Is the KFC and Wanglaoji American Style Coffee Drink Worth Trying?

KFC's KCOFFEE is launching a limited Wanglaoji-flavored sparkling Americano with the Cantonese herbal tea brand, priced at 9.9 yuan in breakfast combos. It joins a Western fast-food coffee line with a nearly two-hundred-year-old time-honored brand. Some stores already display promotional materials, and the crossover has drawn comparisons with the Luckin and Moutai latte.

Wanglaoji traces its roots to the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty and holds the China Time-Honored Brand title, long tied to hot pot and barbecue dining. KCOFFEE has expanded past one hundred stores, making coffee a bigger part of KFC's menu. Netizens have already replicated the drink with Wanglaoji plus sparkling water, so questions remain about whether the crossover can repeat earlier hype.

KFC's KCOFFEE continues to deepen its presence in the coffee sector and is about to launch a limited-edition drink in collaboration with the Chinese time-honored brand Wanglaoji — a Wanglaoji-flavored sparkling Americano. On one side is a Western-style fast-food coffee brand accelerating its expansion, and on the other is a representative of Cantonese herbal tea with nearly two hundred years of history. This collision of "Chinese and American herbal tea" has sparked quite a bit of discussion. Yet before the new product even hits the shelves, netizens have already easily recreated it with Wanglaoji plus sparkling water. Can the friendly price of 9.9 yuan win over consumers? What attempts has Wanglaoji made in recent years to win over young people? And can KFC replicate the success of Luckin and Moutai through this collaboration? This article will focus on this cross-industry partnership, sorting through both sides' brand backgrounds, market situations, and highlights of the collaboration, for coffee lovers' reference.

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Since the number of KCOFFEE stores surpassed one hundred, KFC's layout in the coffee field has clearly accelerated, and tomorrow it will officially launch a limited-edition product created jointly with the domestic herbal tea brand Wanglaoji — a Wanglaoji-flavored sparkling Americano.

Reports indicate that some stores have already placed related promotional materials in prominent positions at their entrances. Judging from the poster content, KFC has specially produced themed cup sleeves for this collaboration, and the breakfast combo pricing launched at the same time is also relatively friendly, falling within a price range that the general public can easily accept.

Wanglaoji can be called a national-level traditional brand, with origins traceable to the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, and it is the most well-known representative of Cantonese herbal tea. With its deep brand heritage, Wanglaoji was awarded the title of "China Time-Honored Brand" by the Ministry of Commerce, and in consumers' minds it has always carried a steady and weighty image.

In an era when domestic beverage choices were still relatively limited, Wanglaoji relied on the functional attributes of its products to become deeply tied to dining scenarios such as hot pot and barbecue. Coupled with large amounts of advertising, the slogan "Afraid of internal heat? Drink Wanglaoji" was repeatedly spread through the media and gradually became a household phrase, while that striking red can also often appeared on people's dining tables.

However, in recent years the beverage market has become increasingly diverse, with categories such as functional drinks, sparkling water, and cold-brewed tea continuously diverting consumers' attention, and Wanglaoji's herbal tea share has consequently come under pressure. At the same time, the younger generation has become increasingly inclined toward tea drinks and coffee, and Wanglaoji's presence in the public mind has continued to decline, with its level of attention far less than before.

In order to recapture the attention of young consumers, Wanglaoji has previously carried out various explorations, such as launching novel-flavored herbal tea products like "Sichuan pepper green grape" and "domineering durian," creating "surname cans" catering to young people's tastes, and cooperating with overseas brands to open offline coffee shops. This time-honored brand, nearing two hundred years old, keeps trying to break through in order to enter younger circles, but the actual results have not met expectations.

Looking at KFC's side, it has recently made frequent moves in its coffee business, with continuous initiatives such as store expansion, price adjustments, and new product launches, but relying on these alone is still not enough to truly win the attention of young groups.

Perhaps the earlier successful collaboration between Luckin and Moutai gave KFC some inspiration, which led to this cross-industry cooperation with the traditional national brand Wanglaoji, hoping to use an unexpected combination to create talking points and attract attention.

However, before the new product was officially launched, netizens on social platforms had already used readily available materials around them to get an early taste of this collaborative "iced Cantonese-style" drink. Compared with Luckin's sauce-flavored latte, the homemade threshold for KFC's limited-edition drink is not particularly high. Buy a bottle of Wanglaoji at the supermarket and add some sparkling water, and you can easily recreate it at home, while also adjusting the ratio according to your own taste preferences.

Therefore, in some people's view, even if the official low price of 9.9 yuan is quite attractive, if you can make it yourself, that money seems like it can be saved.

In today's environment where everything can be co-branded, whether the pairing of KFC and Wanglaoji as "Chinese and American herbal tea" can stir up a splash as the brands hope, and become another collaboration legend after "Luckin X Moutai," still remains to be verified by the market.

Image source: Internet

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