Whether you’re a coffee enthusiast or just a casual caffeine consumer, you’ve likely heard of the two most popular coffee chains in America: Starbucks and Dunkin’. As we tried their signature coffees, specialty drinks, and delicious snacks, we couldn’t help but notice the similarities and obvious differences to decide which one is worth your money and will ultimately satisfy your taste buds.
When it comes to Novi’s preferences, Starbucks is the bigger hit.
“Dunkin’ doesn’t have my favorite drink, but Starbucks does, which is a Venti Strawberry Acai with light lemonade, light ice, and no berries,” sophomore Lauren Mucke said.
History Teacher Shane Dukes also prefers Starbucks for his morning brew.
“I like Starbucks because I think they have more options. I used to like Dunkin’ because they were cheaper, but now they’re not as cheap,” said Dukes.
Here’s the conclusion we came to.
We tried five different drinks from each place, one of which was a specialty drink, and two food items.
Starbucks came out with their lavender add-ons for spring, along with some new lavender drinks.
“I heard about people trying it, and I didn’t know if it would taste good or bad, so I tried it. I hated it because it tasted like lavender essential oils,” Mucke said.
We also wanted to get the opinion of a Novi staff member, so we asked counseling secretary Lisa Haase.
“I did try the lavender drinks because I love everything lavender and I loved the drink,” Haase said.
Since we heard a lot of mixed emotions about the lavender flavor, we decided to choose the lavender frappucino as our specialty drink.
Dunkin’ didn’t have new spring flavors, so we chose one that stood out to us, the Berry Burst energy drink. Surprisingly, we liked the energy drink better because of the fizziness. For us, the lavender was a bit sweet, but overall, the flavor was really good.
The iced caramel macchiato was a drink that we disagreed on.
Anika – I chose Starbucks because I felt like they added more caramel, which made the drink sweeter but didn’t take away from the coffee flavor.
Addison – I chose the Dunkin’ one because it was more flavorful than the Starbucks, and the milk and caramel ratio canceled out the bitter coffee taste of the drink.
In our opinion, one of the most popular drinks at Starbucks for kids our age is the Strawberry Acai Refresher. We decided to compare this to the strawberry-dragonfruit refresher at Dunkin’ because it was the closest in similarity. We decided Starbucks definitely won that drink because the Dunkin’ version had an unusual flavor, like cherry cough syrup. The Starbucks one is more like strawberry lemonade and is like a fruity summer drink.
We found that Starbucks has a wider variety of drinks, including seasonal and specialty options. On the other hand, Dunkin’ has a reputation for more affordable prices. Ultimately, the decision between the two depends on your personal preferences and priorities. If you are looking for a quick and affordable caffeine fix, Dunkin’ may be the better choice. But if you prefer a wider selection and don’t mind spending a little extra, Starbucks may be the way to go.
