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I did not expect to wake up today and say to myself, “Wow, I really enjoyed the almond-flavored iced matcha from Dunkin’ that was made for the new ‘Wicked’ movie.” But life is weird in that way. It’s like how Dunkin’ tricked me into paying $10 for a 10-pack of Munchkins in a special souvenir tin. The new Dunkin’ ‘Wicked’ menu | Review With “Wicked: For Good” coming out later this month, we’re about to be inundated with a legion of green-and-pink novelty foods designed to capture our attention. It’s like pumpkin spice with a catchy soundtrack, a seasonal onslaught of branded mayhem coming at you from all directions. Every now and then, there will be some winners from this cataclysm of cross-promotion, like the nifty matcha drink. Then there are the misguided disasters, like Dunkin’s caustic pink concoction. There are three components to the new Dunkin’ release: two drinks and one Munchkin modification. Wicked Green Matcha: An iced matcha with almond and brown sugar syrup. Wicked Pink Refresher: A strawberry-dragonfruit refresher made with sparkling water. It also has some blueberry flavoring added. Wicked Munchkin Tin: A 10-pack of Munchkins that come in a special edition tin ($9.99 for the special tin) The two drinks are new flavor combinations, which is good to see. Where we run into trouble is with the Munchkins. They’re just normal cake-doughnut munchkins covered in green-and-pink sprinkles. I don’t know how any of this got approved. What sort of racketeering is going on in Munchkin Land? The Lolllipop Guild never would have approved this. What do they taste like? Let’s start with the positive: Wicked Green Matcha — Matcha is a hit-or-miss flavor for me. The earthy and grassy notes can be fun. But they can also be unpalatable at times. But the addition of the almond syrup here creates a wonderful combination of nutty flavors. It takes the normally grassy bite of matcha and turns the whole thing into a smooth, delicious experience reminiscent of marzipan and macaroons. This is a good gateway for folks to try to get into matcha. Wicked Pink Refresher — I know that, deep down, this drink means well. It’s a non-caffeinated drink made with sparkling water. The objective is for it to be light and refreshing. I can see people enjoying it as a hybrid between a low-calorie seltzer and a high-sugar lemonade refresher. But for me, it’s the worst of both worlds. You get the harsh bite of the sparkling water and the tinny artificial sweetness of the strawberry-dragon fruit flavoring. I don’t know where the blueberry comes in, or who thought this was a good flavor combination here. I don’t see the vision. Who’s responsible for this? Was the Lullaby League sleeping on the job? Wicked Munchkins Tin — There’s not much to say here. These are plain cake Munchkin encased in a sugary chitin armor of sprinkles. Yup, they taste like Munchkins. Did I eat all of them anyway? Of course I did. I’m a grown man rolling up to Dunkin’ at 7:30 a.m. and ordering the entire “Wicked” menu. Do you think I have shame? So are they any good? This is really a mixed bag. I’m all about that matcha drink. But if you don’t like either matcha or almond, you should probably pass. It’s like finding a good coconut dessert. You’ve actually got to like the flavor to really enjoy it. As for the Wicked Pink Refresher, it’s a little abrasive, but not terrible. Honestly, if I were to order it again, I’d just ask them to make it with lemonade instead of sparkling water. What, you think I’m going to worry about my sugar intake while ordering a pink drink inspired by “Wicked?” Come on. Read a book. Grow up. --- Want more “Nick Ate It” food coverage? You can follow Nick on Instagram (@NickAteIt) and TikTok (also @NickAteIt) You can send any praise/food suggestions to nomalley@masslive.com. Please send all criticisms and complaints about the proliferation of “Wicked” in pop culture to hmorrison@masslive.com. You can check out the rest of the series here.
