Why Is the Luckin Coffee Large Cup Upgrade So Confusing?

Luckin Coffee added two new cup sizes, Extra Large and Super Large, to its mini-program, letting customers pay an extra 3 yuan to upgrade a drink to a cup of nearly 600 milliliters. The listing shows only the +¥3 charge, not the capacity of each size or how the two differ, so buyers cannot tell which cup is bigger from the name or the price.

Store employees give inconsistent answers about the upgrade, with some tying the sizes to iced versus hot drinks and others saying the recipe changes from product to product. Customers also wonder whether the extra volume means more coffee liquid or simply more water. The missing detail pushes users into repeated trial and error and keeps the discussion alive on Chinese social platforms.

Luckin Coffee recently launched two new cup sizes, Extra Large and Super Large, on its mini-program. Users can upgrade for an additional 3 yuan, but the official listing does not clearly indicate the capacity difference between the two, sparking widespread discussion among consumers. Some are delighted by the larger volume, while more are confused about "which is bigger, Extra Large or Super Large," and whether upgrading adds more coffee liquid or just water. Store employees give inconsistent explanations—some say the cup sizes correspond to iced versus hot drinks, while others say the recipe adjustments vary by product. Behind this upgrade, Luckin's lack of communication forces users to rely on repeated trial and error to confirm the taste. This article sorts out the ins and outs of the incident and includes relevant recommendations from Front Street Coffee.

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Recently, many Luckin Coffee users noticed a clear change in the drink selection interface when they opened the official mini-program to place an order.

According to screenshots shared by consumers, Luckin has comprehensively upgraded its existing drinks, adding two new sizes: Extra Large and Super Large. Users only need to pay an extra 3 yuan to upgrade their drink to a large cup with a capacity of nearly 600 milliliters.

This news should have delighted customers who felt the regular cup size was not enough. However, their joy was quickly replaced by confusion. "What exactly is the difference between Super Large and Extra Large?" "Which one is bigger?" "How exactly do you upgrade the cup? I totally don't get it." Similar questions appeared frequently on social platforms.

The mini-program page shows that Luckin's Extra Large and Super Large cups are both marked only with "+¥3," without indicating the specific capacities of these two new sizes. Consumers cannot tell the difference between the two from the names or prices. Some joked that ordering felt like doing reading comprehension, and bluntly said Luckin's product descriptions are not intuitive enough.

Meanwhile, customers who care about value for money are more concerned about whether upgrading the cup means "adding ingredients proportionally" or "just adding more water." In the perception of most tea beverage consumers, when the cup size increases, the recipe proportions should also be adjusted accordingly—for example, adding more espresso, milk, or drinking water—to maintain the drink's balanced taste.

However, regarding exactly how much coffee liquid is added to the upgraded drinks—or whether only water, milk, juice, or ice is added—the brand has not given a clear answer. Interestingly, some customers who could not figure out the rules asked store employees and ended up even more confused.

Store employees explained that the two new cup sizes Luckin introduced this time—Super Large and Extra Large—correspond to iced and hot drinks respectively, with actual capacities of 596 milliliters and 553 milliliters. But as for whether upgrading adds more coffee liquid, explanations vary: some say all coffee drinks get more coffee liquid, others say "for those few hot Americanos with juice, it's purely added hot water," and still others claim the espresso content is the same as before the upgrade, with only extra water or milk.

These contradictory replies left consumers baffled. However, from these varied answers, it is also clear that Luckin's upgrade this time was not the "proportionally add more ingredients" that netizens assumed, but rather ingredient ratio adjustments made for different products, resulting in some drinks getting more coffee liquid after upgrading while others get added milk or water.

The problem is that the recipe adjustment results after upgrading the cup size are not explained on the ordering interface. Some consumers can only judge through repeated attempts whether the upgraded drink tastes the same as before and whether it still has the original flavor. Many suggest that if the official ordering page could clearly explain the cup upgrade rules and inform users in advance which drinks get more coffee liquid after upgrading and how much, users could reduce the "trial-and-error cost" and more conveniently choose the drink they want.

Image source: Internet

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