Not everybody was thrilled when Dunkin’ Donuts announced it was saying goodbye to its indulgent Frozen Coffee Coolatta. Amid fierce social media backlash, the brand held firm to this driving fact: the Coolatta simply wasn’t an adequate coffee drink. It was nearly 1,000 calories and 130-plus grams of sugar in milkshake-java hybrid form that senior vice president of brand marketing and global consumer insights and product innovation Chris Fuqua said wasn’t “good enough” during a media day in March.
The brand’s answer: the Frozen Dunkin’ Coffee. “This is the frozen beverage for people who love coffee. With Frozen Dunkin’ Coffee, we’ve captured the same taste and quality that millions of Dunkin’ Donuts guests enjoy each day, now blended frozen,” Fuqua said in a release. “As one of the world’s leading coffee brands, Frozen Dunkin’ Coffee represents an important addition to our coffee menu, and we’re excited to keep our guests running with this new frozen beverage inspired by our iconic Original Blend coffee.”
The drink, which launched nationwide Monday, is crafted to resemble the brand’s Original Blend. It’s made with a special extract featuring 100 percent Arabica coffee and blended with ice and dairy.
With cream, a large comes in at 840 calories and 125 grams of sugar. Guests can customize the drink with any flavor swirl or shot, as well as cream, whole or skim milk. The extract, Dunkin’ says, was “created specifically to complement all varieties of Dunkin’ Donuts’ coffee flavors, including Coconut Crème Pie and Butter Pecan, both available now for a limited time.”
To help the drink transition into consumer’s hearts, Dunkin’ is giving away 3.5-ounce samples from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 19 while supplies last.
Molly DeHahn, research and development technologist, wrote in a blog Monday that the drink has been years in the making.
“The years of work bringing this product to life was well worth it. We are proud of our new product, and want to give you a taste so you can see for yourself,” she wrote.
