Why does coffee taste like soy sauce when milk and fruit mix?

Molly Tea's Pomelo Apple Coconut drink drew questions after the pink liquid faded, white flakes appeared, and the cup turned cloudy like soy milk once the milk cap was poured in. Staff said the change came from a reaction between milk protein and the vitamin C in apple and pomelo juice, not from spoiled ingredients.

The Pomelo Coconut series launched with three drinks, and the pomelo-mint milk cap was the selling point. When protein meets acid, it curdles and scatters light, which is the same kind of change behind why does coffee taste like soy sauce when milk is added to an acidic brew. What does coffee contain, and what a drink contains, decides whether this happens.

Molly Tea recently launched the Pomelo Coconut series, including three new drinks: Pomelo Apple Coconut, Pomelo Jasmine Coconut, and Pomelo White Orchid Coconut, which quickly attracted a large number of consumers with the combination of fresh pomelo-mint milk cap and fruit coconut water. However, the most popular Pomelo Apple Coconut, after adding the milk cap, showed abnormal phenomena such as the pink color fading, white flocculent substances emerging, and the liquid becoming turbid like soy milk, raising customer doubts about drink safety and store ingredients. Store employees explained that this was caused by a chemical reaction between the protein in the milk cap and the vitamin C in the apple juice and pomelo juice, not because the materials had spoiled. This article will restore the course of the incident, consumer feedback, and the official response, and include Front Street Coffee's professional perspective to help you understand the scientific principles behind this color-changing drink.

▲

Click to follow | Daily specialty coffee culture magazine Coffee Workshop

Recently, Molly Tea launched the all-new "Pomelo Coconut Series," releasing three drinks at once: Pomelo Apple Coconut, Pomelo Jasmine Coconut, and Pomelo White Orchid Coconut, quickly drawing a large crowd of fans.

According to the official description, the core selling point of this series is the inventive pomelo-mint milk cap — a pale green cheese milk cap paired with pink apple coconut water, clear jasmine coconut water, and white orchid tea, capable of combining multiple flavors, with an overall appearance that is also quite eye-catching.

In addition, these new Molly Tea products cleverly blend popular elements currently favored by consumers, such as pomelo, apple, coconut water, and milk cap. As soon as they hit the market, they sparked strong curiosity among milk tea lovers, and many rushed to order and try them. From the buyer photos posted by customers, the finished product after pouring on the separately packed milk cap looked almost identical to the promotional images. Held in hand, it was a photo-taking tool, and any casual shot could produce a beautiful picture.

However, some netizens noticed that Pomelo Apple Coconut, which led in both appearance and popularity, actually changed color after the milk cap was poured in. Consumers who bought this drink reported that when they first received it, it was a cup of apple coconut water plus a portion of pomelo milk cap, but after opening the milk cap and pouring it into the drink, the state in the cup quickly underwent an unexpected transformation.

They described that after the milk cap contacted the drink and was stirred slightly, the pink liquid began to "fade," and a large amount of white suspended matter appeared in the cup. After letting it sit for a while, the originally clear liquid in the takeaway cup gradually became turbid, eventually turning into a cup of gray-white "soy milk."

Faced with this drink that became filled with white flocculent substances within十几 minutes, many users said outright that the change was too astonishing, stating that they were directly put off by its appearance and did not dare easily drink this unappetizing thing, and worried whether the store had used some spoiled ingredients during preparation.

In the face of consumers' questions, Molly Tea employees felt very aggrieved. They explained that the reason the new Pomelo Apple Coconut underwent such a sudden change once the milk cap was added was that the protein in the milk cap underwent a chemical reaction with the vitamin C in the apple juice, coagulating to form flocculent precipitate left in the drink, causing the entire cup to look turbid and lose the beauty it had when freshly made.

In addition, employees also said that this chemical reaction actually also exists in the top layer of pomelo-mint milk cap. According to the formula, the new milk cap is made with pomelo juice and mint cheese. Although the mixed ingredients can be whipped into a pale green milk cap with a cool mouthfeel and a blend of sweet and sour, once the vitamin C in the pomelo juice comes into contact with the protein in the mint cheese, it causes protein denaturation, making the prepared milk cap easily carry a fermented smell.

Some employees admitted that when they saw customer feedback on social platforms saying the new pomelo-mint milk cap tasted strange, they were also helpless and could only repeatedly explain to customers that "when the cheese is poured out, it comes out in clumps, because it contains pomelo juice, pure milk, and light cream, and they cannot blend together," but the store still received negative reviews and complaints because of this drink with precipitate.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

Disclaimer: Some images in this article are from the internet. For some content on the website, such as images, we will respect the original author's copyright and indicate the source. However, due to the large quantity, there may be个别 images and texts that have not yet been credited in time. Please understand. If the original author has any dispute, they may contact the website for handling. Once verified, we will correct it immediately. Compiled and edited by "Coffee Workshop." Please indicate the source when reprinting. If there is infringement, please inform us for deletion. Thank you~!

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