My Honest Review Of Kwik Trip's New Mountain Dew Dunkers

There are some things a person simply has to investigate firsthand. When word got around that Kwik Trip had turned Mountain Dew into a donut, I knew a box was in my future. For science, of course.

If you have spent any time in a Kwik Trip, and I think just about everyone in Minnesota and Wisconsin has, you know the chain treats its bakery case as somewhat of a test kitchen.

The Glazers built the legend. The Dunkers earned a loyal following. And now the folks at the Kwikery Bake Shop have done something that stops you mid-coffee-pour, especially if you're not expecting it.

The Mountain Dew Dunker is a new donut built around the pop's unmistakable citrus flavor, and it's available for a limited time at Kwik Trip locations across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the rest of the chain's footprint.

It's sold in six-count boxes for $3.99, at least that's what I paid for mine. While the concept and look are generating a lot of buzz, the most important thing is: is it any good? Here's my take.

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First, We Have to Talk About the Color

Had I not known there were Mountain Dew Dunkers out there, at first glance, I would've thought there was a new Hulk movie and Kwik Trip had some type of cross-promotion going on with Marvel.

This is not a subtle-looking donut. It is the color of the Mountain Dew bottle, the color of a highlighter, the color that makes you do a small double-take before the first bite, then wonder if there may be some sort of glow-in-the-dark experience later on in the bathroom.

Actually, that would be really cool.

The Taste Test

Here is the question everyone actually wants answered: does it taste like Mountain Dew, or does it just taste....green?

When I took a donut out of the box, I broke it in half, handing the other half to my daughter, and took a whiff to see if it smelled like Mountain Dew. While I didn't think it smelled exactly like it, there was a slight citrus or lime smell to the donut.

Then, I took my first bite. Was it bad? No. Was it Mountain Dew? Not really, no. Had I been blindfolded and not told the flavor of the donut before trying it, I'd never have guessed it was Mountain Dew.

While there was a slight citrus taste to it, it mostly just tasted like a sweet donut. In the future, I may even dunk one in orange juice and go full on citrus.

My daughter said the same thing. She likes Mountain Dew, and she hoped the donut would taste like it, but it didn't taste enough like it to her.

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Not a bad effort from Kwik Trip, especially considering how challenging it is to make a donut taste like a sweet pop like Mountain Dew without making it too sweet for most to enjoy.

The Bigger Picture

The launch coincides with a summer-long sweepstakes for Kwik Rewards members, marking the second year the La Crosse chain has teamed with Mountain Dew on the promotion. Full contest details and rules live on Kwik Trip's site.

Whether the Dew Dunker becomes a customer favorite or a one-summer curiosity, it is exactly the kind of fun and creative swing that makes Kwik Trip so fun and keeps people checking the Kwik Trip bakery case. I'm ready for the next one!