When it comes to food, it’s no secret The Big E has a lineup of unique, funky and over-the-top options you just can’t get anywhere else.
In this year’s roundup, MassLive tried everything from foot-long mozzarella sticks and pickle beer, to whimsical cotton candy cocktail flights and fruity mocktails.
Of the many elaborate offering at the fair, one that stood out to us was a Glazed Donut Coffee Float crafted by longterm vendor, Fluffy’s Donuts.
This concoction features glazed doughnut infused iced coffee topped with a mound of vanilla iced cream, a hand-rolled glazed doughnut hole, completed with a glazed doughnut “crumble rim.” It costs $12.
At a glance, the drink looks like … a lot.
And that’s because it is.
The half desert, half breakfast drink is loaded with a bunch of textures and flavors. While the drink peaked our interest, the consuming experience was a little overwhelming for us, but may be promising for others.
The experience
Ice cream
The vanilla ice cream was delicious and refreshing.
It offered a smooth, rich texture and a strong, creamy vanilla flavor. This was the best part of the drink. It melts into the iced coffee to act as a sort of creamer or cold foam.
However, it didn’t mix quite as easily as an actual creamer and made things … a little weird.
And even though the flavor was there, it competes with the doughnut hole for a place on the top of the drink which makes it messy. Two sips into the drink and vanilla ice cream was dripping down our hands.
Coffee
The coffee itself was pretty good.
The brew is made with Café Bustelo which tends to be a robust, dark coffee. For coffee lovers, this is a plus.
But when paired with the vanilla ice cream it’s not necessarily a complementary mixture.
The vanilla ice cream falls in clumps throughout the coffee and doesn’t easily blend into the drink. The dark coffee and sweet vanilla makes sense together in theory, but because they don’t mix together, it wasn’t a smooth-sipping experience.
Glazed and cinnamon-sugar doughnut holes.Dallas Gagnon
Doughnut hole
The glazed doughnut hole was very tasty and sweet. It has the kind of texture and flavor that made it obvious these were homemade and fresh baked.
The dough is soft, but firm from the thick, sugary glaze.
By itself, this doughnut hole can hold its own.
But as part of a coffee float, it’s a bit much.
It takes a lot of room up on the top of the drink, making it a balancing act to keep the doughnut hole and the vanilla ice cream afloat.
Conclusion
We probably wouldn’t get it again, but it’s worth trying.
How you feel about this drink will really depend on how you feel about coffee and how much of a sweet-tooth you’ve got.
Overall, it was too many flavor profiles and textures competing rather than complementing each other.
You’re better off buying an ice coffee and ordering your doughnuts or ice cream separately. All the products were great — just not together.
