The Ongoing Dispute Brews On

By Julia Wronska

How many times have you argued with your friends, peers, teachers, and/or coworkers about which coffee is better: Starbucks or Dunkin'? The constant debate is between which company is the better competitor. So, here we will take this common dispute to the test.


Let's start with some of the basic coffee choices

Hot coffee

Starbucks - Pike Place Dunkin' Donuts - Regular

A smooth, well-rounded

blend of Latin American coffees

with subtly rich notes of cocoa

and toasted nuts, it's perfect for

every day. It is a stronger coffee

that you can truly taste the dark

brew of. If you are very into the

taste of dark dark coffee, this is

the coffee for you.


★★/5 - More often then not, the coffee tastes like the beans have been burnt.


Gentle, muted acidity; smooth, almost silky mouthfeel. Very simple in the cup, it is less strong and has less of that dark brew flavor. It is very much a smoother light coffee, so if you do not enjoy drinking very dark tasting coffee, then this coffee is for you.

★★★★/5 - This coffee is usually very well made and fresh, yet there are some times where the coffee tastes watered down.

Caramel Iced Coffee

Starbucks - Caramel Macchiato Dunkin' Donuts - Caramel Iced Coffee

The bitter espresso mixes well with the sweet caramel and cream, and it's a great cool-down treat for summertime. The blend between the coffee and the caramel does not mix to well due to the heaviness of the caramel Starbucks has, and, unless you've asked for less milk when ordering it, it is a little too milky. I would recommend this to someone who does not like the taste of coffee but needs a little bit of energy in the morning, as the taste of milk is more overpowering then the coffee taste itself.

★★★/5 - This coffee and it's flavor does not blend too well together, yet it is a good option for those who do not like the overpowering taste of coffee.

The Dunkin' Caramel Swirl Iced Coffee is one of the classic iced beverages that won't soon go out of style. Freshly ground espresso beans blended with the rich caramel flavoring create a delicacy that is tough to sip as the enticing flavor makes you want to go back for more as soon as you finish with the last drink. It is not an overpowering taste of coffee nor caramel. The well-blended flavor of coffee and milk will sooth your taste buds.

★★★★/5 - This coffee very smoothly blends well together. The flavor of the caramel, coffee, and creamer all work very well together with each ingredient not being overpowering.

Vanilla Iced Coffee

Starbucks - Blonde Vanilla Latte Dunkin'- Vanilla Iced Coffee

This is a smooth and subtly sweet Starbucks Blonde Espresso. Milk, ice, and vanilla syrup come together to create a delightful twist on a beloved espresso classic. However, this coffee is not overpowering with it's sweetness, as it has a nice, simple touch that adds a little bit away from the dark flavor of the coffee itself. This coffee being brewed with a different bean is called the blonde roast, which is stronger then their medium and dark roasts yet not bolder, resulting in the drink being strong but not overpowering with coffee beans.

★★★★/5 - This drink is very smooth with just the right amount of sweetness and is light, with the shots of espresso being perfect.

The Dunkin' Vanilla Iced Coffee is one of the classic iced beverages that won't soon go out of style. Freshly ground espresso beans blended with the rich vanilla flavoring create a delicacy that is tough to sip as the enticing flavor makes you want to go back for more as soon as you finish with the last drink. It is not an overpowering taste of coffee, yet it is more flavor filled with the vanilla itself. This is definitely one of the sweeter coffees I have had.

★★★★/5 - The flavor is great if you want a lighter sweet iced coffee, yet sometimes it is a hit or miss.

Refreshers

Starbucks - Dunkin' -

Pink Drink Pink Strawberry Coconut Milk Refresher


The Starbucks Pink Drink has a lighter consistency and more organic make-up due to the freeze-dried strawberries that accompany the ice. Strawberry is definitely the dominant flavor and the overall taste does not remind you of a sugar bomb. The Starbucks Pink Drink finishes with a creamy milk taste that is absolutely refreshing!

★★★★/5 - This drink has a creamy and refreshing strawberry flavor, yet the strawberry pieces in the drink are dry and not very tasty.



The Dunkin’ Coconut Refresher is a much sweeter drink and has a more syrup-like consistency. This drink does remind you of a sugar bomb packed with sweeteners and caffeine. The first sip is quite a shock of sweetness followed by a syrup-like texture. However, the longer you sip on this drink, the more the coconut milk will eventually push through and balance out the sweetness.

★/5 - This drink is overpowering with sweetness yet watered down as well. The coconut milk adds a hint of flavor that doesn't blend quite well.

Matcha Tea Latte

Starbucks Dunkin'

The Starbucks Matcha Latte is a smooth and creamy matcha sweetened just right and served with milk over ice. It has a slightly bitter and vegetal taste, but, when it's mixed with a sweetener, it's completely delicious. Starbucks uses pre-sweetened matcha that's like an instant matcha powder.

★★★★/5 - You can tatse the matcha punch without it being overpowered with sweetness and the sweet foam on top is a great addition to a good flavor mixture.

The Dunkin' Matcha Latte is a sweetened Matcha green tea powder blended with your choice of milk over ice. It is a mixture of a grassy taste as well as lots of sugar. This is a particular taste and you need to like the taste of matcha in order to enjoy this drink.

★★/5 - This doesn’t have as strong of a matcha punch. The creamer subdued the sweet, slightly bitter flavor, but it did make the drink creamy.

Bagel

Starbucks Dunkin'

Starbucks offers four different kind of bagels: everything, plain, cinnamon raisin, and everything and cheddar. The available spreads are avocado, regular cream cheese, and butter.

★★★/5 - These bagels are nothing out of the ordinary. They do not offer other cream cheese choices other then avocado and plain. This bagel is nothing special, but it is a good breakfast if you are hungry.


Dunkin' offers five different kind of bagels: everything, plain, multigrain, sesame seed, and cinnamon raisin. The available spreads are plain, strawberry, and garden veggies cream cheese, as well as butter.

★★★★/5 - These bagels are all pretty regular, yet there are more choices of cream cheese that one can enjoy. This is a good breakfast option if you are in want of a bagel.

Sweets

Starbucks - Cake Pop Dunkin' - Donuts

Starbucks' number one sweet choice are their cake pops. They have two regular cake pops, which are the birthday cake pop and the chocolate cake pop, and, during this time of the year, they also have two seasonal cake pops, which are the reindeer cake pop and the Earth Day cake pop. These cake pops are such a good consistency of cake, with each tasting fresh and soft.


★★★★★/5 - These cake pops are for sure a perfect score. They are always soft, sweet, and an amazing treat for people with a sweet tooth.

Dunkin's number one sweet choice is donuts and this is what they are known for. They have 22 classic donuts and some seasonal ones on the holidays. With Dunkin' having 22 donuts, it is hard to choose which ones are the best, but their best sellers are chocolate frosted, strawberry frosted, glazed, and all the sprinkle options. These donuts are best when fresh and they're always a great choice for a sweet tooth on the go.

★★★★/5 - These donuts are great most of the time, unless they are not fresh, which happens more often then we think. They are a great sweet option when fresh.

What Does EPHS Think.. Starbucks or Dunkin?!

Based off of our 266 responses that we have received from our students and teachers...

STARBUCKS WINS THE BREW THIS TIME AROUND !