What Is Coffee Made Of in KFC's Upgraded Snow-Top Coffee?

KFC brought Snow-Top Coffee back nationwide after fans campaigned against its rumored discontinuation, selling it at 9.9 yuan for two weeks. Longtime customers who bought it on day one report a different drink: clear layering in the cup, a greasier mouthfeel, and a redesigned cup. The backlash centers on whether the recipe changed or the original simply cannot be recreated.

The drink's base has always combined coffee with ice cream, so its ingredients decide the taste. A greasier texture and visible layers suggest a different ratio of coffee, milk, cream, or stabilizers than the version fans remember. KFC has described the return as an upgrade, not a recipe change, leaving the exact coffee ingredients unconfirmed.

KFC's Snow-Top Coffee has finally returned after fans called for it endlessly, but the new version of the drink has triggered a collective backlash from longtime customers. This classic beverage, which carries the childhood memories of countless people, had rumors of being discontinued since last year, and by May of this year it was even harder to find. After fans left comments appealing for its return, KFC announced that Snow-Top Coffee would return with an upgrade, launching simultaneously at stores nationwide, with new and existing members able to enjoy a special price of 9.9 yuan within two weeks. However, longtime fans who tried it on the first day of its return found that the taste and appearance of the new Snow-Top Coffee were already very different, with obvious layering, a greasier mouthfeel, and even the cup redesigned. Was it a change in recipe or a filter of nostalgia? This article will take you through the story behind this return controversy.

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In the eyes of many KFC fans, Snow-Top Coffee lets you enjoy both coffee and ice cream, making it a classic in the brand's beverage lineup. Many people recall that this drink accompanied them through their entire childhood, and even now, when coffee options on the market are dazzlingly diverse, they still habitually order a cup when walking into KFC to relive that familiar happiness.

However, since last year, consumers have reported one after another that this signature drink was no longer available at some stores. Employees privately revealed that the brand might be planning to remove it from the menu, but due to differing inventory situations at each store, some were still selling it while others had already stopped offering it entirely.

Entering May of this year, Snow-Top Coffee became increasingly difficult to find in offline stores, and loyal fans worried that the earlier rumors of discontinuation were about to come true. In order to preserve this taste of childhood, many people took the initiative to leave comments on KFC's social media accounts, hoping this classic drink could remain on the menu.

Recently, KFC, which is willing to listen to consumers' voices, announced that "Snow-Top Coffee returns with an upgrade," and it was launched simultaneously at stores nationwide yesterday, with new and existing members able to purchase it at 9.9 yuan within two weeks after the drink's return. As soon as the news came out, many longtime fans were overjoyed and rushed to stores to buy it, hoping to taste the flavor in their memories once again.

But what longtime customers did not expect was that the taste of the new Snow-Top Coffee was actually vastly different from before. When they first received it, the coffee liquid and milk were clearly separated in layers. If not stirred, the first sip through the straw was just milk with syrup added.

If stirred evenly, the ice cream on top inevitably mixed into the coffee liquid, making the entire drink taste overly sweet and rich. Many people said bluntly that this was no longer the taste and appearance that Snow-Top Coffee should have in their memories.

In addition, KFC specially designed a "new outfit" torch cup for this return, but this cup, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, did not win customers' favor. They reported that the experience of using the new cup was not as good as the original straight cold drink cup, and because of the changed shape, the capacity had also shrunk, making it less substantial than the old version.

Regarding the complaints from longtime customers about the different taste, most people believed it was caused by KFC significantly adjusting the drink's recipe.

The new Snow-Top Coffee still retains the familiar ice cream snow top, but the coffee liquid at the bottom is now made from syrup, milk, and freshly ground and freshly extracted espresso. Officials also emphasized that the upgraded Snow-Top Coffee is entirely made with real coffee beans and milk, better fitting the public's current understanding of coffee drinks.

But in the eyes of loyal Snow-Top Coffee users, although the new recipe better caters to current coffee consumers' preferences and no longer contains as many "technological tricks" in the ingredients as before, the overall flavor and mouthfeel of the drink are inferior to the old version. "Went out excited, came back disappointed, please give me back the original Snow-Top Coffee taste," "Disappointed, it's not the original taste anymore," "A ten-year Snow-Top Coffee lover, especially regretful that I can never drink the former Snow-Top again."

In fact, what longtime customers fondly remember as the "taste of childhood" is more the coffee aroma brought by instant coffee. Compared with today's combination of espresso and milk, perhaps the new version's ingredients are healthier and closer to the true taste of coffee.

But without the unique coffee aroma of instant coffee, the new Snow-Top Coffee is like a loss of soul for loyal users, no longer the white moonlight in their memories.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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