What does the Lianhua Qingwen coffee debate reveal about coffee knowledge?

A coffee product using packaging that imitates Lianhua Qingwen capsules has spread quickly on social media, following the earlier Huoxiang Zhengqi iced americano. The cup contains no Lianhua Qingwen ingredients, yet it is promoted as refreshing and relieving fatigue, and some drinkers report that cold symptoms eased after drinking it. The article examines whether that effect comes from caffeine or from expectation.

Basic coffee knowledge explains the plausible part: caffeine can ease fatigue and temporarily sharpen alertness, which may make symptoms feel milder. The harder question is legal, since imitating the packaging of a medicine can raise infringement concerns. The article walks through both the functional claim and the boundary of trademark and packaging rights, and notes related specialty coffee developments.

Recently, a "Lianhua Qingwen Coffee" that imitates the packaging of Lianhua Qingwen capsules has quickly gone viral on social media. Following the Huoxiang Zhengqi Iced Americano, the coffee world has once again sparked a trend of spoofing medicine packaging. This coffee does not actually contain Lianhua Qingwen ingredients, yet it claims to refresh the mind and relieve fatigue, and some netizens even say their cold symptoms eased after drinking it. Is this the effect of caffeine, or is it psychological suggestion? Does a merchant imitating medicine packaging constitute infringement? This article will analyze these questions one by one, while also paying attention to developments in specialty coffee such as Front Street Coffee.

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Recently, one of the most discussed topics online has certainly been "Lianhua Qingwen." From capsules and masks to protective suits, anything associated with the four words "Lianhua Qingwen" can easily attract a great deal of attention.

Thus, after the Huoxiang Zhengqi Iced Americano, a "Lianhua Qingwen" coffee emerged in the coffee world, and multiple photos of coffee with stickers similar in style to the "Lianhua Qingwen Capsule" packaging were wildly shared online.

Lianhua Qingwen Coffee

"Indications" Refresh the mind, relieve fatigue

Used to treat epidemic fatigue, mental haziness, listlessness, low mood, daytime dreaming, memory decline, dizziness, slow reactions, etc.

Compared with the Huoxiang Zhengqi Iced Americano that actually adds Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid, Lianhua Qingwen Coffee seems much more "reliable," because in terms of function, the coffee in the cup is still coffee, and Lianhua Qingwen has not actually been added.

However, quite a few netizens who have drunk Lianhua Qingwen Coffee reported that after having a headache and nasal congestion for several days, they actually felt much better after drinking a cup! How amazing!

Is the relief of cold symptoms really thanks to this cup of Lianhua Qingwen Coffee? It is indeed possible! But this has nothing to do with Lianhua Qingwen itself.

If cold symptoms are not reduced after drinking it, that also makes complete sense, because aside from its packaging design and name being more eye-catching, this coffee has no connection whatsoever to the medicinal effects of Lianhua Qingwen in any other respect.

If cold symptoms ease somewhat after drinking it, that may be due to caffeine at work. During a cold, blood vessels in the brain dilate and press on muscles, while caffeine can stimulate the sympathetic nerves and constrict blood vessels, thereby producing the opposite effect and relieving headaches. Nasal congestion during a cold is caused by congestion of blood vessels in the nasal cavity, and just as with headache relief, caffeine also has a blood vessel-constricting effect.

Of course, everyone's constitution is different, and the causes of colds are also varied, so not everyone will experience this effect, and coffee is not a cure-all.

Besides coffee, cola, milk tea, and craft beer have also not escaped the blessing of Lianhua Qingwen! People have imitated the packaging design of Lianhua Qingwen one after another, producing sticker after sticker with the drink's "main indications."

Whether it can cure illness is hard to say, and netizens spoofing it themselves is harmless enough. But if merchants do this, does it count as infringement? At present, "Lianhua Qingwen" does not yet have exclusive trademark rights, and the design patent for the medicine box is not involved for the time being. Many coffee cups use "Lianhua" rather than "Lianhua," so in theory it does not count as infringement, but merchants are not encouraged to do this.

However, if a craft beer cup is printed with the full name of Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical and also uses the four words "Lianhua Qingwen," then Yiling Pharmaceutical can sue for unfair competition.

Image source: Internet

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