Sausage Sandwich

It seems like only yesterday when I first heard rumblings that mad scientists were attempting to create “meat-less” meats, and here I am, getting it at Dunkin’.

That’s right, Dunkin’ has jumped into the plant-based protein fray with the new Beyond Sausage Sandwich.

According to the official press release, this sausage from Beyond Meat is “made with 100% plant-based proteins and a mix of spices crafted especially for Dunkin.” So far, I’ve only tried plant-based burgers, so I was pretty pumped to see what breakfast had to offer.

Dunkin Beyond Sausage Sandwich Closeup

Well, right out of the gate, the Beyond sausage patty looked pretty gross, evoking memories of the “hamburgers” I used to get in my school lunches.

It smelled familiar, but it took me a few bites before I nailed the scent down.

The aforementioned press release mentioned the following are used to construct the patty, “peas, mung beans, rice and sunflower to provide the protein and coconut oil to ensure juiciness.” Now you know how the “sausage” is made. Who doesn’t love a good mung bean?!

Along with the sausage, the sandwich had that typical plasticky egg, a piece of cheese, and a super floppy English muffin that has a flavor like an Egg McMuffin. When I bit in, nothing tasted amiss.

The “meat” itself was pretty chewy, but the texture wasn’t that far off from what I expected from prior Dunkin’ breakfast sausage. I snipped a piece off to try solo, and it tasted like slightly over spiced, low-grade meat, but that’s honestly how I’d describe all Dunkin’s meats.

Now getting back to the smell, because it finally dawned on me what the meat seasoning smelled and tasted a bit like – stuffing.

Dunkin Beyond Sausage Sandwich Split

What’s the main spice in stuffing? I could easily Google it, but I’d rather ramble on until it pops in my brain. I remember when I reviewed the Lay’s Biscuits and Gravy chips, the main takeaway was that it tasted like Stove Top. This sandwich brought back memories of those which brought back memories of that!

Is it sage? I think it’s sage and some onion powder. That’s the best I can do, with Dunkin’ being all Colonel Sanders secretive on its spices. For all I know, it could also have parsley, rosemary, and thyme, and the recipe could have been concocted while listening to Simon and Garfunkel.

If I had any sage advice, it would be to ease up a bit on the spices.

Beyond that, they succeeded. For what this is, it’s pretty remarkable, most definitely edible, and enjoyable. I’m not a big cheese on breakfast sandwich’ guy, but that slice helped here. The generic egg and the slightly weird protein would have made for a worse sandwich without it.

In the breakfast pantheon, it’s middle of the road at best. I’m not sure I’ll be a repeat customer. While I appreciate the nutritional improvements, it doesn’t taste quite as good as real meat to a heathen such as myself. For a vegetarian, though? This is an excellent option.

Purchased Price: $4.49
Size: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 470 calories, 24 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 910 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 24 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Signature Latte

August 27, 2019August 26, 2019 Vin 1 Comment

Dunkin Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Signature Latte

What is the Dunkin’ Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Signature Latte?

Well, if you’re not quite ready to jump Ugg first into Pumpkin Spice Season, Dunkin’ has a tweak on the old recipe that basically tastes like pumpkin spice!