I love spicy food, but I'm usually not the biggest fan of gimmicks. This is2020, however, and seven months into quarantine I'll do anything that gives me a glimpse of serotonin — which is to say, bring on the gimmicks.
Today's gimmick: Dunkin's new Spicy Ghost Pepper Donut. Presumably released for Halloween (yes, Halloween is somehow just a few weeks away), the new addition is Dunkin's classic yeast donut topped with strawberry-flavored icing with cayenne and ghost pepper. The ghost pepper has around a million Scoville heat units, which basically means it is very, very spicy.
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"Grab one and show your spicy side," Dunkin' tweeted, so I did just that when the donut premiered on the menu on Oct.14.
Dunkin' is not aware of this, but I do indeed have a spicy side: I won a spicy burger eating contest while studying abroad in London in 2014. The burger sauce contained ghost peppers as Dunkin's donut does, as well as Carolina Reaper, on record as the world's hottest pepper at 2.2 million Scoville heat units — double the amount of the ghost pepper.
The contest was to finish the burger within 12 minutes; I shoved that eight-ouncer down my gullet in seven. While it left me believing I was going to experience an Alien-like chestburster the following morning, I was victorious. So, six years later, I was skeptical as to how spicy this little donut would be.
The author post-spicy burger eating contest with milkshake and prize (a bottle of Kraken rum). Credit: mashable Minutes after becoming aware of the donut's existence, I ordered one through Dunkin's app and retrieved it. To my surprise, the donut gods (the kind Dunkin' employees) rewarded my expediency with twoof these Spicy Ghost Pepper donuts.
Receipt displaying one donut order. Credit: mashable 
The surprise double donut. Credit: mashable The donut is, objectively, gorgeous. The glittering, Hot Cheeto-red glaze shined in the natural light seeping into my apartment, making them all the more enticing.
Did I take these photos in portrait mode? Of course I did. Credit: Mashable As one does, I filmed myself trying the donut. Armed with iced coffee and almond milk should I need to quell the spice, I sunk my teeth into the sweet-spicy marketing ploy.
The verdict? I was right in my skepticism. As I say in the video, this is child's play. There is a definite kick to the donut, most potent as you swallow the first bite. I'm not a huge donut fan — my editor had to assure me that this was in fact a yeast donut, for example — but it does taste good, even if it's not as spicy as Dunkin's tweets may suggest.
As you can tell from my expression, this ~Spicy Ghost Pepper donut~ isn't very spicy. Credit: mashable If you're looking to actually watch someone suffer from spice, I'll direct you to my colleague Tim completing the hot chip challenge.
Post-filming, my roommate tried a bite and said, "I don't know why anyone would want a spicy donut." As that's one of life's unanswerable questions, I couldn't muster a satisfying response. What I do know, though, is the Spicy Ghost Pepper donut will be available through December — so if you're someone who does want to try a spicy donut, go forth.
But remember, like the demon doll, it's just child's play.
