Big Donut Decision

A review and comparison of the 3 most popular donut places around

Ethan Mosteller and Emily Howe|January 5, 2020

 

 

For many students, getting coffee in the morning is a routine thing, some even come to school late because they need their fix. But with the coffee comes a quick snack.

Donuts are simple, small, and filling. The real question here is which cafe serves up the best? 

Between our samples, Dunkin’ Donuts, Changing Tides Café, and Heav’nly Donuts, we’ll tell you who really brings it home.

Dunkin’ Donuts, with 7,677 locations in the U.S., serves more than 3 million customers each day, giving options of 22 different varieties of donuts.  We walked into a long line of people waiting at the Rowley Dunkin’ Donuts, all waiting for the same reason; to get one of those shiny donuts on the wall behind the front desk. After what felt like forever, we were finally gifted with the strawberry frosted donut we’d been waiting for. 

The second stop was Changing Tides Cafe and Donut Shop in Newburyport. The cafe is cute, cozy, and welcoming. This small shop brings quite the punch for donuts. The donuts are on display, and you can see the donuts being freshly made. We purchased one half dozen assorted donuts which totaled $13.37. The flavors ranged from strawberry frosted, glazed, chocolate cake donuts, coffee rolls, and many others.

The last destination was Heav’nly Donuts in Amesbury. Their variety appeared to be smaller, and the cafe was more compact. We bought the same number of donuts, in the same mixed arrangement. A strawberry frosted donut, glazed, a chocolate cake donut, and several other types. The price difference was significant, as these half dozen donuts were only $7.99. 

Later that morning, Mr. Allens’ C period journalism class chose whether the donuts were truly donuts or do-nots. 

Junior Derek Cotter tried the Boston Creme from Changing Tides first and gave us his initial thoughts. “These donuts are light, and have a great flavor, but the most noticeable thing about this donut is the presentation.” Mr. Allen also tried the Boston Creme and conquered that this donut was his favorite, giving it 5/5 stars. 

The chocolate glazed donut came from  Heav’nly and Changing Tides. Senior Bonnie Durante tried both, starting with the chocolate donut from Changing Tides. She complimented the density of the donut along with its looks giving it ⅘ stars. On the other hand, junior Stone Butler tried the chocolate donut from Heav’nly. Stone claims the texture was “crumbly and dry”. Giving the donut only ⅕ stars based on the density of the donut. 

Senior Ethan Tremblay chose to embark on the strawberry frosted from both Changing Tides and Heav’nly Donuts.

, while also stressing that he has never smoked before.

Senior Bonnie Durante chose her morning delight of a strawberry frosted donut. Personally, her favorite was from Changing Tides. The density of the donut was heavy, but it was also a bit dry.  

Senior Chloe Chamovich gave a general review of the donuts from both places. On a scale of texture, flavor, looks, dryness, aftertaste, and density, Heav’nly was voted 18/28 possible stars combined, and Changing Tides came in with 19/28 total stars. Chloe saw both places donuts to be satisfactory but had to vote Changing Tides to be better by just 1 star. 

Even the boxes had people already voicing opinions on each business. Changing Tides Cafe had cardboard, 100% recyclable boxes, whereas Heav’nly Donuts had a cardboard box with a circular cutout in the center with plastic, meaning you can still recycle the box, but it won’t be seen as environment-friendly as it is not biodegradable. 

“The recyclable boxes are definitely better because you can either reuse it or just get rid of it, and at the same time you’re saving the planet. The plastic makes the box look pretty, but it just leaves a bad impact on the planet.” Says junior Holly Harris.  

Ultimately, Mr. Allen’s C period journalism class preferred the donuts from Changing Tides over Dunkin’ or Heav’nly donuts. Out of the 11 students that tried donuts and made reviews, 8 of them undoubtedly saw Changing Tides was one step ahead of the other contenders. Some students from the class were also asked what donut they would be keen to pick up on an early morning before school. The majority said Dunkin’ just because of the price point and also the accessibility of the locations to many students that live in the area. Otherwise, the more upscale and expensive donuts are far more worth the time and money to get one’s hands on.