7/20/2005 09:16:00 PM|||Scott Lewis|||Happy Sunday to everyone. I have received a number of personal emails regarding the new Flavor Shots being used by Dunkin' Donuts in their Flavored Coffee. Many people have been writing me and complaining that Dunkin' Donuts should switch back and that they now refuse to buy coffee from them as a result of the switch.
I'm not a flavored coffee drinker myself, so I cannot speak to the situation. However, a need has been raised by our user community and it's one Dunkin' Donuts should take notice on.
What I'd like to do is use this post to sound off Dunkin' Donuts flavored coffee and then give Dunkin' Donuts a chance to read and respond. The best thing you can do is share the facts about why you like or no longer like the flavored coffee. This will give them the best customer information to act upon. This gives Dunkin' Donuts the best case for action.
Thanks everyone and I look forward to reading your thoughts and sharing those with Dunkin' Donuts.
Scott|||111802472705337869|||What are your thoughts on Dunkin' Donuts flavored coffee?6/06/2005 10:59 AM|||Nickygrack|||Hi!
I hope there a others who are as unhappy with the change that DD made.
As of now, I do not buy my daily coffees as DD.
Below is the text of the e-mail I sent to Scott.
Hi Scott!
I'm writing to you because I'm desperate. (How's that for an opener!)
As you may or may not know, DD has changed from brewing flavored coffee to
adding a chemical flavoring to each individual order.
I'm a DD nut like you - or was - and find the flavoring disgusting.
I called and complained. Of course, all I got was a form letter and some
coupons for coffee I no longer want to buy!
In the letter they basically told me that the flavor was the same with the
"flavor shots." Bull! If you drink DD as much as I do, you know that it's
very easy to taste a difference when it's something you drink several times
a day. I'm actually at the point where I can nearly tell the difference
between locations - yeah...weird.
Anyway - I was surfing the Net and found your blog and thought that you may
be a resource.
Here are some questions:
1. Are you aware of the flavor issue?
2. Since you're known by some as a DD fan, have you gotten feedback from
people about it?
3. Was it positive?
4. What do you recommend I do? Am I S.O.L.?
5. If you agree, would you start pushing the issue on your blog?6/07/2005 4:01 PM|||Rob from CA (grew up in CT)|||I grew up in CT and now live in CA, so cannot try the new flavor shots as there are NO Dunkin Donuts here in CA...but, I have tried their coffee with other flavor shots as some shops were already doing it a few years ago when I was in CT.
When I read it was now company wide, I e-mailed and complained, and got a form letter saying it's "the same great taste, just prepared a little differently!". But that's the thing, IT TASTES NOTHING LIKE the real stuff!!
What I don't get is, if Dunkin's sales and expansion are driven by it's coffee (as quoted on numerous press releases of theirs), why would they go and change it? Their flavored coffees are phenominal - and their other new flavored beans/grounds, Cafe Blend and Cinnamon Spice are just as good (if you haven't tried them, order some online/at a shop - they ROCK!!)!!!
I think the flavor shot thing is a bad move, everyone I know agrees it DOESN'T TASTE AS GOOD. Dunkin Donuts has been known as the faster, less expensive, BETTER TASTING coffee compared to other brands. Now, they have conveyed the image to their loyal customers that SACRIFICING THE QUALITY of the very product that drives it's sales and customer loyalty is far LESS IMPORTANT than saving a few bucks.
And especially now, when they are expanding, and likely eventually into areas they have FAILED in before (such as CA where they have entered and exited the market TWICE), they need to keep their products in tact!! If you're putting a bad taste in the mouths of markets you already enjoy success in, suddenly making so many customers unhappy, how can you possibly make a good impression on new markets (most of whom don't realize Dunkin is really a coffee shop these days- so it needs to send the message)?
The bottom line is: Dunkin Donuts has gone from one message - "We know there are a lot of mediocre and lousy gimmicky coffees out there..like Starbucks..here, let us help" to a new message:
"We want to change this because it's better for us - and we really don't care if our customers aren't happy about it.". And as a result, even they were out here, I'd continue brewing at home...because there's no reason to buy at a shop anymore.
-Rob G. from CA6/08/2005 8:35 PM|||Anonymous|||Hi,
I work at a Dunkin Donuts and hear some people complain about the new flavor shots. I think people mainly don’t like the idea of the flavor-shot because it seems very artificial and unnatural. But if you think about it, the brewed flavor coffee was not exactly naturally flavored either. The coffee was artificially flavored before it was brewed. I think people assume that when the flavored coffee was brewed, it was naturally flavored, but in fact it was flavored with the same exact chemicals as used in the flavor-shots. And you might not realize it, but food products that you eat every day are saturated in chemical flavors to keep food tasting better. The reasoning behind the flavor-shots was not to degrade the quality. Having flavor shots offer many new benefits to the store and customer. You get your coffee faster, because only regular unflavored coffee is brewed, then flavored, You get your coffee fresher, because there are no flavored coffee pots that sit around getting stale until someone buys it, and last you get 9 flavors to choose from. Just thought that some people might like to hear the actual reasoning behind it, and the real facts before boycotting Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Also, this comment was made to be informational, and not trying to start an argument.
-Anonymous6/09/2005 3:49 PM|||Nickygrack|||Thank you for responding. I certainly have no intention of arguing. My main point is that I've been an iced hhazelnut customer for YEARS and the flavor shots are not the same.
Dunkin Donuts is not responding to customer complaints about the past flavor. They're trying to squeeze more $ out of the business.
Well - They can subtract at least $40 dollars a week from me.
I've already found a local coffee shop that brews it for iced. Buh Bye DD.6/10/2005 8:17 PM|||Anonymous|||I too used to buy hazelnut coffee from DD every morning on my way to work. The day I noticed a drastic change in flavor, I asked and that is when I found out about the flavor shots. When I told the employee that it tasted horrible and that I would not be back until they went back to the old style, they insisted it shouldn't make a difference. What ever happened to "the customer is always right"? The new taste is truly nasty and I refuse to go back until things change.
-JP6/13/2005 11:30 AM|||Anonymous|||Bonjour,
Il y a quelques semaines, j'étais un peu pressé et j'ai décidé de donner à nouveau une chance à Dunkin Donuts afin de valider si le café s'était amélioré. J'ai été très déçue de la piètre qualité du café.
Je ne sais pas si c'est uniquement le café qui est si mauvais ou si c'est le fait de le mettre dans un verre en styromousse. Je pense que le contenant pour le café peut y être pour quelque chose.
Il serait vraiment bien de faire quelque chose.
Dans mon cas, je n'ai pas l'intention de retourner à une succursale Dunkin Donuts de si tôt.
Angela Desrosiers
adesrosiers@oricom.ca6/14/2005 9:02 AM|||Anonymous|||I love Dunkin Donuts coffee, and will continue to drink it, however I definetly liked the flavor of the coffee better before the flavor shots started to be in use. If they would switch it back it would be great.
Drew6/14/2005 2:43 PM|||Anonymous|||So, I guess we've got numerous complaints and not one person who actually likes the new flavor shots....am I correct?
I think they're idiots for changing something without testing it...a test would have revealed exactly what we see here - and they wouldn't have forced the franchisees to buy expensive machines that they are now stuck with.6/14/2005 7:40 PM|||Anonymous|||hi its me the person who works at dunkin donuts again,
as a response to the last person that commented, youd actually be very surprised that most customers like the new flavors, and as with any change there are those few who opose it. At our store the new flavors are a big hit and have boosted the sales with the recent advertisment of coconut and blueberry iced coffees. Secondly of course they tested it. You have no idea how much testing is done before any new product is released. You serisouly think that a multi-million dollar franchise would just randomly spend tons of money on new equitment without testing it first?6/14/2005 7:48 PM|||lizziewriter|||Hi. I'm not into blogging but I have been drinking the new DD flavored iced coffees for a couple of days and while they taste OK I think they give one, err, *blush* intestinal gas and I wanted to see if anyone else had experienced this. I would imagine it has something to do with the artificial sweetener or other additive. I have tried the coconut and the caramel (with lowfat milk & no sugar) and they taste OK. Normally I drink either Starbucks latte, Dunkin Iced Coffee, or now, the Dunkin Latte. Although a Diet Coke or unsweetened iced tea will do fine sometimes also. Millstone is good if you can get the strong stuff but we don't have it around here yet.6/14/2005 8:02 PM|||lizziewriter|||Hey! I just looked up the ingredients in the new flavored coffee and they have PROPYLENE GLYCOL aka antifreeze! What's with that!?6/14/2005 8:56 PM|||Anonymous|||The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified propylene glycol as an additive that is "generally recognized as safe" for use in food. It is used to absorb extra water and maintain moisture in certain medicines, cosmetics, or food products. It is a solvent for food colors and flavors.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts96.html6/14/2005 9:59 PM|||Nickygrack|||Regarding the post claiming that DD did/does extensive testing-
I'm sure they DID test, but the real decision was made based on profits. They decided to screw some long time and loyal customers because they figured that more people would want the blueberry etc. The letter I got in response from DD contained a lie - THE lie. They claimed that the new coffees are the same. They aren't AND they KNOW it. They have a staff of expert tasters. It was the staff of expert accountants and marketers who won out.
P.S. It doesn't help that:
A. They recently jacked up the price.
B. They tried to sneak this by without anyone noticing.6/15/2005 8:37 PM|||Anonymous|||Of course they’re going to change something if it makes more money because more people like it, that’s what any smart would business do. As far as claiming it is the same, it technically is because it’s made of the same ingredients, in just a different process. And for the price increase, that’s the personal store owner’s decision, not the companies. And honestly if you don’t like it, don’t buy it. You’ve written to them and you got their response, and it sounds like they’re not going to change it. So I see no point in making false accusations trying to make the company sound like a horrible scam trying to screw people over.6/16/2005 2:59 AM|||Anonymous|||I think the person's trying to say is that reguardless of how it's made it doesn't TASTE the same.
If you take a cup of coffee brewed from the hazelnut pre-flavored beans, and put it next to a cup of coffee brewed brewed regular beans with a hazelnut flavor shot, and taste them back to back, they won't taste the same.
Whether it's good is of course, one's opinion. Just different. What a lot of these people are trying to say (myself included - personal preference) is that the flavor shot hazelnut doesn't taste as good in many people's OPINIONS as coffee made from flavored beans.
It's like (go with me here) Coke and Pepsi. They are both certainly good, but also certainly different. Like the two different ways of making Hazelnut and French Vanilla coffee. It's just unfortunate that the people who like the way it was, don't have a choice...except to brew it at home instead of going to DD.
-Rob from CA6/16/2005 10:06 AM|||Nickygrack|||I don't begrudge a company making money.
My point is that DD KNOWS that the flavor has changed and is denying it.
Also, they are claiming to have made this change to make things better for their customers (choice,speed etc.). A lie. The bottom line is profits - which is fine. But don't pee on me and tell me it's raining.6/16/2005 1:22 PM|||Anonymous|||Ok, I’m the one who said that it is better for the customer, not the company; so don’t go making false claims again. I work there and know a little more about the coffee making process then you would ever know, and yes there are some customer benefits with using the new flavor shots, even if they don’t pertain to you, they do hold true for the majority of the customers. I know you don’t like the new flavors, but I don’t understand why you have to hold it as such a horrible thing over the company. As a company trying to make money you should respect their decisions and then decide whether to buy or not, and leave it at that. Treating it like dunkin donuts is a villain just because they won’t change for your own personal tastes, that just sounds ridiculous. Im sorry if this offends you in anyway, I’m just trying to tell you the truth. Let me remind you, I’m only a person who works there, trying to tell you what really happened with the flavor shots, (because you obviously didn’t) thinking you’d appreciate it, not a company spokesperson trying to lie so you’ll buy more products.6/16/2005 9:38 PM|||Nickygrack|||I worked with specialty coffee for years, so the "I know more than you" comment is wrong. Aside from that - it's off the point.
One more time - I'm going to put this as simply as possible.
1. DD hires EXPERT taste testers. They are an important part of the company.
2. DD certainly had these tasters check the taste of the new flavor shots and whether there is a difference.
3. REGARDLESS of whether you like the shot or not - there IS a difference.
4. Dunkin Donuts says there is no difference.
5. DD is lying.
They made the calculated move to change a product to improve sales.
Fine.
But don't lie about it.6/17/2005 8:29 AM|||Anonymous|||I was saying that i know more about the subject of the actuall flavor shots than you. And secondly, taste is a matter of opinon, whether you think it tatses good or not, therefore dd is only claiming that it uses the same ingrediants therfore it should tatse the same, whether or not it suits your personal taste is based on your own judgement, not the comany's. I have many customers that claim it dose taste the same, and of course some that dont, like you. So I agree with you, some people dont think it tatses the same, but saying that the comapny is lieing to you to screw the customers is more of the point i dont understand. and third, i have never lied to you, everything i have said was based on my serving of customers and the product.6/17/2005 9:46 AM|||Nickygrack|||Okay.
The first thing I want to do is apologize if I offended you in any way. I don't mean for this to be an argument.
I'm just saying that DD knows for a fact that a hazelnut iced coffee brewed from the beans and a hazelnut iced coffee with beans and a flavor shot do not taste the same. That is a fact. They know this from their testers.
What upset me is that, in their letter to me, they claimed that there was no difference. From a marketing perspective, they can't admit to the difference in taste, but regardless - a lie is alie.
Whether they taste good or not is a matter of opinion.6/17/2005 9:55 AM|||Nickygrack|||Hey Scott!
How about doing a blind taste test to resolve this?
;)6/17/2005 1:24 PM|||Anonymous|||Dont worry, you didnt offend me. I was just upset that when I was trying to tell you information, you said that the company was lying.6/20/2005 12:07 PM|||Anonymous|||Hey! Why don't you post something about the OBESITY FUELING GARBAGE that they serve! Have you ever checked out the nutritional information of your beloved chain's breakfast sandwiches and donuts? No wonder Americans are so fat...6/20/2005 1:34 PM|||Nickygrack|||Hey!
Americans have freedom of choice. Including freedom to be fat.6/20/2005 3:08 PM|||Anonymous|||obesity is a genetic disease6/20/2005 3:10 PM|||Scott Lewis|||Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous-
Thanks for the comments on DD making American's fat. Would you be willing to write a post for this site directed at two groups of people: 1. Dunkin' Donuts and 2. The "fat" people.
I would love to see you help bring a solution to the table.
Email medirectly with the article. I will post it anonymously if you'd like me too.
Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.6/21/2005 11:41 AM|||Honey Bunny|||i like the flavor shots. the french vanilla (my usual) tastes the same to me. the only ones i didn't like were the blueberry and hazelnut.
i love dunkin donuts coffee. it's the only coffee i will drink. please continue doing what you're doing, because i refuse to buy coffee from starbucks. that's just foul stuff.6/24/2005 11:17 AM||||||Howdy.
So, I never came into the DD/iced coffee fold until recently (I'm from the deep south where DD isn't too prevalent). However, a sudden change of work hours (having to be up at 5:30 am daily) did necessitate a change in my caffiene intake.
My boss loves DD's iced coffee, so I tried the blueberry flavor with some skim milk and splenda. Not too bad. Like I said, I never had "the old way", so I can't compare, but the blueberry flavor shots bring a lot to my coffee. I don't really enjoy any of the other flavors, and blueberry is iffy because the DD's at my workplace NEVER makes it correctly, I have to go out of my way to get a decent cup.
So I think it depends on who's making it. The DD's at my workplace is brand new and the staff, while very nice, just doesn't have a clue (even though I'm not sure how you can mess it up, but they do).6/25/2005 3:56 PM|||Nickygrack|||6/26/2005 9:55 AM|||Anonymous|||Hi,
I consider myself a mild DD fan—coffee 2-3 times per week (on average, I have 2 offices and 1 is across the street from DD, so on the weeks I'm there, it's more like 4-5 days), some sort of foodstuff about once a week. Honestly, while I can taste the difference in the hazelnut, I can't in the French vanilla except that it's sweeter (so I ask for less sugar). And I love the new toasted almond flavor—it's definitely my favorite of all flavors, past or present. I don't think the cinnamon flavor is as good, but since they had stopped making the cinnamon coffee, I'm glad they have the flavor shot. And the other coffee places in my area (Starbucks and some independent places) use the flavor shots instead of flavored coffee, so it's not like I could get the better stuff elsewhere.
Or I guess the long and short of it is, I don't like the shots quite as much as the pre-flavored coffee, but I'd rather have the shots than not have any flavoring at all.6/29/2005 9:00 AM|||Anonymous|||I Sincerely think that Dunkin Donuts did a 50/50 thing here. They should continue to offer a regular brew option for people who like it that way. They should by all means keep the new flavor shots, but not MAKE a customer choose a flavor. I also think they should include an option for doulb ethe flavor if you want it, since the coffee is sometimes so strong you can barely taste the flavor unless you have been drinking it 3 times a day before they made the switch.
I hope DD reads this, because I love the flavor shots, I think they should be stronger, but I also think customers should be able to choose if hey want them or not.6/29/2005 3:01 PM|||Anonymous|||you can get the new flavor shots as strong as you like them, just tell them you would like an extra shot of the flavor shot.6/29/2005 5:37 PM|||Anonymous|||I dont think they exactly MAKE people choose a flavor, because if asked, you just say regular or original.6/30/2005 4:53 PM|||Anonymous|||Anyway around it. Dunkin Donuts will never go back to the old way. Most new stores have been using flavor shots in the bottles for years and people used to complain, and ever since the switch I have never heard a negative reaction from a customer. When the machines cost 2500 each there is no way they are going to pull the program out and screw over all of the franchisees, especially when they have 2-3 machines per store. Personally i think they new shots taste more natural. They are switching to consistency that they were not getting while using the bottled flavor shots. If you like brewed flavor coffee, you only option is getting it online at the dd webstie, other than that the new flavor shots are a requirement. There is especially nothing people can do at the store level, becuase they are not even able the flavored coffee beans for brewing. It tastes a lot fresher, and you can guarantee a fresh cup everytime!6/30/2005 9:08 PM|||tigger|||I had the coconut flavored one (north white plains, NY) a while back, and god, it was horribibble!
previous to that, my local DD (pleasantville NY) had the banners trumpeting the "new way" both outside and inside the store, yet when I asked for one of the new flavors, they said they didn't carry it. wtf?
tiggers don't like coconut-flavored coffee...
ttfn7/01/2005 8:43 AM|||Anonymous|||WELL....
I HAVE TO SAY I THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY.I KNEW THE FLAVORED COFFEE GOT REALLY BAD. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST THE SHOP I GO TO TRYING TO SAVE MONEY, MAYBE ADDING LESS COFFEE,BUT THEN I FOUND THE SAME BAD COFFEE AT ALL THE DUNKIN DONUTS, I WENT TO. I KNOW GET MY HAZELNUT FIX AT WAWA. ANYONE OUT THERE IF YOU HAVE A WAWA NEAR YOU, THEY HAVE GREAT COFFEE AND SEVERAL FLAVORS TO CHOOSE FROM. DON'T GO TO 7-11 UNLESS YOU ONLY LIKE SWEET COFFEE THEY ADD SYRUP TO MAKE IT FLAVORD AND IT IS SWEET AND BAD. DUNKIN WATCH OUT WAWA IS GREAT AND YOU CAN GET COFFEE,FOOD, NEWSPAPERS AND MORE.7/01/2005 10:16 AM|||phquaryn|||I tried the coconut flavored the other day. The guy at my local store gave me a small for free so I could sample it. He's not dumb, he knew I'd be back for more :c). So, it smelled divine, but it tasted like nothing. I'll probably try the hazelnut, which I used to love. I'll post about it on my web page.7/07/2005 7:46 PM|||THE EGGBEATER HATER|||Coconut flavor? Blueberry flavor?
What is next.. Watermelon flavor?
GEESE!! I guess it is all personal taste but I will just stick to the plain french vanilla or hazelnut coffee or Ice Late's dang those are so good you can't help but gulp them.. Although at $3.75 for a med. size I try to make them last as long as my sausage egg and cheese bagle.. That brings up a note.. Why don't DD have "REAL" eggs anymore?They switched over to this yellow egg by-product looking thing.. They call them scrambled , I call them processed!! What happened to the real egg whites with the REAL yoke in the middle!! BRING THEM BACK!!!! WE WANT REAL FREAKIN' EGGS IN OUR SANDWICHES!!!7/07/2005 8:11 PM|||Anonymous|||my DD use the fried egg patties, they were only sopost 2 use the yellow ones for the steak, but now that theyre no longer serveing steak, they might be trying 2 get rid of the yellow eggs.7/08/2005 8:24 AM|||Anonymous|||I usually prefer flavored beans to flavored shots in most cases but do enjoy the shots and syrups as well. My only concern in this was mainly a calorie content issue. I had no idea of the change, as I never used to drink DD coffee until I heard of the 9 new flavors. I checked the nutritional information and figured they must be using flavor shots since the flavored coffee actually had a calorie content, where as typical black coffee, flavored or not usually has zero. The calorie content is minimal as listed on the website, but I suppose it depends on how much flavoring is actually added by each individual DD employee on a given order. In all honesty, I don't mind sacrificing a bit of quality for more variety. I think the 9 new flavors are great, I've been to DD almost every day, sometimes twice, where before these new options I had not been to a DD in a few years, not because the coffee wasnt good, but because it was rather boring. Everyone has picked up on the flavor shots, even 7-11 has the option. Also, even the most expensive coffee shops use flavored syrups. Have you looked at the prices of these bottles for home use? It's not a cheap product to buy. I'm happy with the change and hope DD keeps it going. The change is attracting a younger generation of customers, teenagers, the college crowd, workers in their 20s. All my friends love the change as do I.7/09/2005 11:47 AM|||Nickygrack|||It's over. I lost. Oh well -
Strangely enough, I've found some supermarket brands (8 o'clock) that brew up some awesome iced coffee. Saving a few bucks.
Goodbye DD.7/13/2005 1:59 PM|||Anonymous|||Contrary to stated opinions, the fact is that it is not *really* cheaper to add flavor shots rather than brew 2 extra flavors. New equipment nd ionventory had to be set up in stores.
It is all about offering new variteis to customers and making them consistent across franchises. Some shops are 300 sq. ft. tucked into conveneince stores--they cannot brew 15 flavors, but can offer flavor shots. It also was designed to enhance the Turbo Ice campaign. It worked.
While a few don't like it and are certainlye ntiteld tot heir opinions--it is a matter of personal taste, after all--sales are up dramatically, as are the sales of beverages with these flavor shots. Testing shows that more people like them.
BTW--it's not like you can go out and pick French Vanilla coffee beans. They are flavored by chemicals, too.7/14/2005 5:21 PM|||Anonymous|||Learn more about Dunkin Donuts' new line of Flavors Here!
https://www.dunkindonuts.com/aboutus/credentials/Flavors.aspx7/14/2005 10:14 PM|||Anonymous|||I haven't been to an actual DD shop in a couple years since I moved to CA where there are no DD anymore, but I am curious to try these flavor shots when I move back...How much extra do they charge per added shot?
Rob from CA7/15/2005 2:39 PM|||Anonymous|||They're all free. Choose from nine tempting flavors, and add up to three flavors at no extra charge!7/19/2005 12:06 PM|||Anonymous|||it is great thank you7/21/2005 5:46 PM|||sal|||7/21/2005 5:50 PM|||sal|||i enjoy dd's coffee. always have! however i wanted to experience Turbo ice coffee which was a new item advertised every where by dd, and was disappointed! i ordered a small Turbo ice which cost nearly 3 dollars. i discovered it was simply coffee loaded with ice. i basically paid 1 dollar for the coffee and 2 dollars for the ice!! i could not njoy the coffee because of feeling sick to my stomach that i got ripped off!7/21/2005 6:05 PM|||Anonymous|||Turbo ice coffee is actually ice coffee with a shot of esspresso which is why is cost an extra dollar. The ice coffee is actually double brewed so when in a cup full of ice it weakens the brew when the ice melts and tastes regualr strength. But you can always ask for less ice if thats what you perfer.7/22/2005 8:27 AM|||Anonymous|||Not a happy camper - I've been brewing my own coffee since the change (which by the way found out not because they posted any changes in the way the coffee was brewed, but because I made a comment to the worker @ my local DD on how the coffee did not taste the same... taste sort of weak, old - can't even describe it.) I'm a Hazelnut freak. Have been drinking it for years, but won't be buying any longer @ DD! I sent a complaint and got the response that it's the same ... LET ME TELL YOU IT'S NOT!! My co-workers feel the same. My friend who drinks the French Vanilla commented on how she never used sugar in her coffee, but since the change she needs to add sugar.7/22/2005 11:42 PM|||ctjedda|||I personally am absolutely disgusted with the new flavorings. I was excited when they first offered them, as I thought blueberry, raspberry,and coconut sounded really good. Then I tasted them. There is a very distinct chemical taste that was not there when they used the flavored coffee beans. Unfortunately, DD is pretty much the only game in town in my part of Connecticut. I loved theor "old" hazelnut and especially the cinnamon flavorings, but now I'll be drinking original coffee only :-(7/26/2005 6:43 PM|||Anonymous|||Flavor shots have NO calories (I work there, I've read the bottles) no matter how many shots you put in. There is a set number (depends on the size) that employees put in, it is not up to the "employees discretion". You can ask for as many shots of it as you like, and at mine you can mix as many as you'd like at no extra cost.7/26/2005 11:12 PM|||Anonymous|||You can only mix up to three at a time by using the custom button, otherwise the flavors would be to strong.