REVIEW: Dunkin’ Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew

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Dunkin Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Tall

What is the Dunkin’ Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew?

Dunkin’s surprisingly tasty way of hammering down the final nail in summer 2021’s coffin.

How is it?

I’ve been on the fence about this whole “sweet cream” kick Dunkin’ has been on recently…until today.

Finally! This is the first time I’ve had any of their various sweet cream toppings that didn’t melt into a viscous goo within two minutes.

The cold brew itself is standard fare, but it’s a style I love around this time of year. I’m usually a “one pump” of pumpkin flavor swirl guy, but special medium-sized drinks always have three. It’s not something I want every morning, but I really didn’t mind it being a little too sweet for my liking. Plus, I think Dunkin’s pumpkin flavor is great because the “spice” is left out.

Dunkin Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Top

The pumpkin cream is kind of a revelation. I ate a few scoops of it and thought it tasted a little too synthetic at first, but then realized it had a nice light pumpkin pie filling flavor to it. Not only that, I could have been convinced it was spliced with something else. I landed on a vague coconutty taste. While there’s zero indication this is the case, those are two flavor profiles you never get mixed, so I dug it, even if coconut wasn’t technically there.

If this pumpkin cream was sold in a can, I’d probably have that nozzle hovering over my mouth before I even got home.

Anything else you need to know?

The cream is so light and fluffy that it really doesn’t make much sense in watery cold brew. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it a lot, but it just sat there on the top, causing me to mostly eat it on its own as if it was a meringue or something. Once I ultimately gave up and just mixed it into the drink, it didn’t add all that much to the flavor. I think it would probably be more ideal for a frap-style drink.

I also feel like I have to mention that I always use oat milk as my dairy, so my cold brews are always slightly creamier than the rest.

Conclusion:

Dunkin Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew In Hand

This coffee was the first taste of fall I’ve had, so it actually bummed me out a bit. I drank it on a warm, breezy summer day, and while it worked in that setting, I could imagine the crisp cold autumn winds creeping up my neck. I guess it’s time to acknowledge that summer is over. I pretty much use Dunkin’s fall line of products as the gauge anyway.

So, whether you’re a summer dude like me or one of those sweater-loving, Halloween-devoted, and Ugg-thumping Autumn weirdos (I love you all), you can’t really go wrong with a Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew.

Purchased Price: $3.25 (G.O.A.T. Milk is $.25 extra)
Size: Medium
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 210 calories, 2 grams of fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of total carbohydrates, 42 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Chewy Chips Ahoy Hershey’s Fudge Filled Cookies

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Chips Ahoy Hershey s Fudge Filled Cookies Package

What are Chewy Chips Ahoy Hershey’s Fudge Filled Cookies?

Love Chewy Chips Ahoy but wish they were like 7% better? Well, have I got a cookie for you!

How are they?

I guess the main problem – if you wanna call it a problem – is that these are essentially just Chewy Chips Ahoy with a bit more chocolate.

Chips Ahoy Hershey s Fudge Filled Cookies Filling

As the name suggests, there’s a thin layer of Hershey’s chocolate fudge in the center of each cookie. While it tastes distinctly Hershey in isolation, the cookie really wasn’t much different than normal.

I think my main hang-up is that I still have no clue if the chips were also Hershey’s or the same chocolate Nabisco has always used.

Chips Ahoy Hershey s Fudge Filled Cookies Sleeves

While I definitely tasted Hershey, there wasn’t much variance from the fudge center to the chips. Either they were also Hershey without the bag mentioning it, or my brain was playing tricks on me. Or maybe its regular chocolate just isn’t that far off from Hershey, making this release kinda pointless?

Either way, I like Chewy Chips Ahoy, and I like Hershey’s chocolate, so I can’t really complain.

Anything else you need to know?

Ok, just a little…

Chips Ahoy Hershey s Fudge Filled Cookies Gooey

I don’t necessarily know what I expected from that word “fudge” here, but it’s just a gritty, chocolate layer of mush. I suppose that passes as “fudge” in a mass-produced cookie. It just felt like they took five or six more chips and smushed them in the middle of the cookie. The package gave me the impression it would be gooier.

The package also recommended eating these with ice cream, but I went the other way and popped a few in the microwave. It “gooed” up the center a bit, but unfortunately didn’t change the experience too much.

Conclusion:

Chips Ahoy Hershey s Fudge Filled Cookies Split

Look, I like Chewy Chips Ahoy, so I liked these. I also like saying, “Chewy Chips Ahoy,” and think it should replace “cellar door” as the most beautiful combination of words.

In the end, the Hershey of it all didn’t make these unique. By the time I was five cookies in, I just thought I was eating “Extra Chocolatey” Chewy Chips Ahoy, but I guess the keywords there are “five cookies in.” These went down ridiculously fast. They’re two biters at most. I ate the entire package in a single night. Take that how you will.

Chips Ahoy Hershey s Fudge Filled Cookies Empty

Purchased Price: $2.69
Size: 9.6 oz.
Purchased at: Shop Rite
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 Cookies) 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of total carbohydrates, 11 grams of total sugars, less than 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Lay’s Flavor Swap Cheetos, Cool Ranch Doritos, and Wavy Funyuns Potato Chips

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Lay s Flavor Swap Bags

Looks like Frito-Lay is taking a cue from the entertainment industry and rebooting some of its classics.

Now before you start whining about your “ruined childhoods” or your disdain about swapping Chester Cheetah from corn to potato, just take a step back and admit that you’re intrigued. You know you are. You can’t tell me the entire idea of Frito-Lay Flavor Swaps isn’t exciting. I won’t believe you.

In my opinion, this is the most exciting thing it’s done in years. I was way more pumped to try these than the usual “Do Us a Flavor” releases. I mean, I already know I love the flavors. I’ve been eating them my entire life. My only question is, will said flavors translate in a potato chip form?

I figured the best way to attack the review was to tackle each flavor one at a time, then obviously compare them to the iconic snacks that inspired them.

Cheetos

Lay s Flavor Swap Cheetos Bags

First off, I’m shocked these weren’t kettle chips. Usually, when Frito-Lay does one of its gimmicky multi-chip rollouts, each style of chip is represented. I’d imagine most people think of the Crunchy Cheetos when they hear the name, so a crunchier chip would have made sense.

Whatever, I’m more of a puff guy anyway, so I’m fine with the decision to just make these Cheetos-flavored normal(?) chips. #PuffGang sound off in the comments!

Lay s Flavor Swap Cheetos Swap

Initially, these just had a generic cheese flavor. If you told me they were some kind of fancy “sharp” cheddar without showing me the bag, I wouldn’t have ever guessed “Cheetos.”

Once I tried them side by side with the actual Cheetos, I got it. I had to jog my flavor memory, but they definitely taste like Cheetos.

So yeah, they deliver. These chips taste like Cheetos dust, but they’re a little weaker. Of course, therein lies the problem – they taste like Cheetos dust, not necessarily Cheetos. More on that topic when I review the next flavor.

Lay s Flavor Swap Cheetos Bowl

Purchased Price: $1.99
Size: 2.63 oz bag
Purchased at: Wawa
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 17 Chips) 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

Cool Ranch

Lay s Flavor Swap Cool Ranch Doritos Bags

Cool Ranch Doritos might be one of the ten greatest flavors to ever grace the Earth. How could they possibly mess this up?

Well, as it turns out when Cool Ranch dust isn’t on a triangular tortilla chip, it just kinda tastes like a remixed sour cream and onion. Actually, I’d say it’s more like 1/4 ranch and 3/4 sour cream and onion.

Lay s Flavor Swap Cool Ranch Doritos Swap

Lay s Flavor Swap Cool Ranch Doritos Specks

I think you could be fooled into thinking that’s what they are. The chips do have that classic Cool Ranch speckle to them, but it’s not nearly as caked-on as the Doritos you’re used to. It’s kind of a bummer.

I mean, once you know what they are, you’re definitely gonna taste the Cool Ranch, but these are more like a Diet Cool Ranch if that makes sense. These suffer from the same thing as the Cheetos chips – thin potato chips are not an ideal delivery system for these flavors.

To be fair, I’m accustomed to the norm, so that might be clouding my scoring. That being said, I just think this flavor needs the crisp of a tortilla chip to really shine.

Cheetos and Doritos are as much about texture as they are about flavor. Sure, I knew what I was getting into, but when you take away that key corn-based component from both of them, the flavors really don’t pop as much.

Lay s Flavor Swap Cool Ranch Doritos Bowl

But look… it’s still Cool Ranch. Even if they lean sour cream, they’re still delicious. They’re just nowhere near the 10 out 10 Cool Ranch Doritos they’re mimicking.

Purchased Price: $3.00
Size: 7.25 oz bag
Purchased at: Dollar General
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 17 Chips) 150 calories, 10 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of total sugars, less than 1 gram of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

Funyuns

Lay s Flavor Swap Funyuns Bags

Now we’re talking!

For everything I just said about the texture of Cheetos and Doritos, Funyuns are the opposite for me. I love the flavor of Funyuns, but I absolutely hate the texture.

Lay s Flavor Swap Funyuns Swap

For all the crap Cap’n Crunch gets for shredding your palate, Funyuns should get double. They always taste stale and salty, so my mouth feels like the Sahara after chomping about seven rings.

These Funyuns-flavored chips are easily the best of the three, even though they probably have the most diminishing returns.

Whereas the Cheetos flavor bloomed as I went on, the onion flavor faded as I ate them, but Funyuns is the most lowkey flavor of the three, so it didn’t bother me. I ate the most of these in one sitting, and the first few chips were incredible.

Lay s Flavor Swap Funyuns Bowl

The choice to make these wavy was also brilliant. Even though I don’t like the rings’ texture, I still appreciated a bit more crunch than the usual thin chips.

Purchased Price: $3.00
Size: 7.75 oz bag
Purchased at: Dollar General
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 15 Chips) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of total sugars, less than 1 gram of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

So, I have to say Funyuns was the overall victor here. Can’t say I expected that. Maybe if Cool Ranch and Cheetos were wavy or kettle chips, they would have won out, but I guess we’ll never know.

Don’t get me wrong, these are all good, and I love the Flavor Swap concept, but two of the three suffer from the old “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” adage.

One thing that really excites me about this release is that we might be one step closer to finally getting Frito-Lay-flavored dusts in the spice aisle. I’ve been calling for that since I was a kid. If you can sprinkle a potato chip with Cool Ranch, I should be able to sprinkle a piece of chicken with it. Let me put Cheetos dust on my burgers! Is that too much to ask?!

Maybe.

In the meantime, check these out. You know you’re probably gonna anyway. Cheetos and Doritos can’t be beat, but apparently, Funyuns can.

If these do well, we might even get some more swaps in the future. Please, keep ruining my childhood.

REVIEW: All Lime Skittles

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Limited Edition All Lime Skittles Share

What are Limited Edition All Lime Skittles?

It’s all lime all the time in this Lim(e)ited Edition Skittles release.

How are they?

I was never a big fan of the great Skittle switch of 2013. That’s when lime was unceremoniously replaced by apple. They just kept green, swapped the flavors, and acted like it was no big deal.

Limited Edition All Lime Skittles Pour

I’ll assume the higher-ups figured “citrus” was already well represented by lemon and orange, so no one would miss lime. After eating this bag, I realized how much I missed lime. I’m clearly not the only one, otherwise this All Lime release wouldn’t exist, right?

Limited Edition All Lime Skittles Original

In fairness to apple, and just to make sure my memories were correct, I also bought a regular bag of Skittles so I could compare the flavor combinations.

Apple is just too sweet.

I mean, these are Skittles, they’re supposed to be sweet, but I definitely prefer the overabundance of that slightly sour and sharp citrus bite to the sweetness of the strawberry and grape. With apple, the sweeter flavors outcandy the citrus, and it’s a weaker end product. Lime is just the superior green Skittle.

Anything else you need to know?

Limited Edition All Lime Skittles Guns Out

I’m technically rating the All Lime bag alone, so I can’t pretend I’m a huge fan of eating the same flavor over and over no matter which flavor it is. I’ll always prefer a mix. Even the best flavors get old after a few handfuls… of which there are many because these – like wayyyyyy too many candies these days – only seem to be available in Share Size.

[rant] Can we chill with the King/Share Sizes? It could just be my crippling loneliness speaking, but when I buy a Share Size, I usually eat it myself. I don’t wanna share, and half the candies on the racks these days only come in these giant portions. Stop making me eat so much. [/rant]

Conclusion:

Maybe it’s the fact Sour Skittles are my all-time favorite mix, but I want the citrus flavors to reign supreme in my red Skittles bag. Apple doesn’t even shine. It’s easily the worst flavor in the current lineup.

I think we should go back to the good old days and just put lime back in its rightful home… then maybe in 8 years I can come back and review “All Apple” Skittles and probably change my tune.

Purchased Price: $2.19
Size: 4 oz. Share Size
Purchased at: Wawa
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz) 110 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 5 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of total carbohydrates, 21 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of fiber, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Smoked Vanilla Cold Brew

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Dunkin Smoked Vanilla Cold Brew Grab

What is the Dunkin’ Smoked Vanilla Cold Brew?

Sweet and spicy? Been there, done that. Sweet and salty? Played out! Sweet and smoky? Hmm, is Dunkin’ on to something here?

How is it?

Dunkin’ is, in fact, NOT on to something here.

Let’s just clear the air first – this is a weird flavor choice. I guess I see why Dunkin’ would do it. It does look cool on paper, but it’s always had a vanilla representation on the menu, and the “smoke” element really didn’t set it apart at all. It’s not all that “smokey.” All I can really say is, the vanilla flavor seemed to have a unique lingering effect to it, so maybe I’ll just credit that to the smoke…?

I always get one swirl just to sweeten my cold brews up a bit, and my choice varies by the day. I’ve had em all, and there really hasn’t been one that I dislike. Smoked Vanilla reminded me of a combination of two of ’em – Vanilla and Caramel.

Dunkin Smoked Vanilla Cold Brew Cup

The flavor was vaguely Werther’s Original, which sounds great as I type it, but “vaguely” is the keyword there. It was like those Werther’s soft caramels with a vanilla filling or those “Cow Tail” candies that I think only me and 43 other people eat. I love those, so even a hint of that flavor was welcome.

That’s all good and well, but it wasn’t what I was being sold. Where’s the smoke? I’m struggling to even hypothesize what “Smoked Vanilla” was supposed to taste like. Maybe it really was just a slightly caramelized vanilla flavor, and they absolutely nailed it.

Anything else you need to know?

Dunkin Smoked Vanilla Cold Brew Bottom

I use oat milk as my dairy, so that may have counteracted the smoke. Who knows? I’m just trying to think of any reason why I didn’t get any. I wasn’t expecting it to taste like brisket, but I expected some sort of intriguing smokiness.

This brew also had sweet cold foam, and it didn’t even last the walk from the Dunkin’ lobby to my car. I apologize, but I can’t even really tell you if it added any flavor to the drink whatsoever. Foam doesn’t really last in a cold iced drink, so I’m not even sure what I was expecting. From what I recall from the last time I had it, it was just a generic sugary sweetener.

Conclusion:

Hey, we’ve got another option to sweeten our drinks. Ya really can’t be too mad about that. If you’re expecting this to taste like a flambeed dessert or something, you’re probably gonna be let down.

Will Smoked Vanilla last as a flavor? I doubt it, but you may think it delivers a lot more than I did, so give it a shot. It’s like the “smoke-heads” love to say, “Smoke ’em if you’ve got ’em.”

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: Medium
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 190 calories, 3 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 10 mg of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of total carbohydrates, 36 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of protein.

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