Don't Order A Dunkin' Refresher Before Reading This
Dunkin' has won over hearts and minds with its collection of sandwiches, donuts, and beverages. In June, the outlet introduced a range of drinks for its patrons called the Refreshers. A press release published on the Dunkin' website read, "There's a new Refresher for America, and it's at Dunkin'. After a long and challenging spring, people are looking for much-needed moments of mental and physical refresh." It added that the drinks would be available in two flavors: Strawberry Dragonfruit and Peach Passion Fruit.
The Refreshers consist of iced green tea, B vitamins, and flavored fruit concentrate. The drinks are below 200 calories and have no artificial dyes or flavors. Jill Nelson, Vice President, Marketing Strategy at Dunkin' said that "with the start of summer, it's the perfect time for something fresh and exciting to energize and enliven people again ... Dunkin' Refreshers stand apart as the perfect, new choice to help anyone get their glow back." Even though they were marketed as summertime drinks, there's never really a wrong time of year to feel refreshed, is there? Tempted to go get yourself a drink? Wait. Not so fast. Read on for the full lowdown.
Refreshers contain way too much sugar
While the idea of the Refreshers does sound invigorating, there seems to be a caveat that should be made. According to a Reddit user, they received an app notification about the nutritional content of the drinks. Apparently, Refreshers have 18 to 20 grams of added sugar in their smallest sizes, implying that the drinks are already sweetened when you get them. Another user chimed in and said, "Crew member here. I have had them, and they do taste good. They sell like hot cakes at my store. And yes, they are pre sweetened and they are very sweet."
This made someone wonder whether it was possible to ask for the drinks to be less sweet – to which a self-described Dunkin' employee said that this isn't an option: "The refreshers are made with a pre sweetened concentrate and mixed with green tea. In order to get one less sweet you would most likely have to ask to have it made with more green tea and less concentrate." The Redditor added that it isn't a plausible request because employees are supposed to make drinks based on predetermined amounts of ingredients. While it's still possible to customize the coffee, they're likely to prepare Refreshers the standard way out of habit. However, this makes the drink a bit too sweet for some and probably not great for your health. Perhaps you should reconsider ordering a Refresher and get coffee instead.