Review: Dunkin's Candy Bar Lattes Are A Mixed Bag Of Treats

If a basic vanilla or hazelnut latte doesn't suit your fancy, then Dunkin' has a new seasonal beverage on its lineup called the Candy Bar Signature Latte. This concoction features a few flavor elements, including chocolate, toffee, pretzel, and peanut butter; there's also espresso, whipped cream, mocha drizzle, and, as if that weren't enough, crumbled candy bar pieces to top it all off. I'm no stranger to the coffee chain's beverages (as I've tried all of the staple hot drinks on the menu), so this blend certainly had me intrigued. 

But I couldn't help but wonder if the flavors worked together or if it tasted like a young kid making potions — mixing every which ingredient without caring about the finished product. Well, let's find out together. I went to my nearest Dunkin' to retrieve the four beverages and give them a sip. I love lattes and fun, captivating flavors, so this should be a fun experiment.

The new Candy Bar Signature Latte comes in two options: iced and hot. There's also a Candy Bar Iced Coffee, and then a frozen version that's blended with ice. At my local Dunkin' in the San Diego area, the pricing for a medium beverage is as follows: a Candy Bar Signature Iced Latte costs $5.49, a frozen coffee costs the same, a hot Candy Bar Signature Latte is $4.99, and a Candy Bar Iced Coffee is $3.99. The drinks are available at all Dunkin' locations as part of the seasonal lineup, alongside a cute Spider Donut and other Halloween merchandise (crewneck, onesie, and more). 

I was able to easily locate the sippers on the Dunkin' app, which showcases a section called "No Tricks, Just Treats" with all the new drinks and donuts. The earlier released fall menu items, like Mixed Berry Daydream Refresher and the Iced Pumpkin Loaf, are still available to purchase as well. Now, let's dive into how the candy drinks taste and if they deliver on the promised flavor notes. I ordered each drink exactly how it comes, but you can customize things as desired — swapping milks, adding or lightening sweeteners, etc.

The Candy Bar Signature Iced Latte is the signature drink of the season; it's the first drink that pops up under the new Dunkin' menu items. A medium drink comes with espresso, whole milk, three pumps of Candy Bar sweetened Flavor Swirl, whipped cream, mocha drizzle, and candy bar pieces as a topping, all served over ice. This is certainly a dessert of a drink, and I think it sets the bar on what to expect with the rest of the lineup. I can pick up on a toffee and caramel-like profile that's sweet and complex; at the end of the sip, there's a note of chocolate. I don't get any inclination of peanut butter whatsoever, and then the pretzel is only detected as part of the topping. It's unclear from the Dunkin' press release whether this is intended to be part of the Flavor Swirl or if we're just supposed to get the PB and pretzel as a topping. 

If it's part of the Flavor Swirl, it's undetectable. While I like and enjoy the candy toppers, it's not as though those flavor profiles are going into the drink itself. Grab a spoon because they are fun to eat off the top of the drink. The iced factor keeps the whipped cream fresh so you can scoop up the toppings, which add a bit of crunch. The drink itself, while sweet, is not cloying. I would get this again just for kicks.

The hot Candy Bar Signature Latte comes with all the same ingredients as the above, except it's served hot (and without ice, of course). If you've read any of my reviews and taste tests, you know that I prefer hot coffee drinks. I drink hot coffee and lattes all year long (contrary to what you may think, it's even a way to beat the heat of summertime), so I was quite thrilled to get one hot drink in this taste test. I opened the little hole on the lid to take a sip and noticed some things floating around, which I noted, but took a drink as part of my journalistic duty. Sip, gulp, uh, that was odd. 

The flavor of the hot latte is quite nice; it has a similar profile to the above drink — notes of toffee with that hint of chocolate at the end and a touch of espresso and milk. Not much more to talk about there that I didn't already say. But the floaty bits? Turns out those are pretzels. Well, what used to be a firm pretzel. Now, they are soggy, tasteless lumps that have no business hanging around a hot beverage. It's wholly unpleasant to swallow. I couldn't even focus on the flavor of the drink because the texture of the soft pretzel overpowered my senses with a visceral reaction. Upon reflection, I do like the hot latte flavor, but would 100% recommend omitting the candy topping.

I've had a few Dunkin' frozen coffees, and while palatable, I'm not usually a fan as they tend to be extremely sweet — that is also the case here. But hey, if you like ultra-sweet drinks, this delivers. That's because it has coffee syrup and three pumps of sweetened Candy Bar Flavor Swirl, as opposed to just the Flavor Swirl of the previous drinks. That coffee syrup really adds to the sugary aspect. Each sip is syrupy and rich. This drink is also made with cream (not whole milk, although you can customize this) to give it a thorough creaminess that detracts from any coffee flavors. 

As you can see in the photo, this is an incredibly light drink with hardly a tinge of coffee color — that cream really takes over. I like the flavor of coffee, so I would customize the sweetness of this, although I don't think I'd get this particular refreshment again. I will say, though, that the candy topping was very liberal in this drink with colorful candy pieces, crunchy pretzel, and what seemed to be toffee. It adds a unique and interesting dynamic to the drink. 

If you prefer a coffee base instead of the espresso in the hot or iced Candy Bar Lattes, then the Candy Bar Iced Coffee is a solid choice. This is made with an original blend coffee, three creams, three sweetened Candy Bar Flavor Swirl pumps, and ice. There's no whipped cream or candy topping, making it a fuss-free version of the beverage. It's sweet as you would expect from a sweetened Flavor Swirl, but it's not cloying and is completely pleasant. 

It has that toffee-chocolate profile with a milkiness and light but still-there coffee flavor. I can appreciate the color of the drink, which lets me know there's at least some coffee content within it (as opposed to the near-white color of the frozen coffee). The coffee is not as strong as the espresso, but that's to be expected. Given that this is the lowest-priced item, the Candy Bar Iced Coffee may be a more approachable option if you want to pick up a morning treat somewhat regularly. 

Did the Candy Bar Signature Latte deliver on its promised notes of chocolate, toffee, pretzel, and peanut butter? No. Toffee with a touch of chocolate, yes. But I'm not sure where peanut butter was supposed to come from, and the pretzel was only part of the topping. It wasn't as multi-dimensional as I was expecting, but it still provides a sweet taste that you'd expect from something called a "candy bar" drink. The iced latte and iced coffee were the top iterations that were executed the best. The Candy Bar Signature Iced Latte would be my top pick just because it's whimsical and provides the candy bits and a stronger espresso base; if you want to lighten the sweetness, you can opt for less of the Flavor Swirl. 

The hot latte ... well, was poorly planned out. The whipped cream completely disappeared (normal in hot drinks, so that's okay), but that left the soggy pretzel globs and some other unidentified cereal-looking pieces floating in my drink. Yuck! They added nothing flavor-wise and were genuinely bad. The frozen coffee is ultimately too sweet for my preference, but at least it is well-executed. There are some hit-and-miss elements for the Candy Bar range, making it difficult to recommend as a whole. I'd probably just get a Dunkalatte from Dunkin' next time, paired with a breakfast sandwich.