Recently, a short video showing raw drunken hairy crabs being added to milk tea cream and eaten quickly spread on social platforms, sparking widespread discussion. In the video, the blogger tasted this self-created drink at a popular milk tea shop, but it was later confirmed that the blogger had brought the crabs themselves for the staged video, and the shop did not sell the product. Netizens had mixed opinions on this behavior, while experts explicitly reminded the public not to imitate it, as eating frozen milk tea together with raw crab doubles the irritation to the stomach and intestines, and misleading the public for traffic is highly inadvisable. This incident also reflects the current situation in which the new tea beverage industry frequently engages in cross-sector innovation, but if innovation loses its boundaries, especially when food safety is involved, it is worth deep reflection. [more…]

Starbucks plans to introduce Oleato olive oil coffee to the Chinese market. This innovative beverage, strongly promoted by former CEO Howard Schultz, has successively landed in the United States and Japan since its debut in Italy in February this year. However, consumer feedback has not been optimistic, with complaints frequently arising over the greasy mouthfeel caused by olive oil congealing when cold and diarrhea after drinking. Nutritionists point out that the double stimulation of caffeine and olive oil can easily trigger gastrointestinal discomfort. Despite the ongoing controversy, Starbucks remains committed to global promotion. This article will sort out the background of Oleato's birth, its market performance, and its prospects for entering China. [more…]

The innovations in the new-style tea beverage industry lately seem to be getting more and more baffling. From goji berry milk tea that lets you enjoy both health and happiness, to completely unrelated concoctions like snail rice noodle milk tea and Chongqing hot pot milk tea, to even more off-putting ones like roast duck milk tea, Lao Gan Ma milk tea, fish mint and cilantro lemon tea, and even raw-marinated hairy crab milk tea... These drinks not only feature bizarre ingredients, but some also let you choose the broth base, toppings, and spice level, as if a whole dish has been packed into a cup. Faced with these wildly imaginative combinations, we can't help but ask: Is the bottom line for beverage innovation really just that you'll survive after drinking it? Isn't it nice to just enjoy a normal milk tea with toppings? [more…]

Cantonese people often say they "get internal heat from just drinking water." Although herbal tea can reduce internal heat, it is bitter and hard to swallow. The Guangzhou-based tea beverage brand Tea Save Planet took a different approach by combining bitter melon with lemon tea, creating the first bitter melon lemon tea, which unexpectedly ignited the market. In just one year, Tea Save Planet sold more than 1 million cups of tea beverages, with stores covering 16 cities nationwide and the number of stores exceeding 180. This brand, which began planning in 2019, after a quiet period in the early days of the pandemic, expanded rapidly starting in March 2020. Front Street Coffee believes that Tea Save Planet's success is inseparable from local cultural identity, differentiated innovation, and distinctive brand design. This article will analyze in detail the rise of this phenomenal tea beverage brand. [more…]

This October, "Duck Shit Aroma" milk tea sparked a craze on social media, bringing Chaoshan's Phoenix Dancong tea into the public eye. After Nayuki's Tea seized the trend by launching a Duck Shit Aroma beverage, it then applied to register the trademark "Nayuki Duck Shit Aroma," triggering heated discussion online. Supporters see this as a differentiated brand strategy, while opponents question whether a famous regional tea should be monopolized by a company. In fact, tea beverage brands such as Uncle Qiu had long made Duck Shit Aroma a standard tea base—so is tying a niche ingredient to a commercial brand reasonable? This article walks you through the whole incident and explores the boundary between innovation in the tea beverage industry and trademark protection. [more…]

Recently, Starbucks launched two special kombucha drinks in some stores, drawing consumer attention. Behind this move lies a certain bottleneck in product innovation among coffee chain brands today—from flavored syrups to fruit coffee and fruit tea, new products keep emerging yet are often teased as "old wine in new bottles." Meanwhile, as healthy eating concepts spread, consumers' enthusiasm for high-sugar drinks is gradually fading, and brands are turning to new ingredients such as fruit juices and jams. Can Starbucks' attempt to venture beyond the coffee track and test kombucha bring truly fresh ideas to the industry? This article will analyze this topic and share related observations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

A local milk tea shop in Nanjing launched a realistic-looking "Duck Blood Vermicelli Milk Tea," sparking heated discussion online. Although the product is named after duck blood vermicelli, it is actually made with chocolate milk pudding to mimic duck blood and sweet jelly noodles to stand in for vermicelli, priced at 16 yuan. There are more than 50,000 related posts on Xiaohongshu, with netizens commenting that it "sounds bizarre but tastes surprisingly good." This phenomenon reflects the fierce competition and innovation anxiety in the new-style tea beverage market. From mini milk teas to niche fruits such as oil oranges and wampees, and on to the revival of whole-leaf tea, major brands are competing for consumers through novelty products, regionally distinctive ingredients, and traditional brewing methods. Data shows that China's freshly made tea beverage market reached 113.6 billion yuan in 2020 and is expected to reach 340 billion yuan by 2025. This article will analyze the market logic and consumer trends behind these creative marketing efforts, and also look at the moves of professional brands such as Front Street Coffee within the industry. [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…]

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…]

When fresh flowers meet milk tea, what kind of sparks will fly? A tea beverage shop in Shanghai called Xue Xiaomei MICHA has given the answer—monthly revenue peaking at over 700,000 yuan, with more than 1,200 cups sold in a single day at its highest. The fresh flower tea beverage series has drawn attention with prices ranging from 40 to 129 yuan. Behind this is not only the drive of the "appearance economy," but also the business logic of a hybrid operation combining a flower shop and a tea beverage shop. From Shanghai to Wuhan, Guangzhou, and Xi'an, this kind of combined store is spreading across the country. However, the safety boundary between fresh flowers and beverages, and the difficulty of repeat purchases after consumers' novelty wears off, are also realities that this category must face head-on. This article will take you through a comprehensive understanding of the popularity code and industry concerns behind fresh flower milk tea. [more…]

The history of adding sugar to coffee has spanned nearly five hundred years, and today flavored syrups are quietly transforming the consumer landscape of the entire coffee industry. Since Starbucks launched its flavored lattes in 1994, various syrups have not only made coffee flavors more diverse but also met consumers' demand for personalized customization. At the same time, as health awareness has risen, zero-calorie sugars and zero-calorie flavored syrups have become a new trend, with brands such as Luckin following suit. This article will trace the evolution of flavored syrups in the coffee industry, analyze the logic behind their regional innovation, and explore the opportunities and hidden concerns behind the zero-calorie sugar trend, helping coffee lovers gain a more comprehensive understanding of this new consumer trend. [more…]

Recently, a Thai-style milk tea with packaging resembling laundry detergent has gone viral online. It was first launched by a Thai restaurant in Nanjing, and subsequently imitated by merchants in Guangdong, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and other places. Priced at 18 yuan per bucket, this drink has attracted many young people to check in thanks to its novelty packaging, but it has also raised public concerns about children accidentally consuming it. The shop responded that the product sells well and no complaints have been received; however, experts and lawyers have pointed out that such packaging design carries a risk of misleading consumers and may violate regulations on food packaging labeling. This article will review the whole incident and explore the balance between innovative packaging and consumer safety. For coffee enthusiasts, the boundaries of beverage packaging are likewise worth pondering, and Front Street Coffee has always advocated upholding safety and responsibility amid innovation. [more…]

Following Li-Ning's launch of Ning Coffee, another sporting goods company has begun to stake out the coffee market. According to Qichacha, Xtep (China) Co., Ltd. has applied to register multiple coffee-related trademarks, covering categories such as food and beverage services and accommodations, convenience foods, and advertising and sales. In recent years, from tea beverage brands to time-honored traditional Chinese medicine brands, and from education companies to tech giants, cross-industry forays into coffee have emerged one after another. Is Xtep's move this time a continuation of its approach of innovating the in-store experience, or is it intended to open up an entirely new business territory? This article will review Xtep's coffee layout moves and look back at typical cases in recent years of brands from various industries crossing into coffee. [more…]

On September 13, Starbucks interim CEO Howard officially unveiled the company's reinvention plan at an investor briefing, announcing a series of initiatives to enhance the customer and barista experience through improved employee benefits, reimagining the third place, innovating beverage production processes, simplifying operations, and expanding digital services, with the goal of achieving a business turnaround by 2024. Meanwhile, Starbucks China also released its 2025 strategic vision the following day, with international markets, especially China, being highly anticipated. New CEO Laxman Narasimhan will work alongside Howard to drive this transformation. [more…]

The bottled milk tea market is undergoing a health-oriented transformation. Uni-President Assam Milk Tea has launched its first sugar-free original flavor version, highlighting "true 0 sugar," meaning it contains no sucrose, sugar substitutes, or carbohydrates, and in particular explicitly avoids acesulfame potassium, sucralose, erythritol, and aspartame. The new product has the same 500ml capacity as the classic version and retails for about 3.6 yuan. Although its ingredients still include food additives, white granulated sugar and glucose syrup have been removed. Energy per 100 milliliters has dropped from 230 kilojoules in the classic version to 58 kilojoules, a significant reduction in sugar. In recent years, ready-to-drink tea and sparkling water have diverted some bottled milk tea consumption, while freshly made new-style tea drinks have also taken away younger customers. Uni-President's move is both a response to the sugar-reduction trend and a proactive innovation in the face of market competition. However, the technical difficulty of 0-sugar milk tea lies in balancing taste. Whether it can retain Assam's classic flavor after removing sugar will test the brand's research and development strength. [more…]

Starbucks Reserve recently launched a "Nianfeng Savory Latte" priced at 68 yuan, inspired by the traditional Jiangnan dish Dongpo braised pork, incorporating Dongpo pork-flavored sauce and pork jerky into the coffee, quickly sparking widespread discussion on social media. Some bloggers who tried it described its taste as both salty and sweet, even evoking a sense of fermented bean curd stewed pork with candied hawthorn. Netizen reviews are polarized, with some calling the idea explosive and others questioning whether such specialty drinks have strayed from the essence of coffee. This article will examine the flavor performance of this product, consumer feedback, and the industry phenomenon of creative specialty coffees becoming increasingly bizarre in recent years, while exploring the balance between coffee innovation and the essence of the beverage. [more…]

In recent years, domestic demand for coffee has continued to climb, attracting many brands to enter the fray across industry lines. New-style tea drink brand Lelecha has also launched an independent coffee brand—Doudoule—and opened its first store in Shanghai. Previously, tea drink brands such as Naixue Tea had already stepped into the coffee sector, and the integration of tea drinks and coffee is becoming a new industry trend. Doudoule continues Lelecha's strict quality requirements, launching products such as the Dirty series coffee, priced at 15-28 yuan. At the same time, Lelecha is continually closing the distance with young consumers through cross-industry marketing. This article will provide an in-depth analysis of Doudoule's features, market strategy, and the challenges it faces, and explore the prospects for tea drink brands expanding into coffee. [more…]

In recent years, cafés featuring elements of traditional Chinese culture have been springing up one after another, and coffee, this imported product, is accelerating its path toward Sinicization. From new-style tea beverage brands跨界 opening coffee shops, to domestic local brands driving down prices to cultivate the market, to industry practitioners proposing that Chinese-style coffee should have its own mode of expression, this path is full of both opportunities and challenges. This article sorts out the evolution of coffee in China from the instant coffee era to the specialty coffee wave, and explores the current state and future of new Chinese-style coffee—innovation can attract the masses, but only professionalism, the cultivation of local bean varieties, and deep cultivation of the Yunnan production region can truly make Chinese-style coffee remembered by the world. At the end of the article, Front Street Coffee's communication channels are attached. [more…]

In recent years, more and more products and spaces with Chinese elements have emerged in the coffee field. From brands and bean sources to creative beverages and store designs, coffee's "Chinese flavor" has become increasingly pronounced. Data shows that in the third quarter of this year, searches for "coffee + art" increased by 3,025% year-on-year, searches for "specialty coffee" grew by 207%, and search interest in "Chinese-style coffee" surged by 4,713% year-on-year. Behind this phenomenon is not only the rise of local coffee brands and the improvement in the quality of Yunnan coffee, but also a reflection of the new generation of consumers' preference for national trends and local culture. Coffee shops have narrowed the distance between Chinese people and coffee through traditional tableware, Chinese-style interior design, and innovations with regional ingredients. Although Chinese-style coffee has not yet formed an independent school, its boundary-breaking exploration has already attracted widespread attention. For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style); for more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex. [more…]

In recent years, as public awareness of intellectual property has grown, trademark disputes surrounding well-known brands have become increasingly common. The two major new-style tea beverage brands Chayan Yuese and Mixue Bingcheng once joined forces to oppose the "Chayan Bingcheng" trademark, yet the China National Intellectual Property Administration ultimately ruled that the trademark be registered. This incident not only reflects the real-world dilemmas faced by brand protection but also sparked discussions about copycat culture and consumer choice. This article will sort out the sequence of events, review the historical origins of the copycat phenomenon, and explore the interplay between innovation and imitation in the new tea beverage industry. [more…]