Why Did Luckin Coffee's Pistachio Latte Divide Tasters?

Luckin Coffee launched a co-branded pistachio latte and merchandise for the film Creation of the Gods II. Early customers reported a greasy, cloying mouthfeel, and the drink is made with pistachio paste, oat milk, and espresso. Staff refused requests to swap oat milk for regular milk, stating that production standards require oat milk only.

The campaign hit another snag when limited-edition cup sleeves were recalled by headquarters over a printing error, so themed sleeves were no longer given out. Misprinted sleeves then surfaced on second-hand platforms at inflated prices. Luckin framed the collaboration as a New Year box-office tie-in, but the rollout left collectors and drinkers frustrated.

Luckin Coffee's co-branding campaign with the New Year film "Creation of the Gods II" has officially launched, simultaneously releasing a pistachio latte and film-themed merchandise. However, the first batch of consumers who tried the new product had polarized opinions on its taste, with many reporting a noticeably greasy mouthfeel and the inability to substitute oat milk with regular milk. Even more surprising to merchandise collectors, the co-branded limited-edition cup sleeves were urgently recalled by headquarters due to a printing error, and themed cup sleeves were no longer offered during the campaign. Meanwhile, misprinted cup sleeves appeared on second-hand platforms at inflated prices, sparking widespread questions. This article will sort through the course of events and reactions from all sides.

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Today, the highly anticipated co-branding campaign between Luckin and the film "Creation of the Gods II" officially debuted. Alongside the campaign came the new pistachio latte and film-themed limited-edition merchandise, building hype for the film set to hit the New Year box office.

Fans who had been eagerly waiting quickly placed orders upon hearing the news, racing to get their hands on the limited-edition merchandise, becoming the first wave of tasters on the internet. However, customers who excitedly bought the designated set meal and tried this New Year limited-edition drink were left speechless after one sip.

It is understood that the new product is made from pistachio paste, oat milk, and espresso. Consumers who sampled it reported that the pistachio paste itself carries the oily richness of nuts, and when combined with oat milk, the overall mouthfeel is like "drinking a cup of oil" — "greasy and cloying."

Customers with a more sensitive sense of smell said the oat milk flavor in the new product clearly overpowered the aroma of the pistachio paste and coffee, tasting like a cup of nut milk, leading some to admit that "the oat milk is the downfall of this one."

As a result, some consumers who couldn't accept the greasy mouthfeel tried to swap the oat milk for regular milk to reduce the oiliness. But this request was refused by staff. Luckin employees explained that according to production standards, the pistachio latte can only be made with oat milk, and whether customers note it in the order or ask in person, they cannot violate the rules to accommodate the request.

Besides the drink's taste falling short of expectations, some users also had complaints about the co-branded merchandise. From images shared online, Luckin's co-branded merchandise with "Creation of the Gods II" includes playing cards featuring film characters that serve both collectible and entertainment purposes, as well as specially themed takeaway paper bags. But many noticed that the official merchandise lineup did not include limited-edition cup sleeves.

This unusual situation surprised many merchandise enthusiasts. They pointed out that in Luckin's previous high-profile co-branding campaigns, limited-edition cup sleeves and paper bags were almost never absent. Yet this film collaboration broke from tradition, leaving merchandise fans who had hoped to add another collectible feeling puzzled.

Faced with questions from merch fans, Luckin fans who are always on top of online trends helplessly explained that last week, photos of the actual co-branded cup sleeves surfaced on social media, and one of them was found to have a printing error, which quickly sparked online discussion. Afterwards, Luckin employees revealed that headquarters urgently recalled all cup sleeves already distributed to stores and clearly notified before the campaign that themed cup sleeves would not be offered this time. They said that if consumers wanted, stores could provide Snake Year New Year edition or regular cup sleeves.

Upon learning of the printing error on the merchandise, fans had already anticipated how the brand would handle it, but seeing that the other two error-free cup sleeves were also not put into use was somewhat regrettable.

However, some users browsing second-hand platforms found that certain accounts were selling Luckin's misprinted Creation of the Gods co-branded cup sleeves, with some listings tagged as "out-of-print merchandise" priced at over 60 yuan per set. Surprisingly, some claimed to have already paid and were just waiting for the seller to ship.

In response, some onlookers bluntly said they couldn't understand merch fans' obsession with Luckin's limited-edition cup sleeves, and also wondered why misprinted merchandise was appearing on platforms at high prices — "Weren't they supposed to be recalled and destroyed? Why is someone selling them?" But this question,恐怕 only Luckin employees can answer.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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