BARRON'S: Glazed And Confused
By LAUREN R. RUBLIN
From politics to baseball to the stock market, Americans love a contest. We at Barron's are no exception, especially when the contest involves food. And when the food is doughnuts -- well, let's just say we'd be seriously remiss if we took Krispy Kreme's exalted opinion of its products at face value, instead of conducting a tasting contest of our own.
Thus was born one recent Friday the first-ever Barron's Doughnut Taste Test, designed as a blind test pitting Krispy Kreme against Dunkin' Donuts and the house brand from the Acme supermarket in Bayonne, New Jersey. (Never mind that you'd have to be blind not to recognize the pillowy Krispys from the clunky Dunkin's and Bayonne bombs.)
All staff members were invited to sample half of a glazed doughnut from each of three unmarked cafeteria trays. Those who survived diabetic shock were instructed to record their comments on a specially designed contest form.
And the envelope, please? Hands down, and a little sticky, Krispy Kreme was our No. 1 pick. "Sweet, but fluffy like a doughnut should be," noted our resident Martha Stewart.
"Rich and delicious," cooed another satisfied colleague.
"Worth the 30 minutes on the Stairmaster," insisted an industrious third.
If the truth be told, some participants found the Krispy Kremes a little too lightweight -- a drawback that certainly didn't plague either caloric competitor. "Don't take the lead out," pleaded one unimpressed taster, who gave her top vote instead to Dunkin'.
Yet others deemed Dunkin' Donuts "mediocre" and "uneventful," as in "not worth the 30 minutes" on the you-know-what.
As for the Acme doughnuts, which soon resembled terra cotta coasters, our staff was merciless with its verdict. "Is this some kind of baked good invented by NASA?" queried a particularly heartless wiseguy.
Another called the pastry "tasteless in the boring sense, not in the fun, offensive spirit." (Listen, buddy, it's a doughnut, not the Howard Stern show.)
So, there you have it. By the time the last tray had been emptied, we'd proved to our near-complete satisfaction that Krispy Kremes are superior doughnuts, even if, as we suspect, some of their loudest fans are paid company shills.
As for Krispy Kreme's stock, we trust we've also proved that we never let our tastebuds influence a story. |
