Testing 1, 2, 3: Hostess Boost offers coffee's jolt inside Jumbo donettes
In a previous column, my panel checked out a new coffee syrup that promised an instant morning jolt.
Today’s testers check out an alternate morning boost concept. Appropriately dubbed Boost, these Hostess donettes debuted last February. In jumbo format, each doughnut packs 50 to 70 milligrams of caffeine, derived straight from coffee bean extract.
My test panel, Barbara Guthrie of Sterling along with husband and wife Don and Cheryl Redinger from Smithville, agreed to take an evaluative break on a hot day at the Wayne County Fair.
They were immediately intrigued upon examining the packaging. Don Redinger picked up the caffeine claim, boldly centered on the package. His wife liked the red, white and blue lettering.
Guthrie on the other hand, saw right past the artwork into the package itself. “It’s a doughnut,” she said, unimpressed.
She was equally uninspired by the aroma, giving it a mediocre rating at best.
However, Redinger's initial whiff transported him to a bakery. “Sweet. It smells good."
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Cheryl Redinger agreed, “This smells great. Like caramel mocha. It would go great with a cup of coffee.”
At this point, it must be noted that these are not your regular Hostess mini donettes, those bite-sized goodies coated in powdered sugar. These are Jumbo donettes, three times the size of their namesake, and iced in either a chocolate mocha or caramel macchiato flavor.
This tasting centered on the caramel macchiato.
“I don’t know what macchiato is," said Don Redinger. "This tastes strange and I don’t know why. The aftertaste is not good.”
Good question, Don.
Since I knew nothing about macchiato myself, I turned to Wikipedia online where I learned that macchiato is “… an expresso drink with a small amount of milk, usually foamed.” The amount of milk is indeed small, just enough to lighten the expresso’s stark color and taste.
With that in mind, Redinger’s negative reaction to the donette’s taste was no surprise. “It doesn’t appeal to me. The caramel is good but there is something about the taste that is strange. Maybe the coffee?”
His wife’s evaluation was totally opposite. The coffeeness that her spouse objected to completely escaped her notice.
"It tastes like a caramel doughnut. I would never know it had caffeine in it.” Interestingly, she was the only one of the three who would buy the donettes for herself. “Sometimes I just feel like I need a boost.”
Followers of cartoon-philosopher Homer Simpson are familiar with his doughnut obsession. He has been known to proclaim that “Humans cannot live on coffee alone. That’s why doughnuts were invented!”
With these new donettes, methinks you can have both in a single package. Knock yourself out, Homer.
Would you like to attain fame (sorry, no fortune)) as a taste tester for this column? Email camboh49@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Taste test: Hostess Boost are donettes with a kick of caffeine
