How Does the Extra-Large Cup Race Shape Coffee Culture?

Luckin and Cotti launched extra-large cup promotions on the same day, pushing coffee culture talk toward cup sizes and brand positioning. Luckin named Luo Yonghao its "Extra-Large Cup Recommender" in an ad recreating his iconic 2011 ordering scene, which went viral on social media, while Cotti countered with unlimited free upgrades in its 9.9 yuan zone, advertised with "no tricks, no raffles."

The rules differ sharply. Luckin requires a code raffle in its mini-program for a limited daily coupon, after quietly testing a three-yuan cup upgrade in late January and then extending extra-large options to lattes, flavored coffees, and tea drinks. Cotti needs no raffle, though only six drink categories qualify. Behind the cup-size battle, specialty coffee brands are competing for consumer mindshare.

Luckin officially announced Luo Yonghao as the "Extra-Large Cup Recommender," with an ad recreating the iconic 2011 micro-film ordering scene, flooding social media. On the same day, Cotti launched "Extra-Large Cup Unlimited Free Upgrade," with a poster hinting at "no tricks, no raffles," sparking heated discussion over the two brands' contrasting cup-upgrade strategies. Luckin requires a code raffle to get coupons, while Cotti lets customers order directly in the 9.9 zone. Consumers have mixed views on the two sets of rules—some prefer Cotti's no-threshold approach, while others point out it offers only 6 selectable categories. Behind this cup-size upgrade battle lies the coffee brands' competition for consumer mindshare. Front Street Coffee continues to follow industry trends, bringing in-depth observations to enthusiasts.

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Not long ago, Luckin officially announced Luo Yonghao as its "Luckin Extra-Large Cup Recommender," and in the official promotional video starring him, it recreated the classic scene from the 2011 micro-film "Little Horse" in which Luo Yonghao orders at Starbucks. Fifteen years later, this iconic scene was brought back to the screen. After the ad launched, it quickly went viral across major social platforms, drawing massive attention and discussion, while also drawing outside attention to Luckin's newly promoted "extra-large cup."

In fact, as early as the end of January this year, Luckin's mini-program quietly rolled out a "+3 yuan cup upgrade" option, testing the waters by enlarging the capacity of some best-selling drinks. This official announcement is a further optimization based on the original, combining market feedback, expanding the extra-large cup option to mainstream product lines such as lattes, flavored coffees, and tea drinks.

Coincidentally, on the same day Luckin launched its "free cup upgrade" campaign, Cotti also officially announced its "extra-large cup unlimited free upgrade" campaign on major social media. This timing "collision" immediately sparked the interest of onlookers, prompting many to start paying attention to the promotional moves of the two major brands around drink capacity upgrades.

According to official promotional messaging, although Luckin's cup upgrade campaign carries the word "free," users actually need to participate in a code raffle within the mini-program. Only by obtaining the official daily limited free cup upgrade coupon can they place an order for an extra-large cup drink with more volume at no extra cost.

Cotti chose a completely different approach: during the campaign period, users can directly order their desired extra-large cup drinks in the "9.9 Special Offer Zone" of the official mini-program. Notably, the brand quietly noted on its poster, "Free cup upgrade with no tricks, unlimited and no raffle." This wording was interpreted by outsiders as a direct "in-your-face" jab at Luckin's cup upgrade rules.

With highly similar poster styles and sharply contrasting slogans, this "extra-large cup battle" has gained a touch of drama. After some comparison, many consumers admitted they would rather choose Cotti, which has no purchase threshold, reasoning that "Luckin still requires a raffle, and you may not even win; Cotti is more worry-free." Others said, "Drinking coffee is just for enjoyment; I don't want to be dragged through a raffle game."

Some users reported that Luckin's free cup upgrade raffle mechanism this time was full of uncertainty—"I tried several accounts and still didn't win"—and being unable to grab a campaign coupon for several consecutive days was somewhat disappointing. Because of this, in their eyes, Cotti, which presents the extra-large cup perk directly to users, is more attractive to customers tired of marketing tricks.

However, some netizens offered a different view: although Cotti's free cup upgrade campaign lasts longer and lacks Luckin-style raffles and daily limits, only 6 drinks are included in the campaign. The brand's campaign coverage is relatively narrow, leaving consumers with limited choices and making it hard to cater to different users' taste preferences. Front Street Coffee believes that no matter how the rules are designed, it ultimately comes back to whether the product itself can meet the daily needs of coffee enthusiasts.

Image source: Internet

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