Totally admit it: in my mind, "coffee" is synonymous with "Starbucks." (Heck, in my mind, "coffee" is synonymous with "survival.") My two year old is like a little carrier pigeon who can locate the lights to wait under at any Starbucks and knows when my drink is called.
"Mommy's latte." When I was first invited to a Dunkin Donuts event, I was admittedly a little skeptical. After all, wasn't Dunkin Donuts a chain of donut shops, not a place for super serious coffee drinkers with a black belt in espresso snobbery?! Still, I knew I would only be a hypocrite to join the ranks of close-minded people who are painfully stuck in their ways, so what I'm saying is I decided to give Dunkin a chance. (Bonus points if you read that in your head John Lennon style. Deduct ten if you have no idea what I'm talking about.)
Dunkin Donuts is on the pumpkin bandwagon and I like it. Here is where I hide my face in shame and confess to making pumpkin stuffed shells, pumpkin baked ziti and pumpkin muffins over the course of the last two days, but I can't help it. I am a sucker for pumpkin season. My husband is a big Keurig fan whereas I am all about the espresso. I was interested to learn right off the bat that Dunkin Donuts sells ground coffee, K-Cups and flavor syrup. (You mean I can actually use the fancy, schmancy espresso machine we got our for wedding and make my own pumpkin spice latte?! Mind, blown!) About four seconds after I walked in the door, I was handed one of Dunkin's seasonal Pumpkin Spice Coolattas. From the first sip, it spoke right to my heart. I hadn't caffeinated myself prior to this event, mostly because Ethan insisted upon going on not enough sleep (what else is new?) and used the two seconds I was in the bathroom as prime opportunity to pour milk all over my couch. I spent all morning watching YouTube videos on how to clean milk out of a sofa while wishing I had coffee. Four seconds into this event and, bam, there it was. Dunkin people are good people.
I had no idea before walking into this event that Dunkin Donuts carried actual food, but they do have quite an extensive menu these days. Because when in Boca your Jewish roots hug your legs extra tight, I was shvitzing at the sight of Dunkin's new roast beef deli sandwich with melted cheese on a pretzel roll and couldn't not try it. (If you're wondering where I stand on the pretzel roll debacle, I am so very for it.) It didn't disappoint, and was just as yummy as the same sandwich served at an authentic deli. Certain things remind you of home -- deli food is that for me. Dunkin Donuts is currently offering several bakery sandwiches on their menu, including wraps. Certain sandwiches are specific to your location and I attended this Dunkin event in a county other than the one I live in, but I was still impressed. Let's just say Dunkin Donuts just got another point in their corner. Twenty minutes into the event and I more or less forgot about the milk fermenting in my couch cushions.
Shakira's hips don't lie and neither do my eyebags, so I was super excited to start the coffee sampling. (Let me just point out that Melissa of The Eyes Of A Boy just had her second baby less than two weeks ago. It's been two years since I had mine and I'm still waiting to look that put together!) I'm a pretty harsh coffee critic. I was ready to throwdown for Team Starbucks until I was handed one of Dunkin's new iced pumpkin white chocolate mocha drinks and, well, it was delicious. It was the perfect blend of pumpkin flavor and white chocolate paired with some pretty awesome espresso. It was so delicious that guess where I stopped for coffee this morning? Hint: there's a medium iced no-whip Dunkin Donuts pumpkin white mocha sitting on my dining room table right now.
I'm also a huge fan of Dunkin's pumpkin iced coffee with just a little bit of skim milk. It has a bold pumpkin flavor with just the right amount spice. I was surprised by how bold and rich the coffee itself tasted, which goes against all of my preconceived thoughts on Dunkin Donuts coffee. I like my coffee without sugar, but with some raw sugar thrown in I imagine it'd taste as delicious as pumpkin pie. And, um, speaking of pumpkin pie...
...we got to try Dunkin's pumpkin pie donut. I know, I know. The blog is filled with healthy recipes and a desire to single-handedly destroy all things unhealthy. But as I mentioned, I spent the morning scrubbing milk out of my couch on virtually no sleep and what better time to hang out with Melissa and talk about how we met in exercise class then over donuts, right? And sometimes, believe me, you've got to splurge. This pumpkin pie donut was worth every inch of splurge points. You guys, it's a donut. With pumpkin pie in the middle. I'm still undecided which I liked better, the pumpkin pie donut or Dunkin's beyond fluffy pumpkin spiced muffins.
Dunkin Donuts have a pretty awesome app. I'm a little late to the "app party" because I'm still trying to figure out how to fully work my iPhone and welcome myself to 2013 in a not-too-untimely manner, but Dunkin's app is pretty cool. When you put in your location, it greets you with great coupons and special offers. It also allows you to swipe your phone as a method of payment instead of remembering to carry a gift card with you which is a really great feature, especially if you're trying to give yourself a coffee budget to stick to. Through Dunkin's app, you're also able to send your friends Dunkin Donuts gift cards directly. Know a friend is having a bad day? Rough night with a sleepless kiddo? Send them a Dunkin gift card, give them the gift of coffee. I thought this was pretty cool!
Dunkin Donuts is also ready to celebrate National Coffee Day on the 29th, and that's one holiday that I can get behind. Download their app, check your offers tab and on the 29th, you'll be able to pick up a free hot or iced coffee in celebration of what may or may not be the greatest holiday ever! But for such a grand holiday, the offers don't just stop at one free coffee. Nope. On the 28th and 29th, you'll be able to pick up a 16-ounce bag of Dunkin's packaged coffee for only $5.99. Are you a Keurig person like my husband? Dunkin didn't forget about you. For those two days only, you can come in and pick up a 14-count box of Dunkin K-Cups for only $7.99!
This morning I had to be at the city's aquatic center at 6:30 a.m. to sign Ethan up for the next session of swim lessons. My cats were loud and woke Ethan up even earlier than usual. My husband had to leave at seven this morning for a weekly business meeting. We are a mess and very much running on Dunkin. My aforementioned iced pumpkin white mocha is seeing me through this morning and my husband? Yeah, he's brewing some pumpkin Dunkin K-Cups. What's Dunkin's motto again? The Joly family runs on Dunkin? Or America, same thing.
I have to say that I'm completely impressed by Dunkin Donuts' coffee and new fall menu. The more "all pumpkin everything" I can add into my life, the better. My only issue is that coffee knowledge and quality seems to vary by store. At 6:15 this morning, the last thing I wanted to do was try to explain to a Dunkin Donuts employee what I was trying to order when I ordered one of the drinks off their new fall menu that apparently no one had yet showed her how to make. Still, I think I can get into this Dunkin thing. The proximity of a drive-through location to my house is an added bonus.
Oh, one word of advice from the little guy?
Try the pumpkin bagels.