Introducing Coffee Milk: Rhode Island's Iconic Official Drink

If you’ve never visited New England or encountered a Rhode Islander, coffee milk might be a mystery to you. As coffee remains a fan favorite, this northeastern specialty has gained popularity and become a must-try regional beverage—it’s even featured in Dunkin’s latest creation, the Dunkalatte.

What Exactly Is Coffee Milk?

In Rhode Island, coffee milk isn’t just another drink—it’s a carefully crafted tradition and, for some, a lifestyle.

Coffee milk consists of whole milk mixed with a coffee-flavored syrup or extract, similar to how chocolate or strawberry milk is made. It’s rich and creamy, with a gentle coffee undertone, almost like a milkshake in a glass.

“It does contain a sweetener, and over time, different variations have emerged,” says Ellen Puccetti, CEO of Wright’s Dairy Farm & Bakery in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. In a state where coffee milk is everywhere, Wright’s is a trusted name, using Autocrat Coffee Syrup (Rhode Island’s gold standard). Puccetti explains that Autocrat, a local coffee roaster, originally created the syrup, which eventually became the perfect match for milk.

“Coffee milk has been part of Rhode Island for as long as I can remember,” she adds, noting that Dunkin’s coffee is so beloved in the region that “you can almost smell it driving along the I-95 corridor into Rhode Island and Massachusetts.” Coffee milk was officially recognized as Rhode Island’s state drink in 1993 by the state legislature.

One theory suggests that Italian immigrants brought sweetened coffee to Providence in the late 1800s and early 1900s, while another claims it may have been invented by a soda fountain operator who mixed leftover coffee grounds with milk and sugar. It’s known that by the 1930s, lunch counters were serving coffee milk as a kid-friendly substitute for hot coffee.

Yes, coffee milk does have a small amount of caffeine—about 15% of what you'd find in a cup of hot coffee, or 40% as much as in a can of Coke. For those concerned about giving kids caffeine, there is a caffeine-free coffee syrup option. Another favorite alternative is maple milk, made with locally sourced syrup, and of course, chocolate milk is always an option.

How to Make Coffee Milk

In Rhode Island, coffee milk is easy to find at your local grocery store or directly from dairies like Wright’s, where you can get it fresh from the source.

If you're outside the Northeast, your best option is to make your own coffee milk at home using coffee syrup. Puccetti recommends this method, noting that you can customize the coffee-to-milk ratio to your liking or even try different coffee syrup flavors like mocha or espresso.

Making homemade coffee milk is simple—no fancy techniques required. It’s as easy as preparing chocolate milk: just squeeze in the syrup, stir, and enjoy.