So many doughnuts, so little time.
In honor of #NationalDonutDay on Friday, CNBC took a closer look with experts from New York-based Tasting Table. We asked two mavens to try a dozen varieties—six glazed/original doughnuts and six specialty ones—to find the one that gives the best bang for your buck, based on taste.
Krispy Kreme, Dunkin' Donuts, Tim Hortons, Doughnuttery, Dough and Donut Plant each contributed two doughnuts (one glazed and one specialty) to the test. The catch? Tasting Table's Kat Kinsman, who skipped church as a child to eat doughnuts, and Andy Baraghani, who has acquired a special sweet spot for the treats, did a blind test.
The pair was asked to price each doughnut after taking a bite. Here's what they found.
Glaze
• Andy's price: $1.95
• Kat's price: $2.50
Actual price? $2.75
Specialty
• Andy's price: $4
• Kat's price: over $3
Actual price? $2.75
Dunkin' Donuts
Glaze
• Andy's price: 85-90 cents
• Kat's price: 60-75 cents
Actual price? 1.09
Specialty
• Andy's price: $1-1.50
• Kat's price: $1.25
Actual price? $1.09
Krispy Kreme
Glaze
• Andy's price: $1
• Kat's price: $1.25
Actual price? $1.10
Specialty
• Andy's price: $2.75
• Kat's price: $2.75
Actual price? $1.30
Glaze
• Andy's price: 25-50 cents for one; $1.50 for 6
• Kat's price: 3 for $1; $1.50 for 6
Actual price? 6 for $6
Specialty
• Andy's price: 3 for $1 with sauce at an extra 50 cents each
• Kat's price: 3 for $1 with sauce at an extra 50 cents each
Actual price? 6 for $6; sauce $1 each
Tim Hortons
Glaze
• Andy's price: 75 cents
• Kat's price: 60 cents
Actual price? $1.09
Specialty
• Andy's price: $3
• Kat's price: $3
Actual price? $1.69
Glaze
• Andy's price: $1.75
• Kat's price: $2
Actual price? $3.50
Specialty
• Andy's price: $5
• Kat's price: $3.75 but would pay over $4
Actual price? $4
Now we know what these two experts thought the doughnuts were worth, but what did they say after finding out brand names and prices?
Dough takes the cake in both glaze and specialty categories, in terms of quality and price.
In regards to the three chain brands, Kat and Andy agreed that Tim Hortons redeemed its sub-par glazed doughnut with the specialty Nutella doughnut — beating out Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Donuts.
To see some of the taste testing, check out the video above.