The Daily Iowan runs on Dunkin’ — or, at the very least, this managing editor does.

Dunkin’ is such a cornerstone of my life that I’m taking a break from reporting on the University of Iowa administration and the latest higher-education funding woes to argue that Dunkin’ is the superior coffee company.

My relationship with coffee — now the blood that runs through my veins — started with Dunkin’. For the longest time, I thought the only coffee-filled beverage I could tolerate was a Starbucks Frappuccino — yes, those overpriced coffee slushees. I’m as appalled as you are.

But then, I embraced my hometown Dunkin’.

It was fall 2013 when I tried iced coffee for the first time. I opted to sample the seasonal pumpkin flavor swirl, and with one sip, life as I knew it had changed forever. (The seasonal flavors straight slap, by the way. Go try a Girl Scouts flavor swirl. Starbucks could never.)

Coffee from any fine Dunkin’ establishment is sweeter, cheaper, and just plain better. Dunkin’ offers happy hour every day, unlike Starbucks, but the coffee is sure to make you just as happy no matter what hour you purchase it.

And Dunkin’ basically pays customers to keep coming back. Under its DD Perks rewards program, members get a free drink every 200 points, which are accrued after spending $40, along with a number of other deals for food and beverages. Meanwhile, Starbucks Rewards offers members two stars for every $1 spent, and it takes 125 points to earn a free drink, meaning customers have to spend more than $60 before receiving their free beverage.

The deals, the doughnuts, and the delicious coffee — it’s no surprise so many of us depend on Dunkin’.