By Conor Downey

I edged the 12th donut towards my mouth. My jaw was sore and my stomach was full. I took a bite…eww. After testing donuts at four different restaurants, three flavors from Dunkin’ Donuts helped me indentify everything I wanted in a donut. Or rather, everything I didn’t want.

When I first tried Dunkin’ Donuts’ French Cruller, it was the consistency that hit me first. The dough had holes throughout and was not filling at all. One of the most important aspects of a donut is the consistency of the dough, but even this would have been bearable if the flavoring had been done well. Each time I took a bite a rush of fake lemon flavoring swept into my mouth. Flavoring is key to an excellent donut and it cannot seem forced. This was forced.

The other two Dunkin’ Donut products I tried enlightened me. The pumpkin donut was wet and gooey. The chocolate donut was dry, a dry that glues your mouth shut when you attempt to chew it. Both of these donuts forced fake flavors that made me want to gag.

I left Dunkin’ Donuts having formed two things: a bad taste in my mouth and a way to judge donuts. I would have to take into account the consistency of the dough. A good donut must strike a balance between dry and wet, hard and soft, and has to be consistent. The perfect donut does not force fake flavors, nor is it too sweet. It fills you up upon the final bite.

In my search for the perfect donut shop, I visited two of Atlanta’s most renowned donut restaurants. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, the obvious choice to any Grady High student, was just right around the corner. I quickly devoured three delicious donuts that left me wanting more. A lot more. The Krispy Kreme doughnuts were hardly filling and they tasted slightly too sweet. Although they had a few issues, the donuts had real flavors and dough that had consistency, setting themselves apart from the lowly donuts of Dunkin.

Revolution Doughnuts differed from Krispy Kreme in almost every way. Where the fast food restaurant was too sweet, the family-owned establishment had a dense, bready core that diminished the flavor. A single donut from Revolution was almost too much for one sitting, whereas the Krispy Kreme donuts barely left a mark. Krispy Kreme’s basic glazed and kreme-filled donuts contrasted sharply with Revolutions creative pastries. After finishing Revolution’s dark chocolate and caramel bacon donuts, however, I did find one thing in common between these two eateries. The restaurants had great donuts, but couldn’t meet the standards of the perfect donut.

After my first bite of Sublime’s delicious Dulce de Leche donut, I knew I had found a perfect match. I could not stop eating and quickly moved on to their Reese’s peanut Butter Cup and their Oreo donut. Each donut was made with a perfect consistency; not too soft, but also not too thick and bready. They had the perfect mix of dry and wet that makes sublime donuts rise to the top. Even their unique flavors tasted real and interesting as opposed to fake and forced. The gourmet shop is the reciprocal of Dunkin’ Donuts, emphasizing culinary excellence. I have found a perfectly sublime restaurant.