Why did a rose drink's coffee aroma description fall flat?

Chagee's Valentine's Day limited drink In the Rose Garden, made with the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum in Spain and inspired by Monet's The House Among the Roses, drew complaints that the rose flavor was hard to detect. Consumers compared it with Go to Yunnan and Boya Juexian, questioning the name. Staff posted photos of rose petal tea buckets and suggested Go to Yunnan for a clearer rose note.

The drink's tea base is described as Yunnan double-petaled roses blended with Fujian medium-light roasted Shuixian oolong. The gap between that description and what buyers tasted turned into a debate about naming and flavor, and about whether a coffee aroma description style of marketing sets expectations a drink cannot meet. Reviews stayed split, with packaging and themed bookmarks praised even as taste drew criticism.

During Valentine's Day, major chain beverage brands have been launching rose-themed products one after another. Chagee collaborated with the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Spain to launch a limited-edition drink, "In the Rose Garden," inspired by Monet's painting "The House Among the Roses." However, this highly anticipated new product suffered a reputational nosedive after consumers tried it — many reported being unable to taste any rose flavor, and even compared it with the brand's classic products "Go to Yunnan" and "Boya Juexian," questioning whether it lived up to its name. Staff members posted photos of rose petal tea buckets in the back kitchen to prove their innocence, and suggested that customers seeking rose aroma choose "Go to Yunnan" instead. A discussion about rose flavor and product naming thus unfolded.

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When it comes to Valentine's Day, roses are an unavoidable motif. Recently, major chain beverage brands have seized on this romantic occasion to launch rose-related products in quick succession. Chagee collaborated with the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Spain, drawing inspiration from Impressionist master Monet's "The House Among the Roses," and officially launched its Valentine's Day limited-edition drink "In the Rose Garden" today.

In photos shared by fans, this new product not only has a poetic name but also eye-catching packaging — the brand recreated Monet's painting and printed the beautiful rose garden imagery on the takeaway cups, prompting many consumers to exclaim that the Valentine's Day ritual atmosphere was maxed out.

It is reported that in addition to launching the new drink and limited-edition packaging materials, Chagee's collaboration also included themed limited-edition bookmarks. Some netizens joked that the brand's Valentine's Day limited-edition campaign satisfied the preferences of aesthetics-focused consumers while using merchandise to attract those "buy-the-box-not-the-pearl" type consumers, showing a keen grasp of fan psychology.

However, when consumers eagerly picked up the new product from stores and took a sip, they couldn't help but furrow their brows.

According to the official description, this new product's tea base uses Yunnan double-petaled roses, blended with Fujian medium-light roasted Shuixian oolong, then combined with premium milk, so that upon tasting it, one can feel the rich and sweet rose fragrance. But the first batch of consumers who tried it all said after drinking that this cup was "completely unrelated to roses."

Some netizens bluntly complained that they no longer expected to be immersed in a rose garden — "even just passing by a rose bush, you'd at least pick up some rose scent" — but Chagee's new product did not deliver the expected rich floral aroma, leading this consumer to suggest "it should just be renamed 'Failed Rose Clout-Chasing Low-Cost Oolong Milk Tea.'"

Customers with similar feelings were not few. They reported that during drinking, the oolong tea flavor was particularly prominent, while the rose fragrance that should have played the leading role was so faint it was almost imperceptible — "I thought there would be rose flavor, but after tasting it for ages, there's none at all," "As a rose lover, I'm really disappointed, I can't taste any rose flavor at all," "Many people around me also couldn't taste the rose flavor, I almost suspected something was wrong with my sense of taste."

Others compared this new product with "Go to Yunnan," a permanent item on Chagee's menu that also contains Yunnan double-petaled roses, and felt that the rose flavor in the new product was far less pronounced than that rose pu'er milk tea. Some fans also felt that the new product's taste was closer to Chagee's signature product "Boya Juexian," and that the drink's characteristics did not match its name "In the Rose Garden."

Faced with consumers' questions about "whether roses were actually added to the new product," some staff quickly posted photos taken in the back kitchen of tea buckets filled with rose petals, proving that the production process had not cut corners.

Staff explained that the tea base of "In the Rose Garden" is made by steeping Shuixian oolong together with rose petals — "The back kitchen is filled with the smell of roses, so strong it's overwhelming."

However, some speculated that this production method might make the floral aroma in the tea not strong enough, creating a gap with consumers' expectations, though people sensitive to smells could actually still catch that faint wisp of rose fragrance.

That said, if consumers are after a distinct rose fragrance, some staff would be more inclined to recommend "Go to Yunnan." After all, that aromatic rose pu'er milk tea might better fit what the general public imagines "In the Rose Garden" should be like.

Image source: Internet

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