Dunkin’ and Dutch Bros are currently at the top of my coffee-shop rotation.
The former, a Massachusetts-based chain with nearly 10,000 locations across 45 US states and shops in 33 additional countries, is easy to find.
Dutch Bros, on the other hand, offers a more niche experience. The Oregon-based, drive-thru-only chain has fewer than 1,000 locations, all in the US.
But what really makes a coffee chain great is its beverages — and I wanted to put these two beloved spots to the test.
Dunkin’s parent brand is on a winning streak.
Even though I’m still not sure whether to call it Dunkin’ or Dunkin’ Donuts, the brand has been serving coffee, doughnuts, and other breakfast staples since the 1950s.
And over 70 years later, the chain’s multibillion-dollar parent company, Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc., is still growing. It doubled its quarterly profits in July.
I may have originally gone to Dunkin’ for doughnuts as a kid, but I stayed loyal because of its expansive, reliable coffee menu.
Dutch Bros’s locations may still be in the triple digits, but that may be changing.
Dutch Bros kicked off 2024 with a 39% year-over-year revenue increase, and the company plans to open 150 to 165 more shops by the end of December.
But more than profits, the chain is well-known for its enthusiastic employees — that’s what keeps me coming back. In fact, Forbes placed it in the top 10 of its first Best Customer Service list at the end of 2023.
With all of that in mind, I visited both Dunkin’ and Dutch Bros Coffee and ordered the same staple coffee-shop beverages at each spot.
Here’s how one blended, one hot, and four iced drinks stacked up.
I started with the Golden Eagle at Dutch Bros.
The Golden Eagle is one of the most hyped drinks on the Dutch Bros menu. It’s a breve made with espresso, half-and-half, vanilla syrup, and caramel sauce.
I ordered a medium for $5.60 — without the whipped cream to keep the comparison even. The full medium has 480 calories.
The drink was a bit sweet, but I can see why it’s a fan favorite.
Dunkin’s caramel macchiato is the closest match.
Dunkin’s iced caramel macchiato is the best match to the Golden Eagle. But it’s made without half-and-half, so it’s a little less sweet.
My medium with whole milk cost $5.79, and the drink had 290 calories.
Of the two, this was my favorite. It tasted like something I’d get at one of my local coffee joints.
Next up was Dutch Bros’ vanilla cold brew with soft top.
A cold brew with sweetened foam is one of my favorite drinks. My medium iced vanilla cold brew with soft top from Dutch Bros had 120 calories and cost me $7.47.
The coffee is the main focus in a cold brew, so I think there’s always a better chance of it being brewed well. But the sweet topping blended into the drink beautifully, like a more elevated sweetener.
The flavor was well-balanced, and the topping stayed fluffy for nearly an hour. I wasn’t convinced anything could beat this.
At Dunkin’, I picked up a vanilla cold brew with sweet foam.
One sip of Dunkin’s vanilla cold brew proved me right. The medium, 90-calorie drink cost me $5.68 and tasted like a regular vanilla iced coffee.
Even if it wasn’t the worst thing in the world, it wasn’t what I was expecting at all.
To me, it didn’t even taste like cold-brew coffee. Plus, the cold foam was very airy and melted into the drink quickly.
An iced chai latte is a staple, so I started with one from Dutch Bros.
Dutch Bros’ medium chai latte, which cost me $6.71, was creamy and indulgent.
The spices in the 350-calorie drink really shined, but it was also creamier than most chai lattes I’ve tried.
It tasted like autumn.
Dunkin’s iced chai was nearly identical.
If you gave me both of these chai lattes in a blind taste test, I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.
Dunkin’s medium chai latte had 290 calories and cost me $6.23. It was slightly lighter than the competitor, but that was kind of it.
Next up was a classic iced mocha at Dutch Bros.
My medium iced mocha cost me $5.27 and had 310 calories.
Dutch Bros has several signature mochas, but the classic expertly blends the shop’s own brand of chocolate milk with espresso.
The chocolate milk added flavor and creaminess that couldn’t be topped, and I loved that adding the chocolate in milk form didn’t change the drink’s texture.
The espresso itself was also brewed to perfection.
Dunkin’s cocoa mocha iced latte was the competitor.
Dunkin’ has a line of signature lattes, including the iced cocoa mocha.
The medium latte, which cost me $6.01, had 400 calories and included whole milk, mocha flavoring, hot chocolate, whipped cream, and a chocolate drizzle. I ordered it without the whipped cream and drizzle to keep things fair.
I wanted the coffee to seamlessly blend in with the ingredients, but it was just a separate bitter flavor.
The drink fell kind of short for me and definitely didn’t come close to beating Dutch Bros’ mocha. But I know I like Dunkin’s blended mochas, so I’ll still order those when the craving strikes.
For my frozen drink, I went with Dutch Bros’ toasted-mellow blended freeze.
The toasted-mellow blended freeze seemed like a standard s’mores-flavored drink to me, so I was surprised to learn that it’s made with espresso, vanilla, chocolate, and macadamia nut.
A medium cost $7.69 and had 540 calories, and the flavor was striking.
It was definitely comparable to the quintessential fireside treat, making it a great dessert-like coffee. The drink was also blended to perfection.
The closest thing at Dunkin’ is its bonfire s’mores frozen coffee.
Dunkin’ also had a seasonal bonfire s’mores frozen coffee. I ordered a medium for $6.55, which had a whopping 840 calories.
The drink had vanilla and s’mores flavorings, whipped cream, mocha drizzle, and graham crackers — I ditched the whipped cream.
Dunkin’s take on s’mores was definitely my favorite taste-wise, but the two drinks were very similar in texture.
I wanted to test one hot beverage, and an oat-milk latte is my go-to.
Drinking hot coffee on a 90-degree summer day isn’t my favorite activity, but I was pleasantly surprised by Dutch Bros’ oat-milk latte.
The medium, 200-calorie drink cost me $7.03.
My barista brewed it to the perfect temperature so I could safely sip it as soon as I left the drive-thru. It was frothy and genuinely a comforting way to start my day.
Dunkin’s oat-milk latte didn’t come close.
After my success at the other chain, I was ready to be amazed by Dunkin’s oat-milk latte. But my medium, 130-calorie coffee didn’t live up to the hype — especially for $6.33.
The drink was too hot, and it was much less creamy than the Dutch Bros option. The milk also seemed to separate rather quickly, making it a little less appetizing.
This definitely won’t be my go-to at Dunkin’ moving forward, but I think adding a flavor might make the latte better.
My ratings skewed toward Dutch Bros, but Dunkin’ still has its strengths.
Overall, most of the Dutch Bros drinks were more expensive, but they also often tasted better. When it came to the oat-milk latte, vanilla cold brew, and iced mocha, there was no competition from Dunkin’.
But the chai lattes at both chains were nearly identical — it’s the only beverage I couldn’t make a solid call on.
I’ll keep going to Dunkin’ for caramel macchiatos, and when it’s in season, the bonfire s’mores frozen coffee was a delightful treat.
The post I ordered the same 6 drinks at Dunkin’ and Dutch Bros Coffee, and the pricier chain just barely came out on top appeared first on Business Insider.
