We Tried Dunkin's 2 New Seasonal Coffees, And Only One Should Be On The Permanent Menu

Those of us who hail from New England or the mid-Atlantic region are all too familiar with the glory that is Dunkin'. Originally called Dunkin' Donuts, the brand dropped the pastry reference from its name back in 2019 to focus on its much more popular specialty: coffee. Of all the coffee chains in the U.S., Dunkin' ranks among the best, sparking an ongoing feud among coffee lovers over whether Dunkin' or Starbucks reigns supreme, whether we're talking coffee, pumpkin spice lattes, or even energy drinks. No matter which brand lives rent-free in your heart and mind, however, there's no denying that Dunkin's popularity is far from undeserved.

Dunkin' keeps things fresh by regularly rolling out unique craft coffee specials to ring in the season, holiday, or just because coffee is awesome and never needs a reason to be celebrated. Among these consistent coffee creations are two new products designed to blow last year's fall menu out of the water. I tried the chain's new Dunkalatte and Almond Spice Coffee, and here's my honest opinion on the flavor and value of each autumnal special. Read on to see whether or not these unique concoctions are worthy of places as new seasonal staples, or if they can't stand up to the more dominant fall favorites.

The new drinks at Dunkin' add something unique to its fall lineup, offering a refreshing, modern twist to the flavors that we've all grown to adore over the years. The whimsically named Dunkalatte swaps out the regular milk in a traditional latté for coffee milk, for double the coffee taste.

If you haven't been staying au courant with the latest coffee trends (or you're not from New England), you might be wondering what coffee milk could possibly be. Coffee milk — the official state beverage of Rhode Island — is essentially chocolate milk's eclectic, energetic cousin. Although it sounds like the drink is similar to a café au lait, it's actually a combination of sweet coffee-flavored syrup and milk. The drink retains a cult following across the Northeast. Coffee milk absolutely deserves all the love it's been receiving in recent years, and to show its dedication to its New England roots, Dunkin' has finally heeded the coffee milk-lover's call and given it a spot on the fall menu.

Dunkin's Almond Spice Coffee is a new flavored coffee for autumn that comes iced or hot, depending on your preference and the temperature on those fickle fall days. The coffee combines spiced pumpkin and toasted almond syrups with almond milk to accentuate the toasty flavors. The almond milk and flavor syrups are added to Dunkin's original-blend coffee, so you can adjust the amounts of each according to your taste.

The Dunkalatte and Almond Spice Coffee are both available on Dunkin's 2024 limited-time fall menu — along with a new $6 meal deal and classic favorites like the Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte and Apple Cider Donut — all of which were released on Wednesday, August 28, 2024.

Like all Dunkin' coffees, both specialty drinks come either iced or hot and in a variety of sizes. The hot Dunkalatte ranges in price from $4.39 for a small to $5.19 for a large. Its iced versions start at $4.79 and go up to $5.59. These prices reflect the Dunkalatte made with whole dairy milk, which is the default at Dunkin'. Other milk options — like cream, skim milk, almond milk, or oat milk — may result in an additional charge.

The hot Almond Spice Coffee starts at $2.49 for a small and goes up to $3.29 for an extra-large. An iced Almond Spice Coffee is $3.29 for a small and $4.09 for a large. Prices at Dunkin' differ regionally, so you may find yourself paying slightly more or slightly less depending on your location. These prices reflect those of the New York City metro area.

In an effort to allow its customers to make smart dietary choices, Dunkin' posts all nutritional info for its drinks and snacks on its website, including its limited-release, specialty options. A small Dunkalatte made with whole milk clocks in at 210 calories and 6 grams of fat — including 3.5 grams of saturated fat — per cup. The small Dunkalatte also contains 170 milligrams of sodium and 29 grams of sugar, which includes 18 grams of added sugar from its sweetened coffee-flavored syrup. Like other milk-based drinks at Dunkin', the Dunkalatte has a surprising amount of protein, at 8 grams in a small. The iced Dunkalatte sports the same nutritional stats for a small-sized drink.

The Almond Spice Coffee, both hot and iced, contains 130 calories and is fat-free. Compared to the Dunkalatte, a small cup of this autumn drink has a bit less sugar overall at 26 grams, though that includes 23 grams of added sugar. The small Almond Spice Coffee contains only 2 grams of protein and 80 milligrams of sodium.

The Dunkalatte is advertised as tasting like a milkshake, and this couldn't be more accurate. I opted for a hot Dunkalatte and was immediately reminded of steamy, melted coffee-flavored ice cream. The sugar from the coffee syrup and the mouthfeel of the palate-coating milk remove any potential bitterness from the espresso and leave only a potent coffee flavor followed by velvety smooth creaminess. I enjoyed the sugariness without the compromise of the coffee flavor, as opposed to most sweetener options, which mask the taste of Dunkin's surprisingly high-quality coffee.

The drink is sweet, but not so much so that adding an extra flavor shot or flavor swirl would ruin it, leaving the possibilities for customization wide open. An added caramel or pumpkin swirl would take this treat from delicious to downright decadent and make it all the more autumn-ready. The Dunkalatte, unlike Dunkin's signature lattes, doesn't automatically come with whipped cream, but opting for this indulgent addition would undoubtedly enhance the already ultra-creamy taste and make the Dunkalatte more dessert-worthy. The Dunkalatte, with or without any added flavor syrups or swirls, is the perfect energizing treat for an after-lunch pick-me-up.

Sweet and nutty coffee — what's not to love? Only the Almond Spice Coffee at Dunkin' is far less nutty and much more pumpkin-y. I opted for the iced version of this drink, hoping that the fall flavors would whisk me away to a breezy autumn day while offering a refreshing reprieve in hot, humid August. This seasonal coffee includes toasted almond flavor, pumpkin swirl, and almond milk. I imagine that the idea was to create a burst of autumn-centric flavor (which obviously must include pumpkin) with a toasty almond-forward taste. The flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg are blatant, and pumpkin stands front and center as the unexpected star of this coffee.

Almond milk is automatically added to the Almond Spice Coffee, and for good reason; this non-dairy favorite adds a hint of toasted nut flavor and a dash of creaminess. But, as most non-dairy milk fans know, there's a reason that oat milk dominates over almond milk as the favorite in coffee drinks. Almond milk, with its lack of fat, tends to water down coffee instead of leaving the signature mouth-coating creaminess that makes coffee and milk a match made in heaven. While the almond flavor from the milk adds a hint of a nutty aftertaste, the toasted almond syrup does all the heavy lifting and still manages not to overpower the much more prominent pumpkin.

Both new Dunkin' additions offer something a little different from the norm and will likely entice and excite those who might otherwise have expected only the standard fare on Dunkin's fall menu. Both the Dunkalatte and Almond Spice Coffee provide quite a bit of bang for your buck by capping out at $5.59 and $4.09, respectively — not a bad price to pay for a caffeinated sweet treat.

That being said, if you're going to go hard with Dunkin's fall menu, you're probably better off choosing an ultra-creamy pumpkin drink over the Almond Spice Coffee. Since it's already pumpkin-forward in flavor, choose a classic pumpkin spice latte over the Almond Spice Coffee, and get oat milk instead of almond milk if you want to stick with the non-dairy theme. But if you're on the hunt for a fat-free novelty drink from Dunkin', then the Almond Spice Coffee might be for you.

The Dunkalatte, on the other hand, is arguably one of the most tantalizing seasonal drinks to hit Dunkin's menu in years. Its sweetness level is perfect, and its bold coffee taste is ideal for Dunkin' coffee-lovers. Its ice cream-like flavor and texture mean you can feel like you're having an early-morning dessert while you sip on your morning coffee, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.