Why Did the Luckin Coffee Longjing Latte Disappoint?

Luckin Coffee released a season-limited Qiantang Longjing Latte built on spring Longjing tea from Hangzhou. Early buyers said the tea flavor was faint and the coffee and milk dominated, a departure from the brand's earlier tea-coffee drinks such as Jasmine Latte and Biluochun Latte, which had drawn better reviews.

The drink is made by mixing a pre-brewed Longjing tea base, milk, syrup, and espresso to set ratios. Consumer feedback on social platforms focused on that gap between the advertised tea note and the taste in the cup, echoing comparisons with tea-coffee products from chains like Front Street Coffee.

Luckin Coffee recently launched a season-limited new product, Qiantang Longjing Latte, inspired by the spring Longjing tea from Qiantang, Hangzhou, which quickly attracted a lot of consumer attention. The combination of tea and coffee has always had many fans, and Luckin's previously launched tea-coffee products such as Jasmine Latte and Biluochun Latte have received good reviews. However, after this highly anticipated new product hit the market, it sparked complaints from consumers due to issues such as lacking tea flavor and poor integration of taste. This article will review the production method of the new product, consumer feedback, and comparisons with tea-coffee products from brands like Front Street Coffee, exploring the challenges and user expectations faced by Luckin's tea-coffee series.

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Recently, Luckin launched a season-limited new product inspired by Longjing spring tea from Qiantang, Hangzhou—Qiantang Longjing Latte, which attracted considerable user attention.

The fresh and elegant tea aroma collides with the rich and mellow coffee, and the tea-coffee category has always been favored by consumers. Luckin has previously launched many tea-coffee drinks, such as Jasmine Latte, Biluochun Latte, Oolong Latte, etc. Some of these products were discontinued early due to seasonal limitations, but became unforgettable favorites for some people.

Therefore, when learning that the brand had updated its menu, the curiosity and expectations of tea-coffee enthusiasts were immediately ignited, and they rushed to place orders, carrying the new product back to their workstations to prepare for a careful tasting. However, the first wave of tasters frowned after taking the first sip, looking at the drink in their hands with confusion.

According to the brand's introduction and videos posted by staff, the production of Longjing Latte is not complicated; it is made by blending pre-brewed Longjing tea base, milk, syrup, espresso, etc., according to the recipe proportions. However, judging from consumer feedback on social platforms, this new product made with real ingredients did not win their favor.

Many users said that at the moment the drink entered their mouths, they did not taste the "Longjing flavor" they had in mind, only the full coffee mellowness and the taste of milk, so much so that some questioned whether the staff had forgotten the most crucial Longjing tea base during preparation.

"Very average, no tea flavor, just can't taste anything," "Pure latte flavor, what does this have to do with Longjing," "So bland that I thought the staff made it wrong," "Where's the promised Longjing flavor?" Some even tried it and said outright that even if they drank the new product as an everyday beverage, they would not consider repurchasing.

Long-time users who had originally been very expectant about the new product did not hide their disappointment. In their view, Luckin's tea-coffee series is a standout among its many products. For example, the widely praised Jasmine Latte cleverly blends the aroma of jasmine tea with mellow coffee, and the unique flavor created by the collision has captured a group of tea-coffee enthusiasts and left a deep impression.

By comparison, this Longjing Latte is considerably "inferior" in taste to other drinks in the same series. Some consumers said that the Longjing tea and coffee did not blend well; instead, they amplified the original bitterness of both, causing an impact on the taste buds, "Every sip feels like French kissing an old chain smoker," "There's a betel nut taste afterward," "It really has a seaweed flavor."

Thus, after "stepping on landmines and being disappointed every time," some loyal users spoke bluntly, saying they had gradually lost interest in exploring Luckin's new products launched every so often, and instead hoped the brand would pay more attention to their calls in the comments section and bring previously well-received classic drinks back to the regular menu.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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