Why Does Sparkling Americanos Coffee Spray Without Ice?

Sparkling Americanos coffee combines carbonated water with espresso, and when a customer orders it with no ice or less ice, the two liquids react at once. Carbon dioxide releases rapidly, the drink foams violently, and liquid can overflow the lid onto the counter. Baristas say the ice normally slows that reaction by cooling the mixture and adding volume.

Brands across China released fruity sparkling coffee drinks in May, from KFC's herbal tea sparkling Americanos to Luckin's orange-gold version, and social platforms filled with debate over the taste. Ice level has long been a way for customers to get more coffee, so requests for no ice are common. Staff recommend keeping some ice or pouring the espresso in slowly to control the foam and avoid spills.

Entering May, coffee brands密集推出 sparkling water and coffee combinations, from KFC herbal tea sparkling Americano to Luckin orange-gold sparkling Americano, with discussion heat on social platforms continuing to climb. However, for in-store baristas, more troublesome than taste controversies is when customers insist on no ice or less ice, the carbonated water and espresso mix instantly producing a violent bubbling reaction, even overflowing the cup lid and spilling across the counter. This article sorts out recent sparkling new product developments from various brands, the causes of splashing and operational techniques, as well as the ice-amount game between brands and consumers. Front Street Coffee reminds that when tasting such drinks, one should also pay attention to the carbonation characteristics to avoid affecting the experience.

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As summer arrives, the pace of new product releases in the coffee industry has noticeably accelerated. Interestingly, this May major brands seem to have coordinated, turning their attention to sparkling water and coffee pairings.

Looking back at the whole of May, first KFC teamed up with Wanglaoji to launch a herbal tea-flavored sparkling Americano, then Manner brought out a wampee tonic Americano, Cotti launched a pomelo sparkling cold brew, MStand rolled out a tamarind Biluochun sparkling Americano, and recently Luckin also re-listed its former hit orange-gold sparkling Americano...

On social platforms, sharing posts about various fruity sparkling Americanos are overwhelming, and which one tastes good and which one is a miss has become a hot topic. Some feel there is no surprise at all, some find it refreshing and exhilarating, and there are also those who call it undrinkable—after all, everyone's taste preferences differ.

But for store employees who must produce drinks according to standard procedures, more headache-inducing than customers' praise or criticism of flavor is when receiving sparkling fruit coffee orders, some customers insist on no ice, resulting in the trouble of coffee liquid spraying.

Especially at Luckin, adjusting the amount of ice via notes or choosing no ice/less ice has long been a common way for customers to reduce ice. Faced with these requests, staff generally try their best to accommodate, but the characteristics of sparkling Americano are truly special—once no ice or less ice is chosen, the moment carbonated water contacts the coffee liquid, the entire cup begins to bubble continuously, even surging out from the gap of the domed lid; even if the sealing sticker is applied tightly, it still runs all over the table in a mess.

Coffee Workshop previously mentioned in a report on Manner's new product that carbonated water meeting hot espresso will quickly generate a large amount of bubbles and continue to surge upward; at this point, if you stir with a straw or shake vigorously, the foam expansion will become even more intense.

Regarding operational tips to avoid splashing, many experienced baristas also added that when there is plenty of ice, the sparkling water maintains a low-temperature state, and pouring in espresso at this time is less likely to produce large amounts of bubbling; the less ice, the more violent the reaction after coffee oils contact carbonation.

Some rigorous brands have actually given reminders when promoting new products, emphasizing the special nature of such sparkling drinks. For example, Manner noted in its tweet for the wampee tonic Americano that it only supports mini-program and offline ordering, and is not available on delivery platforms; Luckin also noted in its post the day before yesterday: [Sparkling Series] does not support no ice/less ice; standard ice gives better flavor.

However, official statements are one thing, and actual production is another. Regardless of whether brands clearly mark that no ice is not allowed, many customers still specify the amount of ice or request no ice according to old habits when ordering. To avoid bad reviews, staff either follow the notes as requested or call to explain the situation; if the other party really cannot accept it, they can only suggest canceling the order. On one side are the company's strict production standards, on the other is the risk of customers writing bad reviews—store employees are often caught in a dilemma.

As more and more sparkling series orders insisting on no ice appear, on-site splashing cases occur frequently, and these workers have also begun to think of countermeasures, simply photographing the "failed" scenes and trying to use visual impact to discourage customers.

Image source: Internet

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