Why Did the Luckin Coffee Coconut Americano Taste Change?

Luckin Coffee brought back its Coconut Water Iced Americano on May 6, and the response was mostly negative. Longtime fans said the coconut water's fresh aroma and natural sweetness were gone, replaced by a sticky mouthfeel and an odd sweetness, with some comparing it to cold banlangen granules. Complaints filled social media within 12 hours of the relaunch.

Customers traced the change to the ingredient list: the previous Fino coconut water was swapped for a blended fruit juice built on concentrated apple juice. Because coconut water supply is seasonal, the drink has always been a limited-time item, so fans wait each year for its return. Many are now asking Luckin to restore the original formula.

Luckin Coffee's signature product, Coconut Water Iced Americano, officially returned on May 6 after a comeback teaser was released on Youth Day. However, to the surprise of many long-awaiting fans, reviews of the new version have been almost unanimously negative. Many longtime customers reported that this cup, once their "white moonlight," has changed its taste—the fresh fragrance and natural sweetness of coconut water are gone, replaced by a sticky mouthfeel and a strange sweetness, even described as "cold banlangen granules." After netizens dug deeper, they found that Luckin had replaced the previously used Fino coconut water with a blended fruit juice containing concentrated apple juice, which is believed to be the main reason for the taste change. Less than 12 hours after the return, complaints flooded social media platforms, and calls to switch back to the original formula grew louder and louder.

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The combination of coconut water and coffee has always been a classic. Since its launch, Coconut Water Iced Americano has become one of Luckin's signature products thanks to its immense popularity, and it has also accumulated a loyal fan base. Unfortunately, due to the seasonal supply of ingredients, this drink can only make a limited-time appearance each year. So whenever it disappears from the menu, fans either try to recreate it themselves or patiently wait for the next year.

Not long ago, Luckin took the opportunity of Youth Day to release a "Coconut Water Returns" teaser, signaling that Coconut Water Iced Americano would soon return, and scheduled its official relaunch for May 6. When many devoted fans learned that the white moonlight they had been thinking about all winter was about to come back, they immediately cheered and left comments urging the company to make it a permanent product.

However, unexpectedly, after the returning version hit the market, not only did people not look satisfied—they gave highly consistent "negative reviews," and even couldn't help shouting to everyone they passed: "If you haven't tried it yet, don't drink it!" Because this cup of "white moonlight" no longer tastes the same.

A hardcore longtime fan who claimed to have been obsessed with Coconut Water Cold Brew Americano since its very inception and who always ordered it whenever it returned, laid out the drink's year-by-year evolution through personal experience: the first year it was stunning; the improved 2023 version still maintained an amazing standard; the 2024 version was slightly sweeter, but its refreshing quality was even more pronounced; by 2025, however, it had simply turned into... in short, it was hard to swallow.

So what exactly caused this cup of coffee to go from being something everyone wanted to recommend to the whole world to something people now warn others to avoid?

According to feedback from those who tried it, although the returning drink is still a combination of coconut water and coffee, upon tasting it, the unique fresh fragrance and natural sweetness of coconut water in memory are completely gone. The mouthfeel is very sticky, with an indescribable sweetness, and after the coffee is added, the flavor becomes especially jarring, as if drinking a cup of "cold banlangen granules."

At first, many netizens thought they had ordered the wrong item, or suspected that staff at the store had made a mistake, and some even questioned whether something was wrong with their own sense of taste. Puzzled, they searched on social media and discovered that the feeling that Coconut Water Iced Americano had plummeted in taste was actually "nationwide," with related complaint posts simply overwhelming:

"Coconut Water Iced Americano is unforgivable!" "I kept waiting for its return, and what came back is a downgraded drink." "Sweet is sweet, bitter is bitter, I'm about to faint." "It's no longer the same taste as when it first came out." "Compared with last year's, it's worlds apart—I can't taste the coconut water." "Luckin, can you stop changing things randomly?" "Coconut water returns, my youth ends." "The coconut water is super bland, it tastes like white sugar mixed with water plus coffee." "Forget the sweetness, there's almost no coconut flavor at all." ...If summarized in one word, it would be: "Not good."

As for the reason behind the coffee's changed taste, most fans actually already had a pretty good idea: Luckin switched the coconut water. Some netizens dug up the coconut water Luckin used in the past and this year's latest version, and found that the ingredients had indeed been completely replaced.

From the images, the brand previously used was Fino, with an ingredient list mainly consisting of water, coconut water, and concentrated coconut water. After its return, however, Coconut Water Iced Americano switched to a "blended fruit juice," whose ingredient list, besides water, coconut water, and concentrated coconut water, also includes concentrated apple juice. And this detail—not being pure coconut water—is precisely the "chief culprit" that changed the taste of the entire cup of coffee.

Less than 12 hours have passed since Coconut Water Iced Americano returned, and complaints about it are already all over the related topics, which shows that people truly feel their "expectations were dashed." If this pace continues, I believe that in the coming days, more and more voices will call on Luckin to switch back to the original version.

Image source: online screenshots

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