It’s tiiiiiiiiiime! The holidays are right around the corner, and with them has come the brand new 2025 Dunkin’ Winter Menu. Now, even as Dunkin’ loyalists, we understand that this Massachusetts coffee staple can be hit-or-miss when it comes to new drink flavors and refresher combinations.
So, your two designated Scituation Dunkin’ addicts took a trip to Dunkin’–wallets flushed, tasting palettes ready–to give you all our brutally honest opinion of the new menu. Ten drinks, two sandwiches, a box of Munchkins, and a weird look from the employees later, we had our results! We’ve written this article to include our direct first impressions of each drink, as well as our post-sip reviews and thoughts. Grab your Wicked Pink Refresher or Cookie Butter Cold Brew and listen close for our worst-to-best ranking of this roller coaster of a Winter menu.
TEN (WORST): Cookie Butter Oat Iced Chai Latte
Maddie: “Hot take guys, I don’t like chai. So I’m probably not gonna like this. It’s way too sweet for me. I’m gonna take a sip for the article…” *sips* “OoOoOh no. Absolutely not. Two out of ten, TWO out of ten. It’s so sweet. 2/10.”
Storm: “I LOVE chai.” *sips* “This doesn’t taste like chai. I like the chai from Starbucks. This one is really sweet…this is REALLY thick. There’s a lot of syrup in there. 4/10.”
This drink was genuinely horrendous. The syrup makes the drink thick, which was very strange and not fun to drink. Dunkin’ chai tends to be way too sweet. If you’re someone looking for a quality chai, do NOT order this. This is easily one of the worst Dunkin’ drinks of all time.
FINAL RATING: 2/10
NINE: Spiced Cookie Iced Coffee
Maddie: “YES! I’m really excited for this–this better not be disappointing…” *sips* “…I don’t know. I need a palette cleanser.” *sips water* “I think I was expecting it to taste like a ginger snap, and Storm’s right, it is too sweet. It’s not spiced cookie, it’s vanilla and cookie butter. I was expecting better. 6/10.”
Storm: “This tastes weird…I don’t like the cookie butter. It’s sweet but I don’t really like it. This wouldn’t be my first choice. 6/10.”
This drink was extremely disappointing. While it is marketed as spiced cookie, it’s really just vanilla and cookie butter syrups mixed together. It wasn’t too sweet, but the flavor did not match the name. Maddie was extremely disappointed with this one; it wasn’t bad, but it didn’t live up to the hype.
FINAL RATING: 4/10 (two points deducted for disappointment)
EIGHT: Cookie Butter Shaken Espresso
Maddie: “I like their shaken espressos. The brown sugar Sabrina Carpenter one I strongly recommend.”
Storm: “But don’t get the Sabrina refresher with the milk. It made me want to throw up.”
Maddie: “Do NOT. ORDER. THE DAYDREAM.”
Maddie: *sips* “It kinda just tastes like coffee. I don’t really like that. It’s not, like, revolutionary. The cookie butter gets a lot of hype, but from what I’ve heard from other Dunkin fans, it’s not as good as it was last year. 4/10.”
Storm: *sips* “It still kinda just tastes like coffee. I don’t mind it…I don’t think cookie butter is that good. 5/10.”
Usually, the Dunkin’ shaken espressos are pretty delicious. This one, however, was disappointing. Cookie butter gets a lot of hype, but this winter, it’s not living up to it. If you’re someone who doesn’t like your coffee as sweet, this is a good option. However, compared to the other winter drink options, it doesn’t stack up.
FINAL RATING: 5/10
SEVEN: White Hazelnut Bark Iced Coffee
Maddie: “That just tastes the same [as the Toasted White Chocolate Coffee] lowkey. It’s way sweeter. 5/10.”
Storm: “This one’s sweeter. It tastes the same except there’s more milk in it. 7/10.”
This drink, like the Spiced Cookie Iced Coffee, is just a mix of two different syrups, white chocolate and hazelnut. Because of the extra syrup, the coffee was intensely sweet. The flavor already doesn’t make a lot of sense–white hazelnut bark? This drink was also too similar to the better Toasted White Chocolate Iced Coffee.
FINAL RATING: 5.5/10
SIX: Toasted White Chocolate Iced Coffee
Maddie: “I quite enjoy that. It’s too much coffee for Storm, but I don’t like [my coffee] as sweet, and I’m more used to black coffee at this point, so I actually…” *sips coffee* “…yeah, I would drink that. 7/10.”
Storm: “It’s too much coffee to me, but I like sweeter things. I would drink it though…I don’t really like it. It’s just milk and coffee…I don’t taste the flavoring. 5/10.”
This drink is the better of the White Chocolate Iced Coffee pair. It wasn’t very sweet, but a nice hint of white chocolate flavoring still came through. That being said, it didn’t knock our socks off. Anyone who wants a little sweetener in their coffee, but doesn’t enjoy an overpowering flavor, would definitely enjoy this.
FINAL RATING: 6/10
FIVE: Peppermint Mocha Iced Coffee
Maddie: “I’m a mocha girl, that’s my thing… but Dunkin doesn’t really have a mocha option so when I saw this I said, ‘sign me up!’” *sips* “See, that hits the spot. I quite like that. That’s what I want in a peppermint mocha, it’s heavier on the peppermint but it still has that mocha undertone.”
Storm:“I just taste mocha, I don’t taste peppermint really…actually no I do.”
Maddie: “I’m gonna say the hot one is better than the iced one. That’s probably the best one I’ve had all season. 7.5/10.”
Storm:“The hot one is better. 6/10.”
Yan Dos Santos, Freshman: “I really like peppermint, it’s like a 7.”
Maddie’s favorite holiday drink is an iced peppermint mocha, and Dunkin’ certainly did not disappoint. Dunkin’ doesn’t really have a concrete mocha option; rather, customers can add mocha swirl syrup to their iced coffee or latte. This flavoring mixed pretty well into the coffee, and the result was a delicious iced coffee for the holiday season.
FINAL RATING: 7/10
FOUR: Peppermint Mocha Hot Chocolate
Maddie: *sips* “IT’S HOT.” *COUGH COUGH* “…that’s REALLY hot. Hot but delicious.”
Storm: “I was gonna say it’s gonna be hot…whenever I get hot chocolate from Dunkin’ it’s always so good.” *sips* “Mm mm MMM! It tastes like a drive to see the Christmas lights with my family that I do every year. The coffee version is better. 8/10.”
Maddie: “I prefer this over Starbucks hot chocolate. Starbucks hot chocolate is HORRIBLE. If you are a Starbucks girl I understand, but for this one Dunkin’ is taking the W. I do think the [Peppermint Mocha] coffee is better. 8/10.”
Storm: “Starbucks hot chocolate is…” *deep breath* “…SO BAD.”
Gavin O’Connell, Junior: “I’m not a big hot chocolate fan, but I’ll give it a solid 8/10.”
Excuse our brief Starbucks hate session—really though, their hot chocolate is horrible. This hot chocolate, however, was delicious! It’s a perfect drink for a chilly winter’s day. The cool peppermint flavor works very well with the warmth of the drink. This is a great no-caffeine option for mornings before school.
FINAL RATING: 8/10
THREE: Peppermint Mocha Hot Coffee
Maddie:“First hot coffee out of ten drinks.”…*sips*…“Ah yeah. That’s good! It kinda tastes like a hot chocolate…it has the cooling factor of the peppermint mixed in with the warmth of the coffee. I know I have my iced coffee 365 days a year, so this might be a good switch for me. 9/10.”
Storm:“That does taste like hot chocolate. I like this! I’d be sipping on this…that was really good. 9/10.”
While both of us are iced coffee people, we were pleasantly surprised by this hot coffee! It was the perfect temperature, and because the drink is hot, the flavorings diffused into the drink much more efficiently. Like the hot chocolate, the contrast between the cooling peppermint and the warmth of the drink made this a delightful addition to the winter menu. It’s perfect for a warmth and caffeine boost.
FINAL RATING: 9/10
TWO: Wicked Pink Refresher
Storm:“This is probably gonna be my favorite…” *sips* “…I don’t like sparkling water, but I don’t taste the sparkling water.” 9/10
Maddie: “I haven’t had a sparkling water refresher…” *sips* “…I quite like that. I quite like it. It tastes like a soda…like sparkling juice.” 8.5/10
OoWAhAAAooHoWAoohWOOOOOOOO! Galinda must have put some love dust in this, because even despite mixed reviews of sparkling water, it was a fan favorite. Strawberry dragonfruit is already an amazing flavor combo, and the blueberry is just the final detail to make it all the more magical.
FINAL RATING: 9/10
ONE (BEST): Berry Sangria Refresher
Maddie: “We got it with green tea because that’s what everyone likes…I’m a lemonade girl, and I stand by that.” *sips* “…it’s tart, but I like that. I quite like that. I think that the two refreshers are really good. They don’t miss. As long as you don’t get the Sabrina Carpenter one… 9/10.”
Storm: “They never miss on the refreshers.” *sips* “I like that. It’s nice after all of these coffees. And I am a refresher person at heart. 9/10.”
Lilly Maschio-Freire, Sophomore: “That tastes like hibiscus… wait, that’s actually really great– I’ll take another sip of that. 7.5/10.”
The two refreshers coming out on top shouldn’t be a surprise. This was a strong new flavor that has a subtle tartness to it, which we’ve never seen in previous drinks. This holiday flavor is refreshing and complements the green tea well; it’s a lovely addition to their refresher lineup.
FINAL RATING: 9/10
FOOD REVIEWS
Bacon Jam Grilled Cheese: 8/10
Storm: “I like the little sweetness that the jam gives it. I always get a grilled cheese, and I love the bacon and jam. I was a little nervous, but I like it. 10/10.”
Jam? In grilled cheese? While it sounds odd, it actually creates a great sweet and salty mix. The first two bites were to die for; it was just the right amount of sweetness. As it gets closer to the center, the jam starts to overpower the sandwich, but not enough to discourage you from trying it. So even if it sounds a bit weird, we think it’s definitely worth the risk.
Ultimate Bacon Jam Breakfast Sandwich: 10/10
Maddie: “That is good. My usual Dunkin’ order is a bacon, egg, and cheese on a plain bagel, but I do enjoy the croissant. It’s very flaky. I quite like that. 10/10.”
This sandwich is the perfect salty-sweet breakfast option. The flavor of the jam and the specialty bacon contrasted very nicely, and the croissant was perfectly flaky. Definitely a must-try for any bacon, egg, and cheese lovers out there!
Wicked Munchkins and Souvenir Tin: 10/10
When we conducted our review, they were out of Wicked Munchkins, so we don’t have a direct review quote. However, we have tried them before! The souvenir tin is adorable and a must-have for any die-hard Wicked fans out there. As for the Munchkins–plain cake donuts with a sprinkle coating–we found them to be quite delicious! The sprinkles added some much-needed sweetness and a nice crunch.
That concludes our extensive and honest review of the 2025 Dunkin’ winter menu. While there was a good amount of filler, this is easily the best winter menu that Dunkin’ has pulled out in a long time. Try out the Refreshers, avoid the Chais, and have a happy holiday season!