Is the Luckin Coffee tamarind Americano really pickled beans?

Ahead of its October 13 Honor of Kings collaboration, Luckin Coffee announced a Tamarind Americano, and many netizens misread the name as pickled long beans stirred into coffee. Tamarind is actually the sweet-and-sour fruit of the tamarindus indica tree, common in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan, where it is used in juice, soup, and preserved fruit. Adding it to drinks is not new.

The full product name, Pain Mask Tamarind Americano, has also raised questions about how the sour fruit will sit with americano's coffee flavor. Luckin has not yet released tasting details, so the reception will only be clear once the co-branded drink reaches stores and customers can judge whether the pairing works.

Luckin Coffee's co-branded campaign with the mobile game Honor of Kings has not yet officially launched, but a new product called "Tamarind Americano" has already sparked discussion on social platforms ahead of time. Many netizens, upon first hearing the name, mistook it for pickled long beans added to coffee and blurted out "dark cuisine"; afterward, a Yunnan netizen clarified that tamarind is actually a common local fruit, often used to make beverages, and that pairing it with coffee has long had precedent. However, after the full name "Pain Mask · Tamarind Americano" was revealed, it triggered consumer worries about the taste. Whether this co-branded drink is a pleasant surprise or a flop will only be revealed after it hits the market.

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Recently, Luckin officially announced that it will launch a co-branded collaboration with the hit mobile game Honor of Kings on October 13. As the event date approaches, photos of limited-edition merchandise and rumors about the co-branded drinks keep surfacing on social platforms.

Among them, a new product called "Tamarind Americano" has already stirred the curiosity of many users even before its official release. Many people's first reaction upon hearing the name is to associate it with the sour, salty pickles floating on soup, and the image of pickled long beans covering the surface of the coffee immediately comes to mind, prompting them to complain: "Oh my, that's a bit dark."

Just when everyone mistakenly thought Luckin was actually launching this bizarre combination of "pickled long beans with coffee" and marveled at how wild the brand's R&D imagination had become, a netizen stepped forward to clarify on the brand's behalf: "It's not pickled long beans! It's tamarind!"

According to Baidu Baike, tamarind is actually the fruit of a plant called tamarindus indica, not the topping that people usually associate with being sprinkled on luosifen. Tamarind tastes sweet and sour; it can be processed into preserved fruit and juice, and can also be used as medicine. It is relatively common in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and other places.

A Yunnan netizen explained that locally, tamarind is often used to make tamarind juice, tamarind soup, and so on, and that incorporating tamarind into coffee drinks was not pioneered by Luckin. Some people posted menus from certain coffee shops in Yunnan, saying that "many local coffee shops sell tamarind americanos," and stated outright that this pairing is nothing unusual in their eyes.

After understanding that "Tamarind Americano" was not the "Pickled Long Bean Americano" that people had mistaken it for due to a one-character difference, netizens became a bit more curious about Luckin's new product. In particular, users who had never encountered tamarind before expressed their anticipation in the comments: "I want to try it."

However, when some people learned that the full name of this co-branded drink was "Pain Mask · Tamarind Americano," they could not help but worry whether the taste would be hard to accept, leaving people truly "wearing a pain mask" after drinking it.

In response, gamers explained that the "Pain Mask" is a piece of equipment in the mobile game Honor of Kings, and because its icon resembles a human face in a pained expression, it became an internet meme. They believe that the brand may have used it in the product name to highlight the co-branding theme, and that it does not necessarily mean the drink will make people suffer after drinking it.

Although netizens who have tried tamarind and some gamers think that "Tamarind Americano" may not necessarily be dark cuisine, some people still remain reserved. They pointed out that Luckin's recently launched products such as "Little Mulberry Fruit & Vegetable Tea" and "Milk Skin Latte" have already drawn complaints from many consumers over taste or mouthfeel, and they worry that the tamarind-and-americano pairing will repeat the same mistake.

As for whether this novel drink that has sparked heated discussion actually tastes good, it will probably only be revealed after it goes on sale and consumers taste it for themselves.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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