Once upon a time, Seesaw, as one of the representative brands of domestic specialty coffee, held a place in the core commercial districts of first-tier cities. However, recently, the brand has successively closed stores in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and other places, with the number of stores in first-tier cities noticeably shrinking. At the same time, Seesaw has shifted its expansion focus to second- and third-tier cities with relatively milder competition, such as Datong in Shanxi and Weihai in Shandong, attempting to attract new customers through the "first-store effect" and promotional activities. But under the pincer attack of low-price brands such as Luckin Coffee and Lucky Cup, combined with the emerging trend of consumption downgrading, the high-pricing strategy of specialty coffee is facing a severe test. Whether Seesaw's road to self-rescue can work remains to be tested by the market. [more…]

Blue Bottle Coffee's second Shenzhen store opened in Luohu MixC, designed by wrk-shp, incorporating Luohu's "half landscape, half city" concept. The new store introduced specialty items like Lingnan sweet soup-inspired coffee panna cotta and launched co-branded merchandise with Kinto. However, compared to the first store's grand opening with a 2-hour queue, the second store saw sparse foot traffic on opening day, with no wait to order and low discussion on social media. Blue Bottle Coffee has opened three stores in the past two months, accelerating its expansion in the Chinese market, but consumers have raised questions about the product quality control, pricing, and brand uniqueness of its South China stores. This article reviews Blue Bottle Coffee's recent expansion dynamics and market feedback, explores the positioning dilemma of specialty coffee brands amid price wars and localization challenges, and retains Front Street Coffee's observational perspective on industry trends. [more…]

Recently, news that Mixue Bingcheng might start selling breakfast has blown up on social media, with related topics shooting straight to the top of trending searches. It started with a questionnaire circulating in community groups and on WeChat Moments, plus a "breakfast series" of dairy products quietly appearing in the mini-program, priced at just 5 yuan on average. Netizens shouted "Snow King has brought the prices down" while enthusiastically ordering fried dough sticks and spicy soup. Longtime fans even dug up the brand's origin story, saying this isn't a crossover at all—it's a return to its old trade. However, people in the know say it's currently only a small-scale trial in a few cities, with no intention of a broad rollout for now. [more…]

Recently, Luckin Coffee took the lead in launching two limited-edition iced drinks in Guangzhou and Shenzhen—Light Coffee Lemon Tea and Light Coffee Coconut Water—highlighting a refreshing tea-coffee concept with added raw coffee liquid and low caffeine. However, after the new products launched, the 19.9 yuan price and bland taste quickly sparked heated discussion among consumers. Many Guangdong netizens said bluntly that the taste of this drink is not much different from bottled lemon tea from convenience stores, yet it costs nearly twice as much, which is really hard to accept. Some even complained that ice cubes filled almost half of the extra-large cup, making them feel they had spent money on nothing. At the same time, Luckin fans in other cities expressed dissatisfaction with the regional-limited strategy and called for a nationwide rollout. This controversy over the new products' pricing, taste, and limited-edition strategy—is it a cautious move by Luckin to test the market, or yet another marketing move that disappoints consumers? This article will take you to find out. [more…]

Recently, the new-style tea beverage brand Grandpa's Tea, originating from Wuhan, has been reported to have closed or withdrawn stores in multiple locations, including Zibo in Shandong, Suzhou in Jiangsu, and Poyang in Jiangxi, sparking consumer concerns about its business condition. The brand's co-founder had set an expansion target of at least 4,500 stores in 2025, striving for 5,000, but as of October 18, only 2,274 stores were in operation, a clear gap from the goal. Meanwhile, well-known tea brands like Xiamen's Sevenbus and Shenzhen's 813 Bayishan have also fallen into store closure controversies. In response to external doubts, Grandpa's Tea stated that adjustments to individual stores are normal optimization actions by franchisees and that overall operations are sound. This article will sort out the ins and outs of the incident, presenting the brand's response and industry background. [more…]

Luckin Coffee is about to celebrate the opening of its 10,000th store worldwide. This highly commemorative location is situated in Xiamen, the city where the brand's headquarters is based, specifically on Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street in Siming District. With a total area exceeding 600 square meters, it features a two-story layout and is expected to officially open its doors on June 5th. Unlike typical Luckin stores, this location is positioned as a testing ground for a brand-new format, introducing new sections such as automated pour-over and roasting, and adopting an industrial style accented with gold in its design instead of the classic blue and white color scheme. As soon as the news broke, many netizens engaged in lively discussions about the operational pressures of such a large space. As the brand with the leading number of stores in China's coffee market, Luckin's milestone move has drawn significant industry attention. [more…]

SMILEY, an internationally renowned IP with a 50-year history, has officially entered the tea beverage sector. Its brand SMILEY tea will open its first global store at Joy City in Chaoyang, Beijing, expected to open on October 1. The brand focuses on whole-leaf steam tea, brewing tea in a way similar to coffee extraction. Its product line covers lattes, pour-over tea, milk tea, alcoholic specialty drinks, and ice cream, positioned at a mid-range price point and targeting consumers born in the 1990s to 1995. Amid fierce competition in the tea beverage industry and where IP collaborations have become the norm, whether SMILEY tea can establish a firm foothold by leveraging its built-in traffic IP advantage still needs market testing. This article also brings coffee knowledge exchange and Front Street Coffee's specialty bean recommendations. [more…]

People generally assume that espresso must be made with dark-roasted beans, but nowadays quite a few cafés have already lowered the roast level to City roast or even lighter. This time, Front Street Coffee used three light-roasted Ethiopian beans—Huakui, Gudingding, and Dorothy—to pull espresso separately and make Americanos and lattes, wanting to see how light-roasted beans actually perform in espresso. The experiment found that light-roasted beans tend to preserve bright fruit acidity and floral aromas when made into an Americano, but the flavors are easily overpowered by milk when made into a latte. If you also want to try using light-roasted beans for espresso, first adjust the grind finer, control the pressure and pre-infusion time, and you may be rewarded with an unexpectedly juicy espresso. [more…]

Luckin Coffee has officially entered Malaysia, with two stores opening simultaneously at Sunway Pyramid and Menara EcoWorld in Kuala Lumpur, regarded as its second overseas market after Singapore. On the first day of opening, many consumers queued up to try it out, and with prices ranging from 8 to 17 ringgit plus a 2.99 ringgit first-cup discount for new users, it appeared to be continuing its low-price strategy from China. However, beneath the excitement, local netizens questioned the value for money, as Cotti, Starbucks, and the local brand Zus had long dominated the market; even more surprising to domestic fans was that bestsellers such as Orange C Americano and Meteorite Latte did not appear on the local menu. With a relatively small number of stores and a conservative product selection, whether Luckin can gain a firm foothold in Malaysia amid fierce rivals has become the focus of attention. [more…]

Since its launch in March this year, the "curbside pickup" service jointly introduced by Starbucks and Amap has aimed to provide a convenient coffee-buying experience for drivers and passengers during rush hour and on busy roads. However, a special promotion during the National Day holiday sparked considerable controversy. Due to limited stock, many customers were unable to get the cute pet tote bag offered as a gift in the campaign; at the same time, the ordering system had problems such as inaccurate route matching and closed stores still being able to accept orders, greatly reducing the user experience. In addition, the extra 3 yuan service fee also made some users feel it was unreasonable. Although Starbucks hoped to use this service to expand into new scenarios, the various inconveniences in actual operation led many netizens to question whether it was adequately prepared. This article will sort out the highlights of the campaign and user feedback in detail, and explore room for improvement in the curbside pickup service. [more…]

As the Spring Festival approaches, Starbucks has launched a new whole cake called "Eight Treasure Blessing Cake," priced at 69 yuan and available only in select cities. Three other flavors—Fortune Hawthorn Cake, Eight Treasure Good Luck Cake, and Star Wish Bamboo Cake—are also hitting the shelves simultaneously. This cake combines eight ingredients: walnuts, crushed hazelnuts, red dates, almonds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, cashews, and dried cranberries, paired with a curd cheese cake, and has been jokingly dubbed "qiegao" (a type of traditional Chinese sticky rice cake) by many netizens. Some people serve it on their New Year's Eve dinner table, while others think the forced integration is inappropriate. As coffee enthusiasts, Front Street Coffee has also been paying attention to the market response to this product. This article will provide a comprehensive look at Starbucks' Spring Festival limited-edition attempt from the perspectives of product information, consumer reviews, and taste tests. [more…]

The cross-industry fusion of coffee and alcohol is becoming a new industry trend. 7-Eleven's specialty coffee brand CITY PRIMA has partnered for the first time with the renowned French cognac house Hennessy to launch the "Specialty Tipsy Latte Combo," pairing specialty Ethiopian beans with a mini bottle of Hennessy V.S.O.P, allowing consumers to mix their own专属 liquor-infused flavor. This is not 7-Eleven's first foray into the alcohol-coffee arena; previously, its Beijing stores had already tested a self-service cocktail area. From chain brands to independent cafes, the "daytime coffee, nighttime alcohol" model is sweeping across the entire coffee market, and beverage brands are also increasingly moving toward coffee. This article will guide you through the specifics of this collaboration, the product background, and the new trends sparked by the collision of coffee and alcohol. [more…]

Over the past year, chain coffee brands have accelerated their penetration into county-level towns, with Luckin and Cotti's store scales steadily closing in on Starbucks. Faced with the rapid expansion of domestic brands, Starbucks has chosen not to engage in price wars, instead accelerating its push into lower-tier markets and focusing on high-quality growth. Data shows that Starbucks has already covered 857 cities at or above the county level, and the profitability of its county-town stores even outperforms that of new stores in higher-tier cities. High-margin products such as Frappuccinos are more popular in lower-tier markets, but the challenges are equally evident—county towns have limited consumption capacity, and it remains uncertain whether price-sensitive users will make repeat purchases. Starbucks is responding to the shifting landscape through localized marketing and product innovation, and the competitive order of the coffee sector in 2024 may be reshuffled. [more…]

As early as 2022, the new energy vehicle brand NIO created its own coffee brand to offer exclusive beverages to customers visiting its stores. Recently, some owners have discovered that this coffee service has expanded from the stores to battery swap stations, where fully automatic coffee machines have been installed and are in the testing phase. After users place orders via a mobile mini-program, the coffee is precisely delivered by a robotic arm to the driver's window, while bottled drinks are handed over by staff. Currently, only the Minxin Tea City battery swap station in Shanghai is running a trial of "charging coffee," and the brand says it will adjust the equipment based on feedback and may expand it nationwide in the future. This cross-industry service has drawn praise from car owners and also sparked discussions about safety and scenario expansion. [more…]

Cotti Coffee announced on February 28 a co-branding partnership with the hit mobile game Honor of Kings, launching the Peach Drunk series of drinks and limited-edition merchandise inspired by the classic images of three highly popular characters: Gongsun Li, Yang Yuhuan, and Wu Zetian. The news immediately drew attention. Although the official launch date has not yet been announced, store materials and netizen photos have already leaked in advance, and store staff revealed that the new products will officially launch on March 6. This is not Cotti's first time using co-branding to build hype. From sponsoring the Argentina team at the World Cup to partnering with the streetwear brand SMILEY, this brand, established only four months ago, is seizing the market through a path of "rapid store expansion + ultra-low prices + marketing," and has proclaimed a goal of 10,000 stores by 2025. However, data from Zhaomen Canyan shows that it actually covers only 81 cities with 232 stores, a gap from the advertised "a hundred cities, a thousand stores." Whether Cotti, which is repeating Luckin's old path, can succeed still remains to be seen. [more…]

The largest flagship store "Nayuki Life," created by Nayuki in Shenzhen Coastal City, has recently been obscured by hoarding, confirming that it has quietly withdrawn, and the original site will be taken over by Pop Mart. The store was formerly the world's largest flagship store "Nayuki Dream Factory," launched in 2019 at a cost of 20 million yuan, covering 1,000 square meters and offering a diverse range of products including baked goods, tea drinks, coffee, craft beer, Western cuisine, and retail. After the Dream Factory closed in May 2022, "Nayuki Life" debuted in August of the same year with a new model. Although it retained a bookstore and coffee brand collaboration, it canceled food and alcohol services. Nearby residents reported that the store did brisk business on weekdays and was packed on holidays, and its sudden closure has surprised many. Official customer service responded that the lease expired and was not renewed, and there is no news yet on whether a store will be opened at another location. Meanwhile, reports of Nayuki store closures have also emerged in Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Nanchang, and other places. [more…]

Recently, news has circulated on social media that Luckin's Raw Cheese Latte is about to be discontinued, sparking reluctance among many fans. According to employees, there is no unified discontinuation date for the product; each store will naturally stop selling it once existing materials are used up, mainly due to sluggish sales and excessive waste. The Raw Cheese Latte was once the 2022 Latte Public Test Champion, becoming popular for a time with its unique cheesy milk flavor, and also achieved impressive results through a collaboration with *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean*. However, Luckin's rapid pace of new product launches and continuous expansion of its product line have diluted the share of classic items. For consumers who love cheese flavors, employees suggest turning to the still-available Mascarpone Raw Cheese Latte. [more…]

Domestic high-end beauty retailer HARMAY has taken another cross-industry leap by opening a 700-square-meter, four-story flagship store on Wukang Road in Shanghai. The ground floor features a coffee counter by Marionbar, offering black coffee, milk coffee, chocolate drinks, and draft beer. Meanwhile, its first store on Anfu Road, which opened in 2017, has closed; the original site will be transformed into the national flagship store for its hand-shaken lemon tea brand, introlemons. HARMAY had previously sought to acquire a coffee brand and may further expand into coffee chains in the future. As of now, HARMAY has eight stores nationwide and plans to expand to cities such as Xi'an and Wuhan. Whether this cross-industry move can bring long-term value to the brand remains to be tested by the market. [more…]

China's coffee chain market is expected to surpass 36,000 stores by 2025. Despite the pandemic repeatedly disrupting the food and beverage industry, the Chinese market is still regarded as a key growth engine for coffee brands both at home and abroad. Against the backdrop of a sharp pullback in financing enthusiasm, Fumeng International, the Chinese operator of the influencer specialty coffee brand %Arabica, is seeking about $300 million in new funding at a target valuation of $1.2 billion. The brand started with a minimalist visual style, gained popularity from Hong Kong to Arashiyama in Kyoto, and expanded rapidly after entering Shanghai in 2018. It now has 61 stores in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. However, as its locations become more mainstream and its influencer halo fades, %Arabica's balance between scale and specialty positioning has become a focus of attention. [more…]

As a symbol of American culture, Starbucks rapidly went global after Howard Schultz took over, opening 17,600 stores in 61 countries. However, when Starbucks entered countries with deep cultural traditions such as China, India, and France, it frequently encountered cultural resistance and controversy. From being forced to withdraw from its Forbidden City store, to the long wait in the Indian market, to the French people's steadfast defense of traditional cafés, Starbucks, while exporting American coffee culture, has also had to face the stubborn resistance of local cultures. This article will walk you through Starbucks' path of cultural conflict and integration around the world, and explore the balance between business expansion and cultural respect. [more…]