Dunkin’s New Blood Orange Refresher Is Tart, But A Little Too Sweet

If you live in a place where seasons change, the transition between seasons is always a strange one. One day it’s too hot, the next it’s too cold. You’re debating between everything from what to wear to what to drink. Is it still too warm for a hot beverage, or is it getting too cold for an iced one? The question remains. Dunkin’s new Blood Orange Refresher is kinda the best of both. It’s got all the refreshing qualities you’d want from a cool sip, with all the spicy fall flavors of a warm one.

There are two versions of the Blood Orange Refresher, one with green tea and one with coconut milk. In this review, I taste-tested the new Blood Orange Refresher with green tea to give you a rundown of how it tastes, the caffeine content, price, availability, and everything you need to know for your next Dunkin’ run.

The other new drink to land a spot on Dunkin’s fall collection is the Nutty Pumpkin Coffee, which I also reviewed. Hint, it’s like a mix of a hazelnut latte and a chai latte. Also, Dunkin’ dropped a whole bundle of fall goods, from a Pumpkin Donut to Maple Sugar Snackin’ Bacon.

Review

Blood oranges gets their name from the fruit’s red flesh, which is similar to the color of, well, blood. It’s less acidic and sweeter than a normal orange, and some say it has hints of raspberry. I must admit, I am not the biggest fan of orange flavor as a whole. Don’t get me wrong: I love a chilled glass of fresh OJ as much as the next person, but orange flavoring doesn’t hit the same. So, take my flavor review with that in mind.

The blood orange in Dunkin’s Refresher is combined with tart cranberry for double the fruitiness. As I took a sip, my first thought was that it reminded me of orange-flavored Gatorade and Emergen-C. It packed a strong punch of both orange and sugar that was almost sickeningly sweet. (FYI, a small-sized drink contains 20 grams of sugar.) I took a couple more sips before feeling a dryness on my tongue, kind of like the tingling you feel when you eat pineapple. It might not be the drink for me, but if you like sugary orange drinks, give it a try.

Caffeine

You’re probably wondering why a Refresher has caffeine. While it technically doesn’t have any coffee, green tea contains a small amount of caffeine, and so does the Refresher base itself, per Dunkin’. So, whether you’re getting the drink with green tea or coconut milk, it will still give you a tad of a caffeine boost — about the same as half a cup of regular coffee.

A small green tea Blood Orange Refresher has 66 mg of caffeine, a medium has 100 mg, and a large has 133 mg. For what it’s worth, the coconut milk version has less caffeine: a small coconut milk Blood Orange Refresher contains 45 mg of caffeine, a medium has 68 mg, and a large has 91 mg. To put that into context, a regular 8-ounce cup of coffee contains around 80 to 100 mg of caffeine, according to the FDA. Plus, the recommended caffeine intake is 400 mg a day.

Price

Dunkin’s Blood Orange Refresher is $3.29 for a small, $3.59 for a medium, and $3.89 for a large. Note: These are suggested retail prices but may vary at stores as pricing is up to the franchisee.

Availability

Blood Orange Refresher is available at participating locations from Aug. 17 through Nov. 11 or while supplies last.