Dunkin's New Fall Latte Has The Laziest Name We've Ever Heard

Dunkin' locations across the country will begin offering the chain's fall menu on August 28. It includes an array of drinks, breakfast items, baked goods, and plenty of pumpkin to go around. Fans can expect the Pumpkin Spice Latte, which ranks high on our list of Dunkin' coffee drinks. One of the new fall offerings from the chain stood out for its name: the Dunkalatte. It's creatively lazy — not much different from calling it the "Dunkin' latte." It also doesn't tell us much about what the item contains.

According to a press release shared with Mashed, the Dunkalatte is a creamy, sweet latte containing espresso and coffee milk. If you don't know what coffee milk is, you probably don't live in Rhode Island, where it's the official state beverage. It is said to be similar to chocolate milk if you swap the chocolate syrup for coffee syrup. Dunkin's version will contain coffee extract and whole milk. Does this combination of ingredients scream Dunka-anything to you? The chain could have called the drink "One for the Rhode" or the "Rhode I. Latte" as a nod to the state that embraced coffee milk.

"Dunkalatte" is not only a lazy way to reference the company but a weirdly narrow one. Every Dunkin' item could be named in this brand-forward and uninformative way. Why not call a cup of joe a "Dunkajoe"? The pumpkin spice drink could be dubbed a "Dunkin' Spice Latte." In fact, the brand used this Dunk-approach when naming the Dunkaccino, which contained coffee and hot chocolate.

You might wonder if the company's other fall offerings will show a bit more creativity than the name of the Dunkalatte. Much of the lineup is similar to Dunkin's slew of maple and pumpkin foods from 2023's fall menu, but not all are repeats. For drinks, Dunkin' is also debuting an Almond Spice Coffee with pumpkin, toasted almond flavor, and almond milk.

Food-wise, Dunkin' is offering the Maple Sugar Bacon Breakfast Sandwich, which includes eggs and cheese. The bacon also comes in Wake-up Wrap form but can be ordered by itself. Another savory option is Loaded Hash Browns with cheddar queso and crumbled bacon. There'res a lot to offer in the baked goods department. Returning as scheduled is the pumpkin donut, which was Mashed's favorite when we tried Dunkin's entire 2023 fall menu. There will also be an apple cider donut making its first return since 2021, a banana chocolate chip loaf, a pumpkin muffin, and pumpkin Munchkins, a.k.a. donut holes.

Dunkin' is also releasing a special $6 menu for a limited time, that includes a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, hashbrowns, and a medium iced or hot coffee. It excludes espresso and cold brew beverages and unfortunately doesn't include the option to pay with Dunkadollars.