Anhui-based brand K.W.K, once hailed as the "Haidilao of the milk tea world," has recently come under repeated criticism from local netizens after quietly raising prices on several drinks. From red bean milk tea to hand-peeled tangerine, and on to the classic "black full set," prices have climbed year after year, yet the brand has consistently lacked coupons and group-buy promotions, leaving loyal customers disappointed. Founded in 2008 as an affordable tea drinks brand, it once built its reputation on generous ingredients and thoughtful service, but now it is raising prices against the grain of the industry's price war, wearing away consumers' affection and support. This article reviews K.W.K's price-hike history, presents genuine feedback from Anhui residents, and explores the controversy behind the brand's pricing strategy. [more…]

The high-speed rail milk tea "That Girl" launched by China Railway Guangzhou Group has sparked widespread discussion since its debut, with its 26-yuan price tag, taste, and packaging design all becoming focal points of criticism among netizens. In response to the controversy, the head of Guangzhou EMU Catering Co., Ltd. responded on November 16, stating that the pricing takes into account production costs, transportation, and the special operating environment of high-speed rail, in line with relevant department standards, and promised to continuously optimize product quality based on passenger feedback. Whether this high-speed rail milk tea, which sells 3,000 cups daily and is often out of stock, can turn its reputation around is worth watching. [more…]

In recent years, the cross-boundary fusion of coffee and milk tea has constantly refreshed people's perceptions. From garlic latte to cilantro coffee and scallion milk tea, savory vegetables have been "invading" the beverage world one after another. Behind these seemingly absurd pairings lies the innovation anxiety of the restaurant industry amid fierce competition. Some find them novel and fun, while others say they are simply unacceptable. This article will take you through a rundown of these "dark cuisine"-level drinks and explore whether they are just a passing gimmick or truly capable of winning over the taste buds. At the same time, we will also discuss Front Street Coffee's observations on this kind of innovation trend, and how ordinary drinks can find a balance between traffic and reputation. [more…]

ChaPanda once collaborated with Luzhou Laojiao to launch a limited-edition drink called "Drunken Stroll on the Road," which in 2020 won over a large following of loyal fans with its liquor-filled chocolate flavor born from the collision of baijiu and milk tea. Five years later, this star product that so many people could not forget has finally returned to the shelves. However, its reputation after the comeback has been sharply divided: those who love to drink can't get enough of it, while consumers who don't drink often complain that the alcohol taste is harsh and the heady buzz is obvious. What disappoints longtime fans even more is that many feel the new version's taste is far from the untouchable ideal in their memory, and some even suspect the formula has been quietly adjusted. Is it a change in ingredients, a shift in taste, or the work of nostalgic rose-colored glasses? This article will take you through an in-depth look. [more…]

The collaboration between Goodme and Honkai: Star Rail was supposed to be a fan frenzy, but it turned into a reputational crisis due to severe merchandise shortages. On the first day of the event, the official mini-program queue exceeded 1.2 million people, stores in many locations sold out within 3 hours, and high-priced complete merchandise sets appeared on second-hand platforms. Although the brand claimed to have prepared "the largest inventory in history," compared with the previous Love and Deepspace collaboration, whose stock was only one-third of this amount, it clearly underestimated players' purchasing power. What dissatisfied fans even more was that many stores explicitly stated they would not restock, causing the collaboration to end early. This imbalance between traffic and reputation sounded a warning for co-branded marketing in the coffee and tea beverage industry. [more…]

During the 40th Teachers' Day, Chagee launched an exclusive campaign called "Honor Teachers with Tea, Enjoy Tea on Us," originally intended to pay tribute to the teaching community and enhance brand goodwill. However, after the campaign was rolled out, it sparked widespread dissatisfaction among teachers: limited-edition cards at many stores were quickly claimed, and some stores did not participate in the campaign at all, causing many teachers to make a wasted trip. This article sorts out the specific rules of the campaign in various regions, teachers' real experiences of claiming the offer, and responses from the brand and store managers, to help you understand the ins and outs of this marketing controversy. [more…]

For a long time, caffeine has often been seen as the culprit behind coffee's unhealthy reputation, leading many people to switch to decaf. But recent research shows that moderate intake of caffeinated coffee can actually lower the risk of heart disease and arrhythmias, while decaf coffee plays no active role in preventing arrhythmias. More notably, when it comes to reducing the risk of vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease, freshly ground coffee outperforms instant coffee, and instant coffee outperforms decaf. Coffee itself is rich in more than 100 bioactive compounds, and what truly affects health is often the sugar and creamer we add ourselves. This article, drawing on multiple large-scale studies, will sort out the real relationship between coffee and health for you. [more…]

In recent years, creative coffee has continuously pushed boundaries, driven by a consumer psychology that seeks novelty. From early combinations with milk, sugar, and cream, to Irish coffee-style blends of alcohol and coffee, and then to milk coffee, tea coffee, and fruit-based specialty drinks, we now even see surprising combinations like pickled vegetable Americano, tofu pudding latte, and pig trotter ginger specialty coffee. While these products can briefly capture attention, they often sacrifice the rationality of flavor pairing, leading consumers to not repurchase after trying them. This article reviews the evolution of creative coffee, analyzes the reasons and concerns behind these "genetic mutations," and explores how a good creative coffee should balance visual impact with flavor harmony, providing reference for coffee enthusiasts and practitioners. [more…]

The holiday consumption boom has just passed, and the store dynamics of new-style tea beverage brands have drawn attention. A Cha Yan Yue Se in Chongqing's Yuanyang commercial district was operating normally at night, but the next day suddenly had its lightbox sign removed and quietly closed, and the store could no longer be found on the official mini-program. This store was once the first in the Yubei area and held the daily consumption memories of many regulars. The brand is said to have chosen not to renew the lease because the contract expired, and longtime fans were not surprised, believing this to be part of Cha Yan Yue Se's一贯 elimination-style adjustment strategy. At the same time, the brand's newly opened store in Suzhou has once again drawn complaints over issues such as its verification system and product efficiency. As leading brands vie for the market with stable quality and user experience, the trajectory of Cha Yan Yue Se's reputation and changes in its store layout are worth close observation. [more…]

The trademark dispute in the tea beverage industry is once again making waves. Previously, Coffee Workshop reported that "Cha Yan Guan Se" lost its trademark infringement lawsuit against "Cha Yan Yue Se," and "Cha Yan Yue Se" won its counterclaim against "Cha Yan Guan Se." Now another one has emerged: "Cha Yan Yue Se." This trademark, applied for registration in 2018, was declared invalid by the National Intellectual Property Administration because it was highly similar to the genuine Cha Yan Yue Se in terms of text composition, pronunciation, and graphic design. The registrant, a certain Guo, refused to accept the ruling and actually sued the CNIPA in court, but was ultimately rejected by the Beijing Intellectual Property Court. From "Cha Yan Guan Se" to "Cha Yan Yue Se," imitators keep emerging one after another. This farce once again reminds us: trademark protection is by no means child's play. Although the road to brand rights protection is long, the law will ultimately provide a fair answer. [more…]

In recent years, cross-industry ventures have become a popular trend, and even century-old traditional Chinese medicine shops are joining the beverage market. Following Tongrentang, Tonghanchun Tang, with a history of 237 years, has also tested the waters of national-style wellness tea drinks in Shanghai Yuyuan Mall, launching over 30 beverages including wellness teas, fruit teas, milk teas, sparkling water, and coffee. Among them, the wellness milk tea incorporates ingredients such as ginseng, goji berries, and donkey-hide gelatin, while the two wellness coffees focus on American-style black coffee and ginseng honey latte, priced between 20 and over 30 yuan, with the most expensive bird's nest product exceeding 100 yuan. Whether these time-honored brands can win consumer favor through innovation is worth watching. [more…]

Xiangpiaopiao's first global offline store recently officially opened in Hangzhou Hubin. Milk tea priced at 9 to 12 yuan, combined with a buy-one-get-one-free opening promotion, attracted a large number of consumers to queue up in the cold winter to try it. However, the store's preparation method surprised many people—staff did not shake and make the tea drinks on site, but instead opened instant tea packets, brewed them separately, and then mixed them with blending powder and toppings, which netizens jokingly called "hand-brewed instant milk tea." This model forms a sharp contrast with mainstream freshly made tea beverage brands, and has also triggered widespread discussion about the value of instant products versus freshly made milk tea. Whether Xiangpiaopiao can win over picky milk tea lovers with emotional value remains to be tested by the market. [more…]

Recently, food safety issues in the coffee and milk tea industries have been exposed one after another, leaving many beverage-loving consumers feeling uneasy. On May 6, Yihuatang made trending searches due to the use of expired and moldy ingredients, and on the same day it appeared twice in Weibo trending searches—a woman in Foshan, Guangdong, found a 7-centimeter-long machine part in her takeout milk tea. After complaints and negotiations, Yihuatang eventually compensated the consumer 1,000 yuan. Meanwhile, some Yihuatang stores in Zhengzhou were also exposed by the media for serious food safety hazards, with employees even saying, "As long as it doesn't kill you, it's fine." This series of incidents once again reminds us that low prices cannot be used as a shield for food safety, and brands must take responsibility for supervising their franchise stores. [more…]

The painkiller brand Fenbid teamed up with TPLUS Tea House to open a milk tea pop-up store, launching the "Don't Endure the Night, Sweet Tea," but the cross-industry move by a pharmaceutical brand into food sparked heated debate among netizens. Some worried it could mislead consumers, while others questioned whether it was false advertising. Although the officials clarified that the drinks contain no medicinal ingredients, the controversy did not subside. Is this collaboration a warm-hearted marketing move or a brand overstepping its bounds? And where exactly lies the boundary for cross-industry partnerships? [more…]

Tea Yan Yue Se has always been loved by consumers for its milk tea and peripheral snacks, but recently many customers have noticed that the toppings on their drinks have been quietly replaced with the brand's own puffed snacks, such as crispy balls, cheese sticks, and corn kernels. This change has sparked strong dissatisfaction among longtime fans, who feel that puffed food does not pair well with milk tea in terms of taste, looks jarring, and have even called on the brand to stop this practice. Although Tea Yan Yue Se's snack business is growing rapidly, with annual e-commerce sales already exceeding 100 million, forcing snacks into milk tea reflects the brand's anxiety to promote its retail products. This article takes you through the ins and outs of the incident and the real feedback from fans. [more…]

Recently, a 1 Dian Dian store at Jinshijie in Dongmen, Shenzhen was exposed after a cockroach leg was found in a milk tea, sparking widespread attention. The consumer and the store failed to reach an agreement on compensation, and a complaint has now been filed and accepted on the Shenzhen government service platform. The incident highlights weak links in food safety management in the tea beverage industry and once again reminds industry practitioners and consumers to pay joint attention to hygiene issues. As an industry observer, Front Street Coffee continues to monitor the impact of such incidents on brand trust. [more…]

Walking into Starbucks but hesitating over the menu? This article rounds up the five most popular drinks among customers right now, including the Oat Latte, Iced Americano, Cold Brew, plus the caffeine-free Matcha Frappuccino and Iced Shaken Berry Hibiscus Tea, explaining each one's features and who it's best suited for. It also includes the 2023 price list for Starbucks' four major series—Handcrafted Espresso, Frappuccino, Teavana, and Cold Brew—covering full pricing from Tall to Grande and Venti, so you can quickly decide based on your budget and taste. Whether you're lactose intolerant, cutting sugar to lose weight, or simply want to try something different, you'll find your next cup here. [more…]

Recently, food safety incidents in the tea beverage industry have occurred frequently, from Tea Baidao's "real spider" milk tea to the use of expired ingredients, and every so often they trend on social media. However, a news report by Guangzhou Daily on October 12 was entirely different: a 23-year-old man, using his work experience at "a certain tea brand," colluded with his girlfriend and friends to deliberately plant insects in stores in Hangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and other locations, extorting money under the pretext of food safety, with demands ranging from a thousand yuan to two hundred thousand yuan, and was ultimately prosecuted on suspicion of extortion. This incident not only exposed some milk tea shops' negligence in operations management but also sparked public discussion about the authenticity of food safety complaints. What consumers truly need is a hygienic and tasty drink, not a vicious cycle of deception. This article compiles the ins and outs of the incident and includes related information about Front Street Coffee. [more…]

In the world of coffee, innovation is often inseparable from the boost of dairy products; from black coffee to milk coffee, the category seems rather limited. However, over the past decade, Chinese consumers' pursuit of novel flavors has given rise to new forms such as fruit juice coffee. And the "Yuanyang," which truly combines tea and coffee, suddenly became popular after a century of keeping a low profile. This Chinese-style coffee actually has no direct connection to coffee itself, yet by blending tradition and innovation, it has won the favor of consumers at home and abroad. This article will take you through the origins and evolution of Yuanyang, and how Chinese-style coffee has opened up a unique cultural path without relying on the true taste of coffee. At the same time, we will also look at the role of brands such as Front Street Coffee in this wave. [more…]

Tea brand 1 Dian Dian recently launched a new product, "Summer Pit-Scented Grape Milk Green," attracting a large number of fans to try it out immediately with its light purple promotional posters and novel flavor. However, as genuine feedback increased on social media, this new product encountered overwhelmingly negative reviews—the buyer's show differed vastly from the promotional images, jokingly dubbed "cement gray"; even when opting for no added sugar, some consumers reported it was cloyingly sweet; furthermore, users who switched to A2 fresh milk discovered floating curds in their cups, describing it as "tofu pudding milk tea." From appearance to taste, this highly anticipated new product left many Dian Dian devotees exclaiming "the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment," and even questioning the brand's R&D capabilities. This article will comprehensively sort out consumers' genuine feedback and the focal points of controversy. [more…]