The most recent Dunkin’ product launch is sparking some chatter—and no, it’s not their looming pumpkin spice line: Their new boozy canned espresso and tea drinks will probably be hitting shops in just a few weeks, in response to the corporate’s announcement on August 14.

The Dunkin’ Spiked line will embody eight flavors: Unique, Caramel, Mocha, and Vanilla iced coffees; and Barely Candy, Half and Half, Strawberry Dragonfruit, and Mango Pineapple iced teas. The 12- and 19-ounce drinks will probably be bought at US retail shops in 12 states—Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Vermont—beginning in late August and early September.

The drinks comprise actual espresso and tea, in addition to a malt base. The boozy iced coffees could have 6% ABV, whereas the spiked teas are available in barely decrease at 5%, in response to a press launch a Dunkin’ rep supplied SELF with. For comparability, that’s roughly the identical quantity of alcohol you’d discover in a beer.

Mixing espresso or tea with booze isn’t new, after all—cans of Twisted Tea have bought for many years, and espresso martinis have been a preferred order at bars for even longer. However when one of many largest espresso manufacturers within the nation drops a line of spirits, it makes you suppose just a little more durable concerning the mix. Particularly, it introduced up the query: Can that mixture of alcohol and caffeine be a doubtlessly dicey combine? SELF related with a registered dietitian to get all your questions answered. Right here’s what it’s best to know.

What occurs while you combine caffeine with alcohol?

First, let’s discuss what you possibly can expertise with each of those substances. Caffeine is a stimulant, that means that it revs up your central nervous system, boosting your alertness and power ranges. In consequence, taking in an excessive amount of of it—extra on that under—may cause signs like insomnia, jitters, nervousness, quick coronary heart fee, upset abdomen, nausea, or headache, Amanda Sauceda, RD, a registered dietitian who works with folks with digestive issues, tells SELF.

However, alcohol has the alternative impact in your physique, says Sauceda. Booze operates as a depressant, that means that it slows down your central nervous system and mind exercise. This could affect your temper and habits, making it exhausting to suppose clearly, in response to the Nationwide Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

If you combine the 2, caffeine can cowl up the sedating results of alcohol, says Sauceda. This could masks the warning indicators of getting taken in just a little an excessive amount of booze, like sluggish responses and psychological fogginess, she explains. So it might make you suppose you possibly can drink one other spherical, and because of this, you possibly can turn out to be extra intoxicated than you notice.

Plus, the mix can enhance coronary heart fee and blood strain, Sauceda says, which may increase the chance of coronary heart assault or different points, particularly in people with hypertension. What’s extra, it might probably additionally make you extra prone to turn out to be dehydrated, too, she says.