A Southern grandmother’s coffee review has a “Short n’ Sweet” fan.
On Jan. 3, Carol Chapman, an 81-year-old in Raleigh, North Carolina who goes by “Grandma C” on TikTok, reviewed Dunkin’ and Sabrina Carpenter’s new Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso and quickly went viral, garnering nearly a million videos and even props from the six-time Grammy-nominated singer.
“Hey there. It’s Grandma C, and you know what I have in my hand? It’s Sabrina’s Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso,” Chapman says in the video. “So let’s try it.”
At the end of December, the doughnut chain dropped the limited-time beverage along with the rest of its winter menu.
The iced drink features espresso, brown sugar “notes” and oat milk. Before taking a sip, Chapman says she heard that oat milk makes the drink “creamier.”
“It’s quite strong coffee, but I am a coffee drinker, so it’s OK, and it is creamy — she’s right,” Chapman says, admitting that she only learned about the “Espresso” singer right before filming her review.
“Her name is Sabrina Carpenter, and I will read about her when I go back home, but at least I know now that this drink was named for her,” Chapman continues. “I have no idea why, but we’re going to find out, and I will let you know.”
She concludes her video by remarking on how she’s enjoying the cold drink despite the winter weather. “I’ll enjoy my espresso and I’ll talk to you later.”
Chapman’s warm demeanor garnered plenty of praise in the comments.
“Omg we must protect you at all costs,” wrote one TikTok user.
“Grandma C you are SLAYING!,” another wrote, and someone else added, “new favorite influencer.”
“this is adorable,” commented another person. “you’re adorable. i think you’ve healed something in me. thank you.”
But the top comment came from Carpenter herself, who wrote, “i love you grandma C 💋.” And Chapman replied, “I love you❤️❤️.”
On Jan. 4, Chapman posted a follow-up to her review, saying that she did a little research into the “Taste” singer and listened to some of her songs.
“The way to be happy is to drink an espresso and listen to Sabrina Carpenter,” Chapman notes as “Espresso” plays in the background.
“I’m happy that I’m making other people happy,” Chapman tells TODAY.com, adding that she likes the comments she gets from people, both young and old. She says some of the “kids” have asked her to go live on TikTok and she’s obliged a few times.
Chapman started her account two years ago after she retired to help her daughter with childcare. This included granddaughter Olivia, who introduced her to TikTok.
“She suggested that I should start reviewing things, so I did the review, but she found the items,” says Chapman.
Another famous name joined in on the praise of Chapman’s review: Dunkin’.
“Grandma Carol Chapman’s first sip of Sabrina’s Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso has charmed us all!” a Dunkin’ representative tells TODAY.com. “It’s moments like these — filled with charm and humor — that keep us runnin’ on Dunkin’!”
Dunkin’ contacted Chapman over TikTok and thanked her by adding 1 million points to her Dunkin’ Rewards account.
“My goodness, that is a lot of coffee,” Chapman says.
Chapman plans on doing more reviews, noting that she’s already picked up Valentine’s Day treats to try for her more than 33,000 followers. She says trying new things is a bit of a family tradition.
“We didn’t have a whole lot of money when we were raising our kids,” Chapman says, adding that her husband was a disabled veteran, so she always worked.
