8 Dunkin' Spiked Coffee And Tea Flavors, Ranked
Dunkin' has built an institution of donuts and coffee known from coast to coast. And while donuts have been the core business from the beginning, the brand's coffee competes with the biggest players in the field. Looking beyond brick-and-mortar locations, Dunkin' spread its name by offering branded products, such as whole bean and ground coffee and bottled coffee beverages, in grocery and convenience stores. The company has now expanded its reach into a beer and wine aisle near you with its new Dunkin' Spiked line of adult beverages.
Capitalizing on its strong association with coffee, Dunkin's Spiked beverages are variations of its popular coffee and tea drinks brewed into malt beverages with up to 6% alcohol content. There are eight varieties available, including four coffee drinks, two iced tea flavors, and two green tea-based flavors. They are available in 4-packs of 12-ounce cans or 12-packs of 19.2-ounce cans. We decided to give them a shot and try them all. Here's how these new spiked beverages ranked.
8. Spiked Caramel Iced Coffee
While caramel always seems to be the odd man out when it comes to coffee flavors, with chocolate and vanilla taking the top spots, it is still a popular flavor in general. A caramel iced coffee can be a rich and buttery drink that satisfies both your sweet tooth and your caffeine requirements. Sadly, Dunkin' Spiked Caramel Iced Coffee is unlikely to hit the spot though.
The flavor of the malt beverage is inescapable in this type of drink, but the other flavors should also be present. That's not the case here. The caramel and coffee flavors are overshadowed by the malt flavor and are completely washed out. This leaves the drink a bit confused and hard to determine if it is a coffee drink or an alcoholic beverage. And while the ingredients list real coffee and natural flavors, the combination is somehow a bit unnatural, landing it at the bottom of our ranking.
7. Spiked Mocha Iced Coffee
For many coffee drinkers, mocha is their favorite flavor over all other options. So it would be no surprise if Dunkin' Spiked Mocha ends up being the brand's most popular flavor of spiked beverages.
The chocolate and coffee flavors are evenly balanced in this drink with neither of them taking over the spotlight. The flavor of the malt beverage, on the other hand, is stronger than it should be, leaving the other flavors to take a back seat in a way that an iced mocha should not. The spiked mocha also isn't as sweet as is typical of iced mochas or iced coffees in general, and the alcohol stands out more because of it. It certainly doesn't taste like your typical iced mocha, with the alcohol pushing it into an odd territory that just doesn't work, unfortunately. This one wasn't a winner in our book.
6. Spiked Mango Pineapple Iced Tea Refresher
Green tea is known for being full of antioxidants and a bevy of other beneficial properties. But when it is mixed into a concoction of malt beverage and fruit juice flavors, any claims of health benefits immediately become dubious. Dunkin' is making no such claims, only producing a refreshing beverage with alcohol being the only added benefit.
The result of brewing a malt beverage with a blend of green tea and flavored with mango and pineapple is interesting. The mango and pineapple flavors are pleasing, but the overwhelming malt beverage flavor is less so. The green tea flavor does come through but is overpowered by the others. Poured into a clear glass, it certainly looks like a green tea, but the aroma is nothing like it.
The spiked green tea just didn't work for us. While the fruity flavors were a nice addition, the flavors of the alcohol fought with the others, making it a confusing beverage.
5. Spiked Original Iced Coffee
This is the one that should be closest to the original. A good iced coffee may or may not have cream, but should always be sweet. Some are available that are merely cold coffee, but it is uncertain for whom these are made. Dunkin' has taken this classic refrigerated coffee and turned it into something new with its Spiked Original Iced Coffee.
This new spiked drink features a straightforward coffee flavor with a bit of sweetness and creaminess. When poured into a clear glass, it looks like many other iced coffees that take it easy on the cream, which is preferable to many. That comes through in the flavor as well, as the creaminess is not overpowering while the coffee remains relatively strong. However, it retains the characteristics of a brewed malt beverage, although with significantly less carbonation.
It would be difficult to say this tastes like any other iced coffee. After all, it is not an iced coffee but something altogether different. And it's not half bad, which is why it falls in the middle of our ranking.
4. Spiked Vanilla Iced Coffee
For reasons still unknown to science, some people do not like chocolate. For these people, the go-to dessert flavor is, more often than not, vanilla; but that is not such a bad thing as vanilla is quite delicious. It's also a nice addition to any coffee. Dunkin' has the not-a-chocolate-lover covered with its Spiked Vanilla Iced Coffee.
Although it is a spiked coffee, it does not have a strong coffee flavor, nor does it have a strong vanilla flavor. Dunkin' seems to have found a nice balance between the two with this beverage. It doesn't taste like a vanilla iced coffee, but rather a malt beverage with vanilla and coffee flavors added, which is not altogether a bad thing. You may not want to pick this up when you want vanilla coffee, but if you want to try something different, give it a go.
3. Spiked Strawberry Dragonfruit Iced Tea Refresher
Dragon fruit is an interesting, yet, less common flavor to add to beverages in North America. However, strawberry is one of the most popular fruits in the States and added to a wide variety of drinks. Dunkin' has chosen these two fruits for its other Spiked Strawberry Dragonfruit Ice Tea Refresher, which is made with green tea.
This drink is lightly sweet and fruity. The green tea is subtle, letting the fruit flavors stand out. The overall flavor profile is similar to a wine cooler with a hint of green tea. It is refreshing, but still sweet enough that drinking two or three of them might be a bit much. While it is a generally decent drink, the Dunkin' name carries more weight with coffee drinkers than those who like wine coolers, so it is a bit uncertain for whom this one is really made.
2. Spiked Slightly Sweet Iced Tea
The way one takes their iced tea is a deeply personal decision. Many people like to have some level of sweetness to it, although Southerners definitely tend to have a heavier hand with their sugar. And the addition of lemon is generally either a must-have or a mortal sin, depending on who is ordering. While combining alcohol with iced tea isn't a novel idea, Dunkin' pulls it off well with its Spiked Slightly Sweet Iced Tea with a twist of lemon.
While the company is better known for coffee, the Spike Iced Tea is surprisingly refreshing. The slight sweetness is true to its label and the lemon flavor is very subtle. It is also deceptive as the flavor of the tea is prominent while the alcohol is well-masked. It even looks like sweet tea, although a bit cloudy. However, there is no mistaking that this is not just your regular iced tea.
1. Spiked Half and Half Iced Tea
Coming in at No. 1 is Dunkin's twist on an Arnold Palmer — Spiked Half & Half Iced Tea. And we are here for it. The story goes that pro golfer Arnold Palmer ordered a drink at the country club of half iced tea and half lemonade. Someone overheard the order and asked for the Arnold Palmer drink. Although he had been drinking it for years, this is how it became the beverage simply known as the Arnold Palmer.
Dunkin' has created a spiked version of this drink with its new series of malt beverages. The resulting drink is quite refreshing with just the right amount of sweetness. The tea and lemonade flavors pair well and neither of them overpower the other. It is obviously a malt beverage but not so much as to be distasteful. It tastes similar to a less sweet wine cooler in a way that it would be genuinely refreshing on a warm day.