Not since the egg predated the chicken has such a causality dilemma been posed: “but first, cereal” or “but first, coffee”? I’m sure you’ve seen the latter phrase emblazoned on countless Etsy shirts and flea market embroideries—right next to the Live, Laugh, Love pillows and fat chicken kitchen décor—but with cereal serving as a perfect toothsome preface to just about any activity, sometimes one can face cognitive gridlock when forced to choose between a warm mugful and a cold-milked bowlful.

But worry no longer, crunchy koan ponderers, because Post & Dunkin’ have teamed up to reanimate the Donut-slinging brand’s cereal division, which has laid dormant since Ralston stopped making their chocolate and glazed goodies in the late ’80s. Granted, these two new cereals are based on coffee drinks rather than doughnuts, but that simply gives you an excuse to dunk a real cruller in your caffeinated cereal endmilk.

Yes, it is this last point that makes Dunkin’ cereals so significant—there have been mainstream coffee-flavored cereals before, but none that dared bring real bouncy bean juice into a supermarket aisle already known for sugar-rushing young kids: the last demographic that needs more energy. Sure, Dunkin’ cereals only contain 1/10th the caffeine of a cup of coffee per serving, but if my own childhood cereal consumption velocity is any indication, those perky percentiles will add up fast—the length of a single SpongeBob episode kind of fast.

But enough pep talk, let’s simultaneously eat and drink our breakfast.

Dunkin’ Caramel Macchiato Cereal Review

Caramel cereals always leave me a little apprehensive. For one seemingly simple flavor, every cereal approaches it differently. And while Dunkin’ Caramel Macchiato Cereal has close contemporary analogues, it’s also a deLite of its own.

See what I did there? Yes, if I could compare Dunkin’s to any other caramel cereal, it would be General Mills’ Girl Scouts Caramel Crunch—albeit a more souped up one. Deeply caramelized and with an earthy amber sweetness, the caramel here pairs beautifully with the subtle undertones of roasted Dunkin’ coffee. Far from the syrupy swill you’d expect in a hyper-sugary caramel coffee beverage, Caramel Macchiato keeps it real with a satisfying balance of sweetness and woodsiness. If you aren’t a fan of coffee, I wouldn’t rule this one out entirely, as the coffee notes are far more level-headed than bitter, only serving to give greater depth to an already well thought out caramel overtone.

I’m not always a fan of cramming marshmallows into every cereal, either, but for the first time in recent memory, Dunkin’ marbits add a believable pop of “whipped cream” to give this stuff the playfully sweet edge the caramel may have lacked. Especially in milk (or in well-creamed coffee), Caramel Macchiato’s many elements start to swim together beautifully. Even as a corn-based cereal, I couldn’t taste any of that pesky grain, further allowing the layers of flavor to shine. If I had one critique, it’s that after eating a lot of it, a sort of caramel stickiness does tend to glaze on the back of your palate, somewhat muddling the otherwise clear medley of taste bud experiences, but that’s not enough to ruin the experience. Simply put, if you like caramel, Dunkin’ has something here to further spread your horizons like the long auburn sinew of a Snickers bar torn in half.

The Bottom Line: 9 trips over the caramel river and through the coffee woods out of 10

Dunkin’ Mocha Latte Cereal Review

While I entered this double review expecting to like Mocha Latte better—I’m a simple man: I see chocolate, I drool over it to the point of short-circuiting my keyboard—I think it’s tough to declare a clear winner. While Caramel Macchiato presents a triumphant triumvirate of coffee, caramel and creaminess, Mocha Latte’s flavor profile isn’t quite as synergistic.

Here, the coffee element is a lot more forward—especially in the cereal’s scent. Of course, this isn’t a bad thing, and it honestly makes Mocha Latte a better breakfast companion for a tall cup of joe, but this does come at the expense of the chocolate notes. They’re still there, as are the pleasant pops of marshmallow fluff, but the bark-per-bite of Mocha Latte isn’t as memorable without a flagship flavor to distinctly appreciate alongside the robust café latte buzz.

Ultimately, if Caramel Macchiato was a beast-mode Girl Scouts Cereal, Dunkin’ Mocha Latte Cereal could be considered a wizened Count Chocula who overcame his youthful fears to own joint stake in a garlic bread company. Caramel Macchiato didn’t necessarily need anything added to it, but I think if you added a few cacao nibs or a Hershey’s syrup drizzle to Mocha Latte, it would go from a Grande to a Venti in my book—yes, I know, wrong coffee place, but a metaphor’s a metaphor.

Or, if all else fails, you could just mix both cereals and feel rocket-fueled enough to leave this planet for a king-sized Milky Way.

The Bottom Line: 7 industrial Frute Brute-owned silver mines out of 10