New Dunkin’ Donuts Seasonal Coffee is So Yummy! #sponsored

The hubby and I are coffee drinkers. The hubby can’t function until he’s had his first cup of coffee in the morning – I know not  to engage in any conversations with him in the morning before he’s had his first cup.  Ahem.  Coffee for me was an acquired taste – I loved the smell, but couldn’t understand what everyone saw in the stuff.

My very first office job I took it upon myself to ready the big industrial coffee maker just to be nice to all my coffee drinking co-workers since I was usually the first one in each morning. I finally decided to experiment one morning, because it sure did smell delicious – but no way was I drinking it black.

So I poured myself a cup, then added a packet of hot chocolate to it to see how it would be. The rest, as they say, is history. It’s probably the reason I always have to have flavored creamers whenever drinking my coffee – I can’t seem to appreciate a cup of coffee unless it’s flavored.

That’s why I was so excited to find out that Dunkin’ Donuts has some awesomely unique seasonal flavors available right now:

Oh yeah.   Strawberry Shortcake, Triple Berry, and my drool-worthy favorite, Coconut. Princess Nagger thought it was hilarious they made the images on the front of the bags look like smiley faces. I got a kick out of that, too.

I had the pleasure of hosting a Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee Party this past weekend with some cool treats:

Thanks to the generosity of Dunkin’ Donuts, my esteemed guests each got a cool Dunkin’ Donuts tote bag with an iced coffee cup, bag of the new seasonal coffee, a coupon for Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and an iced coffee recipe card. Sweet!

We decided to have a pre-Mother’s Day gathering on Saturday with coffee and donuts, naturally. We even broke out the coffee press so we could give this new coffee the ‘proper’ test:

And of course there were donuts and donut holes:

I even made mini quiches that I completely forgot to take pictures of, along with little pigs in a blanket made with sausages (that the kids gobbled down like nobody’s business along with the donut holes). And my friends pitched in with a sundry of pastries and various creamers so there would be a nice variety and something for everyone.

While the coffee was steeping in the coffee press, I also brewed a batch in our coffee maker – let me tell you, the scents that filled the air with each batch was heavenly.  One of my friends commented that it smelled like we were at Dunkin’ Donuts!

Like true connoisseurs, we tested each of the three flavors systematically, starting with the Triple Berry. About a third of the group enjoyed it (me included) – most feedback from those that didn’t was that it was too ‘fruity’ for coffee, but were interested in trying it as iced coffee.

Next up was Strawberry Shortcake – that got a thumbs-up from just about everyone, because it seemed to be more ‘coffee-appropriate’.

Finally, the flavor I was most looking forward to, Coconut. Huge  hit with each and every guest – it turned out to be everyone’s absolute favorite (including me).

Iced coffee was next on the agenda, I had brewed up fresh batches earlier so they’d be chilled enough to serve over ice. The flavors of the seasonal coffee were even better than expected in the form of iced coffee – the Triple Berry shined much better in that mode, the Strawberry Shortcake was delicious, and the Coconut was absolute perfection.

It was such a beautiful day, we decided to go hang outside to watch the kids play:

Everyone had such a great time, and everyone was impressed with the new flavors – they all plan to head to their local store to pick some up before they’re gone (since these will only be available for the spring and summer season).

The adults had a great time as coffee connoisseurs and good conversations, while the kids burned off energy running around like maniacs in the backyard. I think I need to have more Coffee Parties in the future.

I followed the Dunkin’ Donuts recipe for Iced Coffee – here’s the recipe so you can enjoy it, too:

Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Coffee

Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup of your Favorite ground Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee
• 3 Cups of Cold Water, Divided
• 1/3 Cup of Sugar
• 1/2 Cup of Half-and-half
• Whipped Cream (optional)

Instructions

1. Brew coffee in a coffee maker, use 3/4 ground coffee and 1 and 1/2 cups of the water.
2. Combine hot coffee, sugar and half and half in a pitcher. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Blend in 1 1/2 cups cold water. Chill until ready to serve.
3. Pour over ice in tall glass. Add whipped cream if you like.

 

If you want to try the new flavors, don’t wait too long – they’re only available for a limited time (you can check out the store locator here).  I’d love to know what you think of the new flavors, and which one turns out to be your favorite.  Get more information on the Dunkin’ Donuts at Home website.

What flavor would you want to try most?  Do you like your coffee strictly hot, or do you enjoy iced coffee, too?

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Note: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Dunkin’ Donuts. I received a Dunkin’ Donuts Party Kit to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.  As usual, all opinions are my own and not influenced by outside sources. See my disclosure policy here.