Nerd Fuel: Donut Shop – Cinnamon Toast Crunch Latte

Usually when it comes to my coffee reviews I tend to stick with pretty basic products. Single origin, blends, and even flavored coffees. Very rarely do I venture into territory that some might consider “gimmicky”. However, the latest refresh at my local grocery store has brought about the introduction of some interesting new options that I just couldn’t pass up. It seems like overnight, the shelves on my local store were expanded to include a range of new things like cold brew concentrates, one-step lattes/cappuccinos, and espresso shots to name a few. After considering these new options for a moment, I decided to pull the trigger and grab a few. So, today I’m going to discuss the first of these new coffees, the Donut Shop: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Latte.

I chose this for my first review because it is very similar to other products that I’ve talked about before. This coffee is prepared in a standard K-Cup (which is my preferred package). But, unlike most K-Cups which contain coffee grinds and a simple filter, this one contains something more similar to what you might find in a hot cocoa product. Inside this cup is a powdered mixture of flavored coffee, sweetener, and creamer – all in one. Now usually, this would ring alarm bells for me. I personally detest artificial sweeteners and typically when making lattes, I prefer to mix the coffee and milk to my liking. But, I was curious to see what this product was all about, so I went with the recommended one-step method.

If you’re a hard-core coffee snob, this is probably not the right product for you. Sure, you can taste the coffee. But, like the many lattes, the milk is front and center. The drink itself is very smooth and creamy. It’s a sweet cream – maybe a tad sweeter than I’d prefer it. But it’s not bad at all. The cinnamon flavor is prominent. I assume it is made using the same blend of cinnamon and sugar that’s found on the Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. Overall, I found the flavor to quite enjoyable. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at just how good this turned out to be.

Again, I’m not sure that this is best option for the early morning wake-up routine. And I have my doubts about just how much real coffee (if any) is actually in this product. But it’s pleasing and tasty. I feel like this would be a great option for kids or even as an option to curb that after-dinner sweet tooth. It’s fun and easy.

Score: 3 out of 4

Would buy again?: Yes. Is this REAL coffee? Probably not. But is it enjoyable? Yes, very much so! I don’t talk about it much on this site, but I love lattes. Considering all I had to do was pop this K-Cup into my machine and hit a button, I found it to be an excellent alternative to the real thing. Not to mention, it’s delicious.