Dunkin' Just Launched a Brown Sugar Cream Cold Brew for Summer—but Is It Healthy?
Courtesy of Dunkin'
When the summer heat descends, there's only one way to stay cool *and* caffeinated: drinking a refreshing iced coffee. Whether you prefer the smooth finish of cold brew or the milky sweetness of an iced latte, it's hard for any coffee lover to resist the allure of an ice-cold glass of coffee on a warm day. (That's probably why Starbucks launched a fun new drink for summer!)
And if you're the kind of person who loves to treat themselves to a drive-thru coffee in the morning, there's good news for you—Dunkin' just added a new drink to the menu that looks pretty delicious.
The Brown Sugar Cream Cold Brew adds something special to the chain's slow-brewed cold-brew coffee. The coffee itself has notes of molasses and cinnamon, according to Dunkin's media release, and is topped with a sweet and velvety cold foam and a dusting of cinnamon sugar. Dunkin' fans have already taken to Instagram to share their reviews of the drink, calling it a "new favorite" and "the best." (If you have a different go-to summer drink at Dunkin', have no fear—the brand has brought back plenty more seasonal drinks to keep you cool.)
Related: Starbucks Is Bringing Back Summer Drinks—Plus Two New Refreshing Items
And there's one more treat for cold-brew lovers this summer—you can get any medium cold brew for $3 at participating Dunkin' locations. So if you plan on trying out the brand-new drink this summer, be sure to do it before July 19, when the chain's promo ends.
Here's how a small, 16-ounce Brown Sugar Cream Cold Brew clocks in, nutrition-wise:
200 calories
9 grams total fat
5 grams saturated fat
60 milligrams sodium
29 grams carbohydrate
28 grams sugar
26 grams added sugar
2 grams protein
When it comes to calories and sodium, this drink is well within our recommended parameters for a healthy drink. But the high levels of added sugar and saturated fat make this drink more of an occasional goodie than a go-to coffee drink. With 26 grams of added sugar, a small Brown Sugar Cream Cold Brew packs so much sweetness that you might end up over the daily recommended limit for added sugars *just* from your morning coffee. The American Heart Association recommends sticking to 25 grams or 36 grams of added sugar each day for women and men respectively. If you're aiming for a heart-healthy or diabetes-friendly diet (or just trying to cut back on sugar), you might want to split this drink with a friend or enjoy it as a once-in-a-while treat.
Related: The Dietitian-Approved Hack That Makes My Coffee Taste So Much Better
The saturated fat in this drink, which likely all comes from the brown sugar cream, is also something that you should be cautious about if you're concerned about your heart health. Five grams of saturated fat is a little more than you might want from a midday drink—our heart-healthy guidelines would recommend something closer to 2 grams. Since the AHA suggests eating just 5% or 6% of your calories from saturated fat in a day, someone aiming for a 2,000-calorie diet would aim for no more than 13 grams of saturated fat. But you could always try to lower the amount of saturated fat and sugar in the drink by asking your barista to give you half the amount of brown sugar cream.
The good news is that it's OK to splurge every once in a while! Anything can be a part of a healthy eating pattern when you enjoy it in moderation, and that includes a sweet drink from Dunkin'. Just make sure you're not drinking a Brown Sugar Cream Cold Brew *every* morning on the way to work. And if you're looking for a drink that you could enjoy every morning, you could always order a basic cold brew with a touch of your favorite coffee add-in. (These are some of our dietitian-approved favorites!)
