Why did bitter melon lemon tea take off like street coffee in Guangdong?

Guangzhou-based brand Tea Rescue Planet launched the first bitter melon lemon tea, blending bitter melon with lemon tea. In one year it sold more than 1 million cups, expanded to over 180 stores across 16 cities, and made the drink its signature product. The brand began planning in 2019 and scaled up from March 2020. The appeal lies in Guangdong's food culture, where many people believe they are prone to internal heat.

Herbal tea addresses that concern but is often too bitter to drink comfortably. Bitter melon lemon tea keeps the heat-clearing idea while adding chewy bitter melon pulp at the bottom of the cup, sour lemon juice, and the subtle aroma of green tea. Stores are concentrated mainly in Guangdong Province, according to Zhaomen data, which fits a market already used to street coffee and tea drinks such as arab coffee-style blends.

Guangdong locals often say they "get internal heat just from drinking water." Although herbal tea can reduce internal heat, it is bitter and hard to swallow. The Guangzhou-based tea beverage brand Tea Rescue Planet took a different approach by combining bitter melon with lemon tea, creating the first bitter melon lemon tea, which unexpectedly exploded in the market. In just one year, Tea Rescue Planet sold more than 1 million cups of tea beverages, with stores covering 16 cities nationwide and the number of stores exceeding 180. This brand, which began planning in 2019, quickly expanded starting in March 2020 after a quiet period in the early days of the pandemic. Front Street Coffee believes that Tea Rescue Planet's success is inseparable from local cultural identity, differentiated innovation, and distinctive brand design. This article will analyze in detail the rise of this phenomenal tea beverage brand.

People in Guangdong generally believe they have a constitution prone to internal heat. Although this saying is exaggerated, it also reflects the vigilance toward "heatiness" in local food culture. Herbal tea has therefore become a daily health choice for many Guangdong people, but the problem is that some herbal teas are so bitter they are almost impossible to swallow. It is against this backdrop that the Guangzhou-based tea beverage brand Tea Rescue Planet became the first to launch bitter melon lemon tea, using seasonal fruits and vegetables as ingredients and successfully setting off a "bitter melon craze."

By incorporating bitter melon, which has heat-clearing properties, into lemon tea, drinkers can chew the bitter melon pulp settled at the bottom of the cup when taking a big sip, offering a fresh and crisp texture. The slightly sour juice of fragrant lemon, paired with the subtle aroma of green tea, makes the flavors blend just right, freeing consumers from worrying about "heatiness." Today, bitter melon lemon tea is already Tea Rescue Planet's signature product and one of the drinks most recommended by customers.

According to official data, in just one year, Tea Rescue Planet sold more than 1 million cups of tea beverages, with stores distributed across 16 cities nationwide. As of October 29, the brand's number of stores had exceeded 180. Data from Zhaomen shows that Tea Rescue Planet's stores are mainly concentrated in Guangdong Province. Although there are also stores in Sichuan, Zhejiang, Hunan, Fujian, and other places, the number is relatively limited.

In fact, Tea Rescue Planet's brand planning began in November 2019. Subsequently, due to the pandemic and various other factors, the brand was unable to sustain its momentum. But starting in March 2020, Tea Rescue Planet expanded rapidly at a "wild growth" pace. Why did this situation arise? Front Street Coffee believes there are mainly the following reasons:

Emphasizing local brand identity and strengthening core cohesion. Tea Rescue Planet is a homegrown Guangzhou brand under Guangzhou 100% Catering Management Co., Ltd. In terms of products, ingredients such as bitter melon and lemon align with the traditional Cantonese belief in removing dampness and reducing internal heat. The "Made in Guangzhou" logo light in the store design also reveals a strong sense of local pride. When a brand is highly aligned with consumers' values, the two sides form a mutually attractive relationship, thereby enhancing the company's competitiveness.

Taking a different path and pursuing differentiated innovation. When the smashed lemon tea track was severely "involution," Tea Rescue Planet, in order to stand out, created bitter melon lemon tea on the basis of retaining the "smashed" style. The addition of this innovative ingredient brought the brand extremely high popularity, with constant queues for check-ins and rave reviews. Tea Rescue Planet no longer limits itself to "lemon tea," but positions itself as "fruit and vegetable tea." After bitter melon tea became popular, the brand successively launched hit products such as "cilantro lemon tea" and "muskmelon lemon tea."

Stylish design and excellent product taste. Tea Rescue Planet's overall design is highly recognizable, using fashionable Klein blue paired with the currently popular industrial style, making it easy to become an internet-famous check-in spot. The product flavors are also quite "tricky." Many netizens said that before drinking it they thought it was weird food, but after being "proven wrong" they repurchased it endlessly. Of course, some netizens also said they would not try it. For consumers who dare not try the flavors of stimulating vegetables such as bitter melon and cilantro, Tea Rescue Planet also offers regular drinks such as peach and milk coffee.

Just yesterday, that is, at 3 p.m. on October 29, Tea Rescue Planet's official WeChat account announced the opening time of its new Guangzhou Energy Station concept store: October 31, 2021. The concept store is located on Beijing Road, and there are many perks during the new store opening period.

From the pictures released officially, it can be seen that the overall space continues the previous industrial-style design and is full of futuristic feel. This concept store has four floors and is divided into three areas: the first floor is the ordering and photo check-in area; the second and third floors are tea-drinking areas, also equipped with check-in spots such as flying saucer installations and fruit and vegetable crates; the fourth floor is mainly an entertainment area, with a flying stage and claw machines.

"Bitter melon lemon tea, I did it first" and "For bitter melon lemon tea, look for Tea Rescue Planet" are the brand's promotional slogans. From this, it is not hard to see that while responding to market trends, finding the right positioning and pursuing innovative and differentiated development are what the tea beverage industry today must do first.

Image and video sources: Tea Rescue Planet official website, Tea Rescue Planet official WeChat account.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.