A new coffee launched by a Chinese chain on Monday containing extracts of the country’s most expensive and famous brandy caused a stir in stores and the enthusiasm of netizens.
The Luckin Coffee chain, a rival to the American giant Starbucks, now offers a latte with Maotai (or “Moutai”), a 53% white alcohol made with fermented sorghum and whose half-liter bottle costs about 2,500 yuan (320 euros). . ). The new coffee, covered with cream and the result of a collaboration between the two Chinese companies, fortunately has only a very low alcohol content (0.5%) and sells for around 19 yuan (2.40 euros).
“I wanted to try”
It was a major topic of conversation on Chinese social media on Monday, with many netizens bragging about being the first to try the new product and posting pictures of it. “According to my friends, the taste is quite good and it doesn’t require much. So I wanted to try it!” Yan Yumeng, 25, told AFP, having just picked up his order at a downtown Luckin store. Beijing. She herself does not drink white alcohol because she “can’t stand it”, but she says that she has already drunk mojitos or coffees with whiskey.
Inside the Luckin store, four employees work hard to keep things running. About forty envelopes with orders accumulate on the counter, just to go. “The rate is much higher than usual,” explains the cashier.
“How to explain these huge sales? I think it is the Maotai effect. It is the most famous national alcohol! This new coffee may attract people who have never drunk it before,” said Lian Chonghui, a 37-year-old customer. . Sur la vitrine, la publicité prévient: “Nous ne recommandons pas aux mineurs, femmes enceintes, conducteurs et personnes allergicques à l’alcool de consommer cette boisson” – le taux d’alcool maximal autorisé au volant est à 0,0 g/l in China. The point of sale, overwhelmed, no longer accepts new orders in the middle of the afternoon.
coconut and watermelon
What about the taste? “It’s surprisingly good. It’s sweet and the taste of Maotai lasts a long time in the mouth,” praised a user on the Weibo social network. “Frankly, there is nothing special. Just a slight taste of alcohol. Personally, I prefer regular coffee,” Alison Zhao, a 38-year-old resident, told AFP.
In China it was not customary to drink coffee. But the drink has become increasingly popular in the last twenty years. Young people consume it in large quantities, from lattes to Americanos and more modern and unexpected versions, such as coconut milk or watermelon juice.
Source: BFM TV
