I Tried Dunkin's New Purple Halloween Coffee & It Had One Major Flaw
The fall season is in full swing, and the coffee chains are showing up and out for the occasion. While Starbucks has a slew of autumn-themed drinks on its menu, like the Apple Oat Crisp Macchiato and the ever-popular Pumpkin Spice Latte, Dunkin' has taken it one step further and recently released Halloween-inspired drink and dessert options.
Dunkin's latest October offerings range from the Spider Specialty Donut, which features a purpled frosted doughnut topped with a chocolate "spider body" Munchkin and chocolate drizzle "spider legs," to orange and black sprinkle-topped Munchkins, which are perfect for costume parties. Possibly the most intriguing, however, is the brand's limited-edition Potion Macchiato, which launched on Oct. 16.
According to the brand's website, Dunkin's culinary team wanted to do something out of the ordinary without relying on the holiday's typical orange and black color palette. What they conjured up was the Potion Macchiato, made with espresso, whole milk, and purple marshmallow ube flavoring.
"At Dunkin', we love keeping guests fueled through every season, and Halloween is no exception," said Beth Turenne, Dunkin's vice president of category management, in a statement. "With beloved treats like our Spider Donut and new menu items like the Potion Macchiato, we're excited to give customers a delicious way to celebrate the spooky season."
This isn't the first time that Dunkin' excited its loyal fanbase with a unique macchiato drink. In 2020, it debuted the limited-time Pink Velvet Macchiato, made with bold espresso, red velvet cake flavoring, and hints of cream cheese frosting. The drink was such a hit that Dunkin' received tons of "fan mail" and "a flood of DMs," according to the company, prompting the chain to add the drink back to its menu in December 2023. That precedent makes me wonder, will the Potion Macchiato receive the same praise?
It may still be too early to tell, but if you want to try this purple-hued drink, you better hurry, because the seasonal treat is not sticking around for a long time. So, I gave it a try. Here are my thoughts.
Potion Macchiato
Iced Potion Macchiato (Per Small Order)
Calories: 190
Fat: 4 g (Saturated Fat: 2.5 g)
Sodium: 110 mg
Carbs: 32 g (Fiber 0 g, Sugar 31 g)
Protein: 5 g
Themed drinks can be thrilling. What better way to add more excitement to your morning (or afternoon, or evening) coffee ritual than by mixing things up occasionally? The Potion Macchiato may not be the way to go, though. While it's fun to look at, the taste is another story. The marshmallow ube flavor falls flat, while the espresso is too robust. This drink left my household divided—while I wasn't a fan, my boyfriend felt differently. I paid $5.19 for this small-sized iced coffee drink that I'm still on the fence about.
The look: Definitely cool. This caffeinated beverage had a pale purple layer of milk and ube flavoring on the bottom, followed by a layer of dark brown espresso. I ordered both the iced and hot versions. The iced came in a transparent cup with a flat lid and orange and pink plastic straw, while the hot version was housed in a wide, sturdy paper cup with a flip-top sipping area.
The taste: Maybe I got a little ahead of myself, but when the Dunkin' staffer handed me the potion macchiato, and I locked eyes on its pale purple bottom layer, visions of pleasantly sugary sweet drinks filled my mind. I'm no stranger to macchiatos (confession: my favorite is from Starbucks), but this one just didn't quite hit the mark, although my boyfriend repeatedly said it was "good."
To break it down, if you leave the iced version unshaken and take a sip from the bottom, you'll primarily taste the ube flavoring, which has a delicately saccharine, marshmallowy flavor. Shaking the drink is a whole other story.
When I shook it up, blending the layers of milk, espresso, and ube flavoring, I ended up with a muddy purple-tinged brown color. By doing this, I not only altered the look of the drink but the taste as well. The coffee totally overpowered the ube flavoring, and what I was left with was a very strong-tasting, bordering on bitter, coffee drink with just faint notes of ube. The aftertaste was no better, lingering in my mouth for way too long. In short, I was disappointed, quickly passing the drink off to my boyfriend after I couldn't even get through half of it.
Frustrated that my cool looking drink didn't exactly taste good, I tried the hot version, too. Although slightly better than the iced coffee variation, it still ran into the same issues—the ube flavor wasn't pronounced enough and the bitterly acidic coffee flavor was dialed up way too high. In other words: the balance was off in both iterations.
The Verdict
Okay, here's the thing. If you love coffee and don't care a whole lot about marshmallowy ube or any other flavorings, then you may enjoy this drink since the espresso taste is powerful, especially once it's shaken or stirred. In my experience, this iced coffee is one I'd most likely only buy once for its novelty and not seek out every day during its limited run. It's a fun conversation starter and looks cool sitting on your desk or in your car's cup holder, but that's just about as far as it goes.
Moving forward, I'd be much more interested in trying the Spider Donut and Halloween sprinkle-covered Munchkins instead.
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