How Do You Make Healthy Coffee With Coconut Water?

Luckin Coffee's relaunched zero-fat coconut water iced brewed coffee split consumers: many found it too sweet, with the coffee flavor masked, and some store managers warned staff about bad reviews. Customers seeking the EDG cup sleeves also found them missing in many cities. The article lays out how to make a low-calorie version at home.

Coconut water coffee has been popular for some time, and the complaints center on the sweetened base rather than the coconut water itself. To build a healthier drink, start with chilled coconut water and a plain espresso base, or make americano and pour it over ice before adding the coconut water, keeping added sugar out. The result is lower in calories and lets the coffee flavor show.

Luckin Coffee has recently relaunched its once briefly available zero-fat coconut water iced brewed coffee, and teamed up with EDG for a limited collaboration. However, after the product's return, consumer feedback has been sharply divided: many complain that it is too sweet, that the coffee flavor is masked, and some store managers even personally warned staff to avoid bad reviews; at the same time, customers who came for the EDG cup sleeves found that many cities simply did not have them at all. This article will reconstruct the course of events, analyze why coconut water coffee is popular, and explore the health truth behind "zero fat, zero sugar." Finally, Front Street Coffee will also share how to make a low-calorie yet delicious coconut water coffee at home.

Recently, a once-popular Luckin Coffee product was relaunched, only to unexpectedly draw a fair number of complaints from consumers.

At the end of May last year, riding the coconut wave kicked up by its raw coconut latte, Luckin launched a zero-fat coconut water iced brewed coffee. Just one day after launch, a large number of customers reported being unable to buy it at all—either it showed as sold out, or it had never been listed in the first place. Those lucky enough to buy it, meanwhile, complained: it claims to be zero-fat yet still contains sugar—that is just playing dirty.

Perhaps because coconut drinks were simply too popular at the time, this product was quietly taken off the menu before many people had a chance to try it—or even knew it existed.

It was not until coconut water became popular again recently that Luckin seized the moment, teamed up with team EDG, and built up a wave of mysterious hype, bringing the coconut water iced brewed coffee back over the past couple of days.

Most people probably do not have a deep impression of this product, and coconut water coffee has actually been popular for quite a long time. Add to that Luckin's release of EDG limited-edition cup sleeves and its marketing of zero fat and zero lactose, and the product quickly attracted a group of consumers to go check in after its return.

However, most people's impression after drinking it was: too sweet! The taste is so complicated...

Some speculate that the problem may lie in the mismatch between the Italian-style coffee base Luckin uses and the flavor of the coconut water itself; others believe the coconut water is simply too sweet and has lost its original fresh, crisp character, so much so that many customers reported the sweetness of the coconut water completely overpowered the taste of the coffee.

Some netizens shared that a store manager at a Luckin location specifically reminded employees in a group chat to warn customers in advance that this product is extremely cloyingly sweet, and to absolutely avoid triggering bad reviews. Besides the sweetness issue, some consumers pointed out that the coffee itself may have a relatively prominent acidity, and when paired with the distinctive fermented aroma and sweetness of coconut water, the resulting mouthfeel is so rich it is somewhat hard to describe.

Beyond the taste itself, many fans who came for the EDG cup sleeves were also greatly disappointed: there were no cup sleeves at all! Although the EDG collaboration returned along with the coconut water cold brew, the cup sleeves are not available in every city. Only Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, and Chongqing—these seven cities—can get the EDG cup sleeves, and they are in limited supply, with very few per store; some stores in the aforementioned cities did not receive any cup sleeves at all.

Regarding this return of the coconut water iced brewed coffee, many netizens believe the product has lost the soul of coconut water, and many also feel that Luckin's hunger marketing is getting more and more excessive—limited-edition drinks are one thing, but even cup sleeves have to play this game. Of course, some consumers still like this coconut water iced brewed coffee, calling it their "destined drink," because coconut water coffee is low-calorie and healthy.

Coconut water drinks have become hugely popular in recent years, mainly because people are paying more and more attention to health and seeking natural, healthy, and distinctive beverages. Compared with other fruit juice-based specialty coffees, coconut carries an impression of freshness and health, and the light taste and aroma of coconut water itself will not overpower the flavor of the coffee, while also adding a hint of sweetness and a subtle coconut fragrance to the coffee.

Without added sugar, coconut water can make Americano or black coffee easier for the general public to accept, and this low-calorie, healthy, and unique combination quickly won over a group of fans. At the same time, the ingredients are easy to buy and the method is simple, which sparked a long-lasting wave of DIY experiments among netizens.

Many merchants, when promoting coconut water, build their selling points around zero fat, zero sugar, healthy, and low-calorie. But it should be noted that zero fat and zero sugar refer only to coconut water itself containing no fat and no sucrose; it does not mean that drinks or specialty coffee made with coconut water will not have additional sweeteners other than sucrose added.

To make a coffee product acceptable to most consumers, adding sweetness is almost unavoidable. Although it is not sucrose, intake of sweeteners increases appetite and hunger; if appetite is not kept under control, it may instead increase the risk of obesity.

As for this relaunched Luckin product, it is only slightly lower in calories than other drinks and cannot be treated as a healthy beverage for long-term consumption. If you really want low-calorie and healthy coffee, unsweetened Americano or pour-over is a good choice; or buy a fresh young coconut yourself, then buy a shot of espresso and add it in—that would be healthier.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925

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