Cereal and coffee — they’re bonafide breakfast staples designed for people who live a life on the go. Even for those of us who have transitioned into the new normal of working from home, there isn’t really an easier way to start the day than with a bowl of cereal or a cup of joe. Both can be consumed rather quickly and provide a jolt of early morning energy to help propel you into your day. But we say, why choose just one when you can have both?
No, we’re not talking about pouring a cup of coffee into your bowl of cereal instead of milk — though… let’s try that. We’re talking about giving Post’s new caffeine-infused Dunkin’ Caramel Macchiato and Mocha Latte cereal a try. Sure, no one asked Post cereal to link up with Dunkin’. But hey, we’re all for random cross-brand collaborations. How else would we have things like the Doritos Locos Taco? Are you going to tell us you want to live in a world without Doritos Locos Tacos? Aren’t things bad enough as it is?
For the collaboration, Post utilized the flavors in Dunkin’s Caramel Macchiato and Mocha Latte sweetened coffees, infusing each bowl with caffeine, espresso swirled marshmallows and corn-pop like cereal bites that provide a crunch to go along with the layered flavors of the iced coffee of your choice. Basically, Post is offering us all an edible form of iced coffee.
We’ve tasked ourselves with figuring out not just which flavor is worth your money, but if a bowl of Dunkin’ cereal lives up to its namesake. Will this replace our morning cup of coffee? Let’s find out.
Dunkin’ Caramel Macchiato VS Dunkin’ Mocha Latte
You could argue that ranking these two cereal flavors is futile. Doesn’t it just fall to personal preference? In the coffee world maybe, but in the world of cereal, things are a little more black and white. For example, Cinnamon Toast Crunch is objectively better than Kellog’s All-Bran. While our own personal cereal rankings may differ slightly, the world of cereal is a world of truths. And the truth is that All-Bran, plain Shredded Wheat, Fibre 1, and Special K cereal just aren’t as good. For all we know, the Dunkin’ cereal line is awful, or maybe one is good and the other is trash — look we’re just going to shut up, eat the damn cereals, and tell you our thoughts.
Sometime later…
Alright, we’ve tried them! We felt it was important to try both boxes in three separate states: Dry, slightly milked, and fully engorged (excuse these names please). In the dry test, it was pretty clear that the Mocha Latte was superior over the Caramel Macchiato. Where the Caramel tasted like a violently sweet corn pop, the Mocha had a Cocoa Puffs quality that was further complemented by the earthy roasted flavors of espresso. I could truly taste the coffee with this one, but everything changed once milk was involved.
As the cereals started to gather milk, the flavors really started activating, turning the Caramel Macchiato into a surprisingly smooth experience with a creamy well-balanced flavor that was further complemented by the occasional burst of sugar via the espresso-swirled marshmallows. The experience was less like drinking a Dunkin’ Caramel Macchiato and more like drinking a blended caramel drink.
The Mocha Latte, on the other hand, went from being senses pleasing coffee forward experience to a bitter mess of chocolate chalk milk and a flavor that feels less harmonious than it’s Caramel counterpart. With the Caramel, the flavors truly mesh into one thing — save for the marshmallows — whereas in the Mocha you’ll find yourself wishing there were more marshmallows included. Let us say that overall we would’ve preferred more marshmallows in both boxes!
Both bowls of cereal improved when the cereal hit a soggy state, once the chocolate puffs soaked a good amount of milk in, the flavors became much more balanced and some of the harsh bitterness was tamped down, leaving a cereal that truly tastes like coffee in a bowl. Unfortunately for Mocha though, the Caramel also improved, with the milk further intensifying the flavors, bringing much more of the caramel flavor forward.
The verdict: We finished the bowl of Dunkin’ Caramel Macchiato cereal. We’ll probably never touch the Mocha Latte again.
How Do They Compare To Their Real Coffee Counterparts?
Our verdict on the Dunkin’ cereals is probably the opposite of their Dunkin’ coffee counterparts. Both iced coffees are almost sickeningly sweet, which by the way is fine for cereal, another story for coffee. Dunkin’s Mocha Latte iced coffee is a much more pleasant experience with hints of dark chocolate complimenting freshly ground espresso, resulting in a cool and creamy beverage that never fails to remind you that you’re drinking coffee.
The Caramel Macchiato on the other hand? It tastes like someone melted a Werther’s Original into a cup of ice, tasted it, said “hey any way we could get more caramel in here?” and then proceeded to melt one of those Green Caramel Apple pops into it and mixed it around with that weird candy apple pop (after dragging it along the bottom of their shoe) and then topped the whole thing off with skim milk to create the illusion of a “creamy” beverage. It’s just awful.
But if I had to choose, I’d opt for the bowl of Caramel Macchiato cereal over everything. Post’s Dunkin’ Caramel Macchiato cereal is a top ten cereal. Will fans of Dunkin’s coffee find something to love in the cereal versions? Maybe, but if you’re looking for a 1:1 flavor matchup between the cereal and its coffee, the Post Dunkin’ cereal is very much its own beast.
Will It Replace My Morning Cup Of Coffee?
Unfortunately, no. After I knocked back a bowl and a half of this stuff I wasn’t feeling the same buzz I’d get from a 16-oz. iced coffee thanks to Dunkin’ cereal only having about 1/10th as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. However, you’ll definitely feel more awake while you’re eating either cereal, as the unmistakable smell of coffee tricks your brain into thinking you’re about to get that much-needed dose of morning caffeine. Strangely, that makes the cereal a great option for someone who is trying to ween themselves off of caffeine. Unfortunately, that’s not us!
The only rush you’re going to get from a bowl is a sugar rush.