Many know the pure bliss, excitement and satisfaction of getting to eat a warm Krispy Kreme donut. There’s also the sudden joy of seeing that your parents brought home a dozen donuts from Dunkin Donuts. These classic donuts have been with us for time immemorial. But will they always reign supreme?

After all, there’s a doughnut war taking place in Atlanta as new independent doughnut shops open up; shops like Sublime, Bon Glaze and Da Vinci’s Donuts. The important consumer question, then, is will the longstanding doughnuts shops go by the wayside as the newcomers take hold?

Some North Atlanta students’ eyes glaze over on the doughy topic. Let’s ask them which path – newcomer or old standard – they’ll take for their early morning fixes.

Senior Summer Epps opts for the new arrivals. “Sublime is great for the classics, but Bon Glaze is the choice if you want funky flavors,” she said.

Bon Glaze features over-the-top flavors like cotton candy, Nutella with chocolate mousse, lemon meringue pie, not to mention the way-out-there bacon butterscotch.

Freshman Danielle Milburn counts Da Vinci’s as number one on her doughnut-maker list but she also cites Sublime as the shop she frequents to fulfill her creative side, “Da Vinci’s is the best, but Sublime makes letters so you can use them for artsy, creative things,” she said.

Senior Sara Beth Cimowsky had two short, simple words that encompass the flavors and ambiance of modern donut shops: “So good.”

While the newcomers have their fans, there are others who say the long-established doughnut shops still rule. “I like the new trendy donuts but the classics will always be better,” said sophomore Kate Breeden.

For the traditionalists, flavors like glazed and chocolate frosted remain timelessly strong and that no recent-arrivals with their snazzy new sugary concoctions will displace them.

And no matter whether it’s the new arrivals or the traditional doughnut makers, here’s one theory that certainly has no hole in it: Everyone loves doughnuts.