Dunkin' Potion Macchiato Review: This Ominous Ombre Concoction Casts A Sweet Spell

There's always room on the fall beverage menu for a new invention. This year Dunkin' rises to the occasion with its Potion Macchiato, a lavender libation that teases the eye with vibrant color while tempting the tongue with unusual flavor. It's a rowdy rival for pumpkin spice whatever-you-like, in a season where selections have become predictable and limited to the familiar favorites — which may be suitable for autumn overall but never quite address the Halloween spirit. Dunkin' aims to remedy this unfortunate situation with this psychedelic tribute to the wild workings of wizards and witches to captivate customers looking for a tasty novelty.

Is it a treat for the grown-up coffee lover looking to get in on the excitement of the spooky season? Or is it a trick being played on Dunkin' fans, a disappointing delivery that leaves you hollow and longing for something more satisfying? I fell under the sway of this purple potable's premium potential and shambled toward the glowing orange Dunkin' sign, eager to see if there was a nifty new brew percolating in the cauldron that was cool enough to perk up the fall coffee consumption experience. There are no lengths I won't go to when weird fast-food items crop up on the Halloween scene.

The real fun in a Potion Macchiato is the separation between coffee and add-ins. The stunning strata are created by the use of a heavy marshmallow syrup that rests comfortably at the bottom of the cup, while espresso sits lightly on top. When you spin your straw to incorporate the amethyst ooze into the coffee, it combines the sweetness of the syrup with the sharpness of the espresso, just like the macchiato mix-up you're used to.

What's the flavor formula behind a beverage that offers such unmistakable visual rizz? The coffee in a Potion Macchiato is straight-up espresso, while the marshmallow mixture is sweetened with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, brown sugar, and sweetened condensed skim milk. The vibrant hue comes from vegetable juice extracted from ube, a vivid tuber used frequently in Filipino cuisine to impart a vanilla-like flavor to desserts and baked goods. Usually you'd find artificial dyes on the ingredient list, but Dunkin' removed artificial colorings from its process a few years ago. And while you might expect a floral or fruit flavor based on your prior association with purple foods, there's a surprise of a different nature waiting at the bottom of the cup.

There doesn't appear to be any special pricing for the Potion Macchiato as you might get with some limited edition drinks. Your cost for enjoying this time-sensitive conjuring is the same as other macchiatos, with iced versions going for $5.29 for a small, $5.69 for a medium, and $6.19 for a large. On the hot coffee side of the menu, the drink runs $4.69 for a small, $5.09 for a medium, and $5.49 for a large. This is in line with the usual macchiato pricing structure at Dunkin', though it's slightly less than the pumpkin spice drinks that flesh out the rest of the fall Dunkin' beverage menu.

While price isn't prohibitive for anyone interested in trying the Potion Macchiato, a word of warning: Since the hot drinks come in opaque paper cups, you won't be able to witness the colorful magic if you opt for the heated version. Only by picking up an iced macchiato can you lay eyes on the special effects offered by this macabre mash-up of sweet and bitter elements. Of course, you can always watch the barista make an iced version for someone else to peep the procedure. But if you plan on showing it off to your posse, be ready to pay a little extra to get the potion on ice.

Though there may be more life left in the Potion Macchiato once Halloween has come and gone, there appears to be a shelf life for this drink that doesn't extend beyond the Witching Hour. Rather than being a fall feature, it appears to be targeted strictly at the October holiday, both in appearance and theme. This is great for stoking demand and driving slavering customers through the doors like zombies in search of a brain stash. But it also makes the window for trying the drink limited to the last two weeks of the month.

If you're drawn to the idea of a yam-sweetened beverage with enough optical flair to stop you dead in your tracks, you'd do best to get in while the cauldron bubbles between October 16 and Halloween. The spell may break after that, and the Potion Macchiato could vanish without warning, never to return — depending, of course, on the popularity and sales action that happen this year. Who knows, the Potion Macchiato could become an annual occasion akin to the Pumpkin Spice movement. In case it doesn't, you should plan on getting yours while you can.

A regular Dunkin' macchiato serves up a blend of espresso, milk, and sweetener in hot or cold form, a standard template followed by baristas around the world. The Potion Macchiato doesn't stray too far from the standard, beyond the inclusion of marshmallow syrup the color of Halloween.

It may seem like a brand-new invention, but the Potion Macchiato is actually a descendant of the Pink Velvet Macchiato, an equally colorful twist on the company's core coffee creations that was released previously in 2024. The idea of bringing spectral enchantment to the world of caffeinated beverages matches the colorful philosophy that Dunkin' applies to its famous donuts. In fact, if you're looking for a powerful bite to pair with your Potion Macchiato, you'll find spider-decorated donuts with an equally dazzling dip of purple glaze on top. With so much groovy hue popping out of the bag, this may be the most stylish Halloween treat set you pick up this season.

Don't get spooked by the nutritional facts on this quaff; nobody drinks macchiatos because they deliver a dose of vitamins and minerals in a healthy package. It shouldn't be surprising to find out there's plenty of sugar in the swirl below the espresso, to the tune of 31 grams in a small and 61 grams in a large. This accounts for the majority of the 190 to 380 calories you'll find in the cup, too. There's also anywhere from 15 to 25 milligrams of cholesterol, which can be an issue if you're watching your numbers. And though the 4 to 8 grams of fat isn't the most haunting on the Dunkin' fall menu, it may be enough to persuade the curious yet cautious customer to stick with a smaller order until they're sure they like what they're tasting.

If there's any encouraging news in the eerie world of the purple Potion Macchiato, it may be that these numbers are the same whether you opt for a hot or cold version. But this limited-time concoction is also bound to be viewed as a Halloween treat, so if you stick to infrequent consumption while it's on the menu, you might get away with your heart and blood work intact.

While the hype on a new holiday drink doesn't always deliver, the Potion Macchiato is a cupful of follow-through. Though the purple marshmallow layer isn't as vibrant as it appears in the promotional photos, it gives enough of an eerie glow to capture your attention as soon as it hits the cup, especially with the murky espresso layer lurking on top. The swampy separation gives the impression of a witch's bog captured in a plastic tumbler.

I went with the iced coffee version and discovered that the macchiato magic is a real phenomenon. Sipped separately, the espresso holds its powerful bite while the marshmallow syrup offers a sugary kick that's sweet but not dominated with the strange artificial flavorings that some syrups contain. It's more of a mellow vanilla cream flavor that tames the deep, dark brew of the coffee. Anyone with a taste for creamed Dunkin' coffee with something extra in the recipe will love the flavor, while fans of eye-catching liquid refreshments will adore the opportunity to freak out their friends with a flashy purple-and-brown swizzle that's not afraid to show off its witchy colors.

I was all geared up to try the Potion Macchiato ahead of release, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. Instead, I swept into the Dunkin' up the road on launch day and ordered mine like the other coffee-loving ghouls in the mid-morning graveyard. It was hard to avoid gazing into the strange brown and purple mix in the cup, so I just stared at it in wonder for a while. Then, the witchcraft pulled me in and I went for a sip.

I gave the marshmallow base a stand-alone test to get the true vibe before tasting it with the espresso. The tricky part is trying to get both the marshmallow and the espresso into the straw without messing up the magical color split. This may be more information than anyone needs — or maybe it's just the sort of mechanics you'll want to make this drink work for you, too — but I developed an on-the-fly method for dragging the straw through the liquid while sipping. This kept the color intact while delivering both flavors in a staggered swirl. Once I knew how the tastes melded, I mixed the whole thing together like I would any other coffee drink and drained the cup dry. What can I say? I'm a real sucker for creative coffee sorcery of the Halloween persuasion.