Is iced americano bitter when jasmine tea is added?

Luckin Coffee has relaunched its jasmine Americano as the Jasmine Fragrance Americano, after the original was pulled from menus just four days after last summer's release. The drink blends double-petal jasmine tea infusion from Hengzhou, Guangxi with coffee liquid, and drops the dried jasmine garnish used before.

Reactions are split. Some drinkers report a richer floral aroma and smoother taste than last year, while others find the jasmine note artificial and overpowering. Whether an iced americano tastes bitter here depends on the coffee base; the tea infusion is meant to soften and perfume it rather than remove the coffee's natural bitterness.

Last summer, Luckin Coffee once launched a jasmine Americano, which was hastily taken off the menu just four days after its release, sparking much speculation. Now this tea-coffee drink has returned under the name "Jasmine Fragrance Americano," still made with a blend of double-petal jasmine tea infusion from Hengzhou, Guangxi, and coffee liquid, but without the dried jasmine flowers as a garnish in the cup. The relaunched product quickly triggered a check-in craze, with endless discussions on social media. Some praised its rich floral aroma and smoother taste compared to last year, while others complained about an overly strong artificial flavor, likening it to the scent of household products. Is this tea-coffee that "only smells the flowers but sees none" a sincere comeback or just a "Wanwan look-alike"? Let's take a look at the real feedback from the first batch of tasters.

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Last summer, Luckin Coffee launched a refreshing summer iced coffee—the Jasmine Americano. However, this item was swiftly removed from the menu just four days after its launch, and the speed of its removal led netizens to speculate about the reasons. Despite its brief existence, it still captured a group of loyal fans, many of whom, after the product was discontinued, still couldn't forget it and went to the official account to leave messages, hoping for its return.

Perhaps hearing the calls of consumers, Luckin Coffee relaunched a "same soup, different medicine" Jasmine Fragrance Americano this morning. This drink is consistent with the previous Jasmine Americano in terms of ingredients, also made from a blend of double-petal jasmine tea infusion produced in Hengzhou, Guangxi, and coffee liquid.

However, having learned from last time, this Jasmine Fragrance Americano no longer sprinkles the iconic dried jasmine flowers when served, becoming a refreshing tea-coffee that only smells the floral scent without seeing the flowers.

Although it lacks the fresh and cute jasmine garnish, fans who had been waiting eagerly immediately placed orders to try it upon seeing the long-awaited "white moonlight" return. Users who missed the Jasmine Americano last year also sprang into action, curious about how this fleeting tea-coffee actually tasted.

In a short time, the number of posts about the Jasmine Fragrance Americano surged on social media. Among them, the focus of tasters' feedback was the undeniable jasmine aroma of the drink itself.

They said that the moment they received the drink and opened the lid, a rich jasmine fragrance rushed to their noses, as if they were instantly in a field of flowers. After taking a sip, although the floral scent diminished somewhat, it still noticeably overpowered the aroma and taste of the coffee, so much so that most people, after tasting, only remembered the strong floral fragrance lingering in their mouths.

Netizens who had tried the 1.0 version of the Jasmine Americano, after comparing it with their memory of the taste, believed that Luckin's improved Jasmine Fragrance Americano had made progress compared to last year. The removal of the decorative dried flowers that affected the mouthfeel meant customers no longer had to spit out petals while drinking. The taste of the jasmine tea infusion was also adjusted, and overall, it didn't have the astringency it had before.

In addition, when ordering, the drink offers multiple sweetness options, allowing users to add sugar according to personal taste to reduce the inevitable bitterness of tea-coffee.

However, although the floral scent that can be smelled upon opening the lid directly tells customers through their sense of smell that jasmine tea infusion has been added to the drink, the overly rich aroma easily reminds people of household products with added jasmine essence, such as napkins, air fresheners, and so on.

Therefore, some netizens believe that this heavy jasmine fragrance not only fails to add to the appeal but is counterproductive. "The taste is very much like detergent," "It feels stuffy like drinking cheap jasmine perfume," "A strange jasmine essence flavor."

Loyal fans of the 1.0 version said, "It used to have tea aroma, floral scent, and coffee aroma upon tasting, but this time it's purely artificial flavor." They couldn't help but lament that the Jasmine Americano seemed to have returned, but in reality, it was just a "Wanwan look-alike," no longer the unforgettable tea-coffee from last year's memory.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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