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Dunkin's New Fall Drinks Check All The Boxes For Coffee Lovers

Column: industry Tag: Seasonal Beverages,Almond Spiced Latte,Dunkalatte,Fall Menu Published: 2024-08-29 13:00 Source: www.mashed.com Author: SAM ZWICK

Dunkin

Coffee fans may notice some seasonal flavors hitting menus a little earlier this year. As Halloween decorations begin to fill stores across the country, there's no denying that fall is just around the corner. Not to be left behind as the leaves begin to change, Dunkin' has released two new beverages, the Dunkalatte, and the Almond Spice Coffee. Both are available nationwide starting August 28, and join an autumnal menu that includes the return of fall favorites, including the Apple Cider Donut, Pumpkin Muffin, and, for savory-seekers, the Maple Sugar Bacon Breakfast Sandwich.

As always, Mashed is here to offer some guidance on what new items should be part of your next order and which should "fall" out of favor. I visited my local Dunkin' on the day the new drinks were released and tried the Dunkalatte and the Almond Spice Coffee so I can tell you all about them.

Nutritional information and ingredients

The Almond Spiced Latte clocks in at 190 calories and 40 grams of sugar in a medium, hot or iced. There are also 130 milligrams of sodium, so while it may be tempting, don't replace your daily water intake with Almond Spiced Lattes. Meanwhile, a medium Dunkalatte will run you 310 calories and 43 grams of sugar — regardless of your temperature preference — along with 250 milligrams of sodium.

The core ingredients for the Almond Spiced Latte are fairly simple — featuring Dunkin' Original Blend coffee, sweet pumpkin flavor, toasted almond flavor, and almond milk. The makeup of the Dunkalatte was more interesting to me as a Midwesterner who had never heard of "coffee milk." Of course, I'm familiar with different kinds of milk in coffee, but this is something slightly different. For the uninitiated, coffee milk is made by mixing a coffee syrup or extract with milk in a fashion similar to chocolate milk. It's been the official state drink of Rhode Island since 1993, so there must be something to it. Dunkin' makes its own coffee milk using Dunkin' coffee extract and whole milk, which is then combined with espresso to create the Dunkalatte.

Almond Spiced Latte

Everyone knows the Pumpkin Spiced Latte is the king of seasonal drinks, so it's what all newcomers are judged against. I snagged the hot and iced versions of the Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte and the new Spiced Almond Latte to see how they stacked up.

The Almond Spiced Latte is a coffee-lovers drink. There's definitely a sweetness present, but spice is the primary flavor. The hot option offers a pleasantly pumpkin-spiced initial taste, with the almond flavor coming in on the back end. An aroma of rich, warm almonds — a smell that reminds some people of cherries – is pleasant and would definitely help warm up a fall day.

The iced version of the Almond Spiced Latte is good, but this drink is best served hot. Unlike its pumpkin counterpart, the beverage lacks the sweetness that I crave in an iced coffee. Granted, not everyone is looking for a sugary snack in their drink, but where the Pumpkin Spiced Signature Iced Latte comes topped with whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and crunchy cinnamon sugar, the Almond Spiced Latte is flavored coffee, plain and simple. The iced version is a solid option for early fall when the temperatures outside remain high — or if you don't want to try making iced coffee yourself — but as a cool breeze starts to knock down leaves, turn to the hot version; you won't regret it. A medium hot Almond Spiced Latte starts at $2.69, while a medium iced version starts at $3.79.

Dunkalatte

Most people put milk in their coffee. Coffee milk is for those who like the proportions reversed. In many ways, the Dunkalatte and Almond Spiced Latte sit at opposite ends of the coffee spectrum, which makes them ideal menu-mates. While the Almond Spiced Latte is coffee-forward, the Dunkalatte caters to a crowd that enjoys the concept of coffee more than the real thing.

A sip of the hot version is at first a bit disorienting. It's smooth, creamy, and tastes a whole lot like warmed milk. In fact, the initial mild coffee flavor gives way entirely to the taste of dairy as you swallow. It's not bad, but it's confusing for a coffee drink to taste so little like coffee.

However, the iced version is where the Dunkalatte shines. The lowered temp helps thicken the beverage, and suddenly, a milky coffee turns into a coffee-flavored, melted milkshake. Dairy forward actually makes sense in this context as the creaminess offers an ideal bed for the mild coffee flavor to rest upon. The ingredient list is the same as in the hot version, but iced, the Dunkalatte tastes sweeter, and that's how it should be enjoyed. Snag a medium hot Dunkalatte beginning at $4.79 and the iced version starting at $4.99.

Overall impression and methodology

The Spiced Almond Latte and the Dunkalatte together are an odd couple, but they complement each other nicely. While the Dunkalatte is more of a coffee drink with a sweet side that's best enjoyed over ice, the Almond Spiced Latte is coffee to its core and perfect as a hot pick-me-up on a crisp fall day. Neither reaches the indulgent sweetness of Dunkin's Pumpkin Spiced Signature Latte, nor should they aspire to. Together, these three beverages offer something for everyone as spooky season gets underway.

Dunkin' reached out to Mashed regarding the new drinks and set up a tasting at my local location. I tasted and photographed both drinks in-store and again several minutes later once I returned home. The beverages were evaluated on smell, taste, and how accurate they were relative to their menu description. Neither Mashed nor I was directly compensated by Dunkin' for this review.

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