Why does the Blue Sky White Cloud Latte taste so sweet?

Luckin Coffee's Blue Sky White Cloud Latte, built on the Coconut Cloud Latte recipe and finished with sky-blue sugar powder, has drawn widespread complaints about sweetness. Customers who requested less or no sugar still received drinks sweet enough to coat the throat, with the coffee flavor largely masked. Staff say the coconut milk base, added syrup, and milk cap all contribute sugar.

Baristas report a separate problem: the blue sugar powder clumps badly, needs forceful pounding to break up, spreads unevenly, and the airborne powder attracts insects. The cafe latte milk coffee ratio is effectively pushed toward milk and sweetener here, which is why coffee ingredients like blue powder and syrup end up dominating the cup.

Luckin Coffee's R&D team recently launched a drink inspired by summer's blue skies and white clouds — the Blue Sky White Cloud Latte. Built on the Coconut Cloud Latte recipe and topped with sky-blue sugar powder, it boasts striking looks but has triggered a wave of consumer complaints about its sweetness. Many netizens reported that even when they requested less sugar or no sugar, the finished drink was still so sweet it coated the throat, completely masking the coffee flavor. Meanwhile, baristas also complained that the blue sugar powder clumps extremely easily, requiring forceful pounding to break it up before sprinkling, yet even distribution remains difficult, and the flying powder easily attracts insects. Another new item, the Coconut Mille Crepe Narui Ice, is similarly on the sweet side but has received slightly better reviews thanks to its smoother-blending slushy texture. This article takes a detailed look at the taste performance, production difficulties, and consumer feedback for these two new products, offering a reference for coffee lovers.

Recently, Luckin Coffee's R&D team has made another move.

The beauty of a summer clear sky sparked the creativity of Luckin's drink developers, who tried to capture the imagery of blue skies and white clouds in a cup. So, building on the previously hot-selling Coconut Cloud Latte, they adjusted the recipe and sprinkled a layer of sky-blue sugar powder on top, giving birth to a strikingly beautiful cup of Blue Sky White Cloud Latte.

After launching, the new product quickly drew a large number of netizens' attention, with many rushing to stores to check in and experience this "liquid summer." However, the reality turned out to be — way too sweet!!!

Some customers shared that when ordering the new product this time, they had already anticipated that all of Luckin's coconut-containing products would be on the sweet side. They wanted to choose no added sugar but found there was no such option, so they had to write in the order notes to use as little sugar as possible. Yet after getting the drink, it was still cloyingly sweet, full of coconut sugar flavor, with the coffee's flavor almost completely covered.

According to internal staff, the base coconut milk itself is already quite sweet, and syrup is added during preparation. The milk cap on top is also very sweet, and the blue sugar powder sprinkled last is full of sweetness too. Therefore, even if you choose "less less sweet," the actual effect is very limited.

The reason is that "less less sweet" only reduces the amount of base syrup; the sweetness of other ingredients cannot be lowered accordingly. The blue sugar powder mixes with the already very sweet milk cap, so even if there were a no-sugar option, this drink would taste sweet no matter how you drink it. Therefore, it's recommended to note "no sugar" when ordering and to stir well before drinking.

Beyond the product's own sweetness issue, some netizens pointed out that in the promotional image the blue powder is sprinkled very evenly, but the actual product they received had the powder clustered in one spot, not only diminishing its looks but also making the flavor distribution very uneven.

In response, many Luckin baristas expressed helplessness, saying frankly, "We want to cry too." The blue powder used in this new product clumps extremely easily, and every time before sprinkling powder for customers they have to pound it hard until their hands hurt, yet even so, it still can't be sprinkled evenly. Even switching to scooping it out with a spoon doesn't achieve an even effect. At the same time, this sugar powder easily drifts everywhere during operation, and if not cleaned up promptly, it easily attracts flying insects.

Besides the Blue Sky White Cloud Latte, Luckin also launched a Coconut Mille Crepe Narui Ice this time. Although its surface is covered with caramel sauce, consumer reviews are considerably better than those for the Blue Sky White Cloud Latte.

Some netizens fed back that although this new product is also quite sweet, perhaps because it's made into a slushy form, the overall flavor blends more evenly, and as the slush gradually melts, the drink's taste slowly improves. However, before drinking, you must stir the caramel sauce evenly, otherwise you'll suddenly get a mouthful so sweet it makes your brain ache. Those who don't like it too sweet can choose half sugar or no sugar, but be sure not to reduce the caramel sauce.

Sweetness is certainly likable, but not all products are suited to having their original flavors completely masked by sweetness. Perhaps what consumers really want is a cup of coffee with sweetness, not a drink drowned in sweetness and stripped of its true coffee character.

When developing new products next time, Luckin should, besides considering the product's looks, pay more attention to sweetness control, ingredient storage conditions, and the containers used. Because sugar really does easily attract flying insects, which not only increases hygiene risks but also adds to baristas' cleaning burden.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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