America runs on Dunkin’, and incidentally, so does Charli D’Amelio. September is a time for seasonal specialty drinks (looking at you, PSL), but this year the bar has been raised with a new viral beverage. The 16-year-old TikTok sensation recently released her own drink in collaboration with the Massachusetts-based coffee company after dancing and expressing her love for the drink to her 85 million followers. “Now, Charli and Dunkin’ are taking their long-brewing mutual crush to the next level, making their relationship official and delivering the duet her fans have been asking for,” according to Dunkin’s press release. Since its debut on September 2, fans and fellow coffee lovers alike have been swarming to try it for themselves. The drink is only available for a limited time, so I needed to see if the hype over her dancing skills applied to her daily coffee order, too!
After class one day, I changed my regular routine. Instead of walking into the doors of Starbucks, I went to my nearest Dunkin’ and ordered a Charli. Sadly, this post is not sponsored, so I paid the normal amount for a small coffee — $3.19. It felt strange to casually use her name as my drink order, especially considering that she was as normal as any other teenage girl just a few years ago. That’s truly a testament to her seemingly instantaneous virality. The barista instantly began to make my order, and noted that she could probably make the drink in her sleep at this point. Could it be giving the infamous pumpkin spice latte a run for its money in terms of popularity?
My first impression of her drink was that it looked familiar. The ingredients are simple — cold brew, whole milk and three pumps of caramel swirl. It tasted just like a caramel iced coffee, a staple in my college diet. The perfect balance of coffee and caramel, her drink was not only refreshing but definitely satisfied my sweet tooth. The only downside was that a large size of this coffee would be way too sugary to handle! I could barely finish my small without getting shaky from the overwhelming effects of caffeine and sugar. But, for someone with such a busy schedule like her, it makes more sense. Overall, “The Charli” had a great flavor profile and certainly lived up to the hype!