Dunkin’s New Nutty Pumpkin Coffee Gives Me Chai Vibes

Can you believe summer is almost over? It’s nearly fall, which can only mean one thing: pumpkin spice season. The seasonal squash is a fall favorite with a lineup rivaling that of the Spice Girls. And it also means Dunkin’ is coming back with a new seasonal menu that includes two new drinks — a Nutty Pumpkin Coffee and a Blood Orange Refresher. In this review, I taste-tested the Nutty Pumpkin Coffee, and I’m here to give you a rundown of how it tastes, the caffeine content, price, availability, and everything you need to know for your next coffee run.

Dunkin’s fall drop includes (obviously) the beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte, and a batch of warm baked goods to pair with it, including the Glazed Pumpkin Cake Donut and Dunkin’s Maple Sugar Bacon Breakfast Sandwich. They’re all so good, but the Nutty Pumpkin Coffee is the real deal. So, without further ado, here’s the full flavor review.

Review

I tried both the hot and iced Nutty Pumpkin Coffee because, as you probably know, temperature changes a lot about the taste of coffee. (For starters, no one likes room-temperature coffee.) I will say, I liked the hot version of this drink better than the iced one: My taste buds associate pumpkin spice with hot drinks for the colder weather. The toasty blend of spices was like a warm hug that just felt right when served hot.

As for the flavor, it tastes like a cross between a hazelnut latte and a chai latte. Although it’s not made obvious, the “nut” in Nutty Pumpkin Coffee is actually hazelnut. It’s all in the fine print. Upon first sip, the hazelnut flavor overpowers the pumpkin spice, and it’s only in the aftertaste that you get a hint of cinnamon and clove. I couldn’t taste the other spices on top of the sweetness of the drink, but Dunkin’ told Elite Daily the PSL swirl in the Nutty Pumpkin Coffee is “modeled after traditional pumpkin pie spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.” If Dunkin’ is staying true to PSL traditions, it should also contain allspice and ginger. It’s not surprising that it tastes like a chai latte, because the only additional spice that’s typically used in chai is cardamom.

In comparison, the iced version tasted sweeter than the hot drink, despite having the exact same sugar levels (25 grams of sugar in a small drink). I opted for the standard drink without any customizations, but if I were to order it again, I would get it less sweet for personal preference and lower sugar intake.

A small-sized drink contains two pumps of sweetened pumpkin spice swirl syrup, two pumps of unsweetened hazelnut flavoring, and two pumps of creamer. It goes up to three pumps of each for a medium, four for a large, and five for an extra large. IMHO, one pump of each would be the right amount without sacrificing any of the flavors. You can’t edit the number of pumps over the mobile ordering app, so I suggest making customizations in-store. As far as customizations go, you can also customize the milk you’d like, from whole milk to skim milk, almond milk, oat milk, and coconut milk.

TL;DR, it tastes like a hazelnut chai cake as a drink.

Caffeine

The caffeine levels vary by drink size and whether it’s hot or iced. A small iced Nutty Pumpkin Coffee comes out to 159 mg of caffeine, a medium has 238 mg, and a large has 317 mg. On the hot side, a small hot Nutty Pumpkin Coffee has 150 mg of caffeine, a medium has 165 mg, a large has 210 mg, and an extra large has 255 mg. For context, a regular 8-ounce cup of coffee contains around 80 to 100 mg of caffeine, according to the FDA. So, each small Nutty Pumpkin Coffee is roughly equivalent to two cups of coffee. If you’re watching your caffeine intake, 400 mg a day is the recommended limit by the FDA.

Price

The hot Nutty Pumpkin Coffee is $1.99 for a small, $2.99 for a medium, and $2.59 for a large. The iced version of the drink is $2.59 for a small, $2.89 for a medium, and $3.19 for a large. Note: These are suggested retail prices but may vary BY store, as pricing is up to the franchisee.

Availability

Nutty Pumpkin Coffee is available at participating locations from Aug. 17 through Nov. 11, or while supplies last.