What the Olympic Coffee News Means for Starbucks Fans

Starbucks partnered with badminton brand YONEX for the Paris Olympics, releasing limited-edition rackets, cup sleeves, and sports merchandise, and bringing star Lin Dan to its Beijing Sanlitun store. The chain also launched an alcohol-free sparkling wine-flavored cold brew and two sports-themed cakes, drawing crowds but also sharply divided reviews over drink and pastry quality.

Some customers called the cold brew refreshing and sweet, while others said the flavor was strange, and the cupcakes drew more criticism for a dry, hard texture. The mixed response to the new cold brew, which some said tastes like alcohol despite being alcohol-free, has raised questions about whether the collaboration's merchandise hype has outpaced quality control on the drinks and food.

Under the hype of the Paris Olympics, Starbucks has teamed up with the well-known badminton brand YONEX to launch a collaboration, releasing limited-edition rackets, fun cup sleeves, and a range of sports-themed merchandise. They also invited badminton star Lin Dan to appear at the Beijing Sanlitun store for promotional activities, interacting with fans through racket swings and signing autographs. At the same time, the brand launched an alcohol-free cold brew inspired by French sparkling wine and two sports-limited cakes. However, reviews of the new products have been clearly divided: the cold brew was praised by some consumers as refreshing and sweet, while others complained about its strange flavor; the cupcakes received more negative reviews due to their dry and hard texture. The collaboration created a huge buzz, but the controversy over the quality control of the drinks and pastries has also led some netizens to question whether the brand has 'put the cart before the horse.'

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Recently, Starbucks announced a collaboration with the well-known badminton equipment brand YONEX and launched limited-edition co-branded badminton rackets. As soon as the news came out, it attracted the attention of a large number of Starbucks fans and badminton enthusiasts.

Last Saturday, badminton star Lin Dan appeared at the Starbucks Beijing Sanlitun store to participate in a promotional event, exciting users who had been following the matter.

According to on-site spectators, Lin Dan tried out the co-branded racket during the event, played badminton with fans, made drinks by hand, and left his autograph on the limited-edition racket. Some badminton enthusiasts who missed the news were envious after learning about it, wishing they could turn back time just to see their idol in person at the scene.

In addition, Starbucks designed a new limited-edition cup sleeve around this collaboration, and customers praised this uniquely shaped cup sleeve highly. The brand also released a number of limited-edition merchandise items incorporating badminton elements. Badminton fans said this dream collaboration greatly exceeded their expectations, and some of the items sold out soon after going on sale.

A collaboration event naturally needs new products to support it. To echo the Paris Olympics, Starbucks this time introduced a sparkling wine-flavored cold brew inspired by French sparkling wine, and also launched two sports-themed limited-edition cakes, attracting fans to place orders and try them.

It is understood that although this sparkling wine-flavored cold brew has 'wine' in its name, it is actually alcohol-free. Instead, it uses champagne-flavored grape pulp and sparkling water to recreate the taste and mouthfeel of sparkling wine. This also lowers the threshold for trying the new product, so consumers who do not drink alcohol can also try it with peace of mind.

However, feedback on this new drink has been mixed. Some people think the sparkling wine-flavored cold brew is refreshing and sweet on the palate, without the burden brought by alcohol, making it very suitable for drinking in the current season. Some even had a cup almost every day after the new product launched, loving it so much they could not put it down.

Others could not accept the taste of the new product: 'It tastes like bayberry shochu,' 'A bit minty, like toothpaste, with hardly any coffee flavor,' 'A sparkling version of cold medicine granules.' Many people admitted that after a few sips they gave up the whole cup and were unwilling to buy it a second time.

The cupcakes launched at the same time as the new drink received one-sided reviews. From pictures posted by customers, the limited-edition dessert is based on a cupcake, paired with cream mousse and small sports-ball decorations, and its appearance alone is enough to win over looks-focused fans. But after actually tasting it, many people said their expectations were not met, stating that this cake did not taste as fluffy as imagined: 'Small and hard,' 'The cake body is dry and crumbly.'

The Olympic Games have made 'sports elements' the most eye-catching selling point this summer. Brands such as Luckin Coffee and Starbucks have successively launched related collaboration events to attract public attention and drive sales in offline stores.

Some badminton fans said that Starbucks' collaboration event with YONEX this time was quite a big deal, and they even invited Lin Dan to interact with fans, fulfilling their wish to get close to their idol. But some netizens believe that Starbucks seems to have somewhat 'put the cart before the horse': the merchandise was made with care and catered to the needs of badminton fans, but the quality control of the new drinks and pastries was not done well, making consumers feel it was 'not worth the money.'

Image source: Internet

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