Does the Chagee Salted Milk Tea Recipe Get the Coffee Milk Ratio Right?

Chagee has launched Qianlong No. 1, its first salted milk tea, which the brand says recreates a drink recorded in the Collected Statutes of the Great Qing. Reaction has split sharply: some drinkers find it salty and rich, comparing it to Inner Mongolian milk tea, while others say the flavor does not work at all.

The name has drawn as much attention as the taste. Online comments joke that Qianlong No. 1 suits office workers, and some question whether the brand should have kept its earlier product name. Chagee sells the drink as a single cup or a two-cup set with a limited bookmark tied to a Palace Museum tea exhibition.

Chagee recently officially announced the launch of its new product "Qianlong No. 1," claiming to recreate the same milk tea that Emperor Qianlong drank based on records in the "Collected Statutes of the Great Qing." It is also the brand's first salted milk tea. After launching, it quickly sparked heated discussion. Netizens joked that the name was "more suitable for wage earners," while also seriously reviewing the taste, yet opinions were sharply divided — some felt it was salty, savory, and rich like Inner Mongolian milk tea, while others complained it tasted like "Emperor Qianlong's bathwater." At the same time, discussions kept emerging about whether the product name was awkwardly piggybacking on a historical figure and whether it could continue using the old name "Qingshan Xianshuang." This article compiles views from all sides to take you through the true face of this palace-style salted milk tea.

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Yesterday, Chagee officially announced the launch of its new product "Qianlong No. 1." Even before this product went on sale, its distinctive name had already aroused the curiosity and discussion of many netizens, and after sales began it attracted a large number of consumers to place orders and try it.

It is understood that "Qianlong No. 1" is a milk tea recreated by Chagee based on a recipe recorded in the "Collected Statutes of the Great Qing," replicating the same milk tea enjoyed by Qianlong, and it is also the brand's first foray into the field of salted milk tea. Consumers can either buy a single cup to experience the milk tea flavor Qianlong preferred, or choose a two-cup set and take home the limited bookmark released by the brand in collaboration with the Palace Museum Tea World cultural special exhibition "Qianlong and Tea."

Not long after "Qianlong No. 1" was listed, related posts flooded social platforms, many of them teasing and spoofing the product name. Some witty netizens had a flash of inspiration upon seeing the product and came up with slogans for the brand: "Qianlong No. 1, a milk tea more suitable for wage earners," "Taste the flavor of emperors, live the life of an urban servant, enjoy the life of a beast of burden," "Drink Qianlong No. 1, taste the life of Yongzheng."

Some even helped Chagee plan a future "Qing Palace series" product line, saying that next they could launch "Cixi No. 2," "Niohuru No. 3," and so on. Some mischief-makers even suggested that staff shout "Your Majesty, your milk tea is ready" when serving, to provide emotional value to consumers and let them indulge in the thrill of "ascending the throne as emperor."

Beyond the fun, some netizens also wrote serious reviews after checking in on the new product, sharing their drinking experience. As expected, this salted milk tea, like other Chagee products, received sharply polarized reviews.

Those who liked it felt it had a hint of Inner Mongolian milk tea flavor, salty, savory, and rich, bringing a milk tea experience different from the past. After trying it, not only did they want another cup themselves, they would also recommend it to friends and family so they could experience the uniqueness of the same drink as Qianlong.

However, consumers who could not accept salted milk tea helplessly joked that "the reason I can't become emperor has been found." They said the new product "leaves your mouth sticky after drinking," making people feel greasy and hard to accept. Some even sharply commented that it was "like Qianlong's bathwater" and that "even the emperor would die after drinking it." In addition, many people compared Chagee's new product with salted milk tea from other beverage brands on the market, believing that "Qianlong No. 1" was slightly inferior in taste.

It is worth mentioning that some netizens speculated that this new product was the Qingshan Xianshuang previously tested in Sichuan, that is, the salty version of Qingshan Qigu, which consumers not long ago called an "insomnia special." Therefore, some fans believed that this salted milk tea could actually continue to use the old name and did not need to be renamed.

They said that the name "Qianlong No. 1" may arouse onlookers' curiosity at first glance, but it does not quite match the drink and also gives consumers a sense of "awkwardly piggybacking on a historical celebrity's popularity." After all, although historical records say Qianlong was crazy about tea, they do not mention whether the old gentleman liked Chagee's salted milk tea.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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