As a coffee shop owner, it has become a norm for me to see my social media filled with new products from Luckin Coffee every now and then. We independent coffee shops view these products from capital conglomerates with mixed feelings; on one hand, we feel they are squeezing our living space, while on the other hand, their strong promotion of coffee culture in China is indeed very effective. From our perspective as independent shop owners, their products are hard to gain industry recognition, as the fully automated coffee-making process renders the barista's theoretical knowledge and practical experience almost meaningless.

However, if I were in a city like Guangzhou where rent is around two thousand, I would also choose Luckin over independent shops. This is because they offer hourly wages that independent shops cannot match, and their store management is far superior. Independent shops only provide emotional satisfaction, or rather, only those who want to start a business would work as baristas in independent shops.

This capital monster not only does things that we independent shops cannot do, but it also does them well. On what basis can we say that adding sugar makes it not good coffee, or that creating so many new flavors means they only follow trends? Luckin's new sauce-flavored latte has once again captured everyone's attention, with various memes circulating and even trending on social media.

Luckin's new product is a collaboration with Moutai, simply put, it involves adding Moutai liquor to a latte. It sounds like a dark culinary experiment, but in fact, the combination of alcohol and coffee has always existed. For example, the famous Irish coffee, which many Italian coffee restaurants used to offer, is now quite rare. However, Irish coffee is more of a cocktail with coffee added to the alcohol rather than the other way around, as the alcohol is the main component and coffee is just an accompaniment. Because of this, this coffee cocktail is usually only found in Western restaurants or bars, as regular coffee shops typically do not have a license to sell alcohol.

Perhaps both alcohol and coffee are among humanity's favorite beverages, which is why people keep trying to mix them. It's ironic that a stimulating drink and a sleep-inducing drink are constantly being combined.

In recent years, many independent coffee shops have attempted similar mixes. Although coffee shops cannot sell alcohol, adding a little bit won't usually lead to complaints. The most successful example is probably the Baileys latte, which almost every independent shop has on their menu.

As someone who is lactose intolerant, I usually ignore lattes when I drink coffee outside. However, when the Baileys latte first appeared in independent coffee shops, I couldn't resist ordering takeout, and I even made my own Baileys iced coffee. From the name of this product, I knew it couldn't be bad; Baileys is often used as a coffee liqueur, and its taste is very creamy, mixing well with milk. Not only does the flavor not clash, but it also enhances the taste. Baileys is inexpensive, and the preparation process is simple, making it a seamless and guaranteed successful product.

There are similar products like Cointreau Americano, but none are as popular as the Baileys latte.

Now, Luckin Coffee's sauce-flavored latte is not actually a first from Luckin, but their public relations are so strong, and their user base is enormous. Similar to the attributes of Tencent QQ back in the day, whatever product Luckin launches is bound to become a hit in a short time.

About seven or eight years ago, Pacific Coffee already had similar products. I used to frequent Pacific Coffee. They had a product line called the National Liquor series, which was a mix of Chinese liquor and coffee. However, the prices were exorbitant, with some products costing over 60 yuan a cup, which was unaffordable back then. Moreover, the understanding of flavors at that time was not as mature as it is now, and the National Liquor series' Erguotou coffee, Moutai coffee, and Huadiao coffee all seemed like dark culinary experiments to me.

Look at it now; various coffee shops generally sell the Baileys latte for around 23 yuan, while Pacific Coffee was selling theirs for 68 yuan. The cheapest in the National Liquor series was 48 yuan, which is incredibly expensive compared to Luckin's 23 yuan sauce-flavored latte. It's clear that Pacific Coffee's product line was aimed at the high-end market, unlike Luckin's approach targeting the masses.

With Pacific Coffee's recent poor management and the entry of various emerging brands, many new coffee drinkers have never even heard of Pacific Coffee, let alone the National Liquor coffee series.

Returning to Luckin's sauce-flavored latte, regardless of social buzz or what others think of this product, the brand's popularity is already solid. You might not trust Luckin, but you would trust Moutai, right?

From a taste perspective, I believe this product won't be far off from being good. The sauce flavor comes from the various aromatic substances produced during the brewing process. If you open a bottle of sauce-flavored liquor and find it pleasant, this product will likely taste good to you. Luckin is clever; they didn't just add liquor directly but instead used sauce flavor technology to mix the liquor with thick milk to create a sauce-flavored milk. This technology might come from Moutai or the thick milk.

The result of this method is that the alcohol content in this coffee is extremely low; a 250ml cup contains at most 0.5 degrees. Drinking it might be like eating an apple that has been left out for too long, and it definitely won't pass an alcohol test. Thanks to the sauce flavor technology, while the alcohol content is reduced, the sauce flavor remains intact, and milk is a great flavor enhancer.

Most importantly, ordinary people cannot easily replicate this effect; even if you have a bottle of real Moutai, you can't easily make this product.

A 250ml sauce-flavored latte contains about 2ml of Moutai. My neighbor brought over a bottle of real Moutai that has been aged for five years, and I tried making a cup with 10ml. Even though I made it hot, the taste was still not as good as Luckin's, and the alcohol flavor was too strong. This is Luckin's strength; by blending different suppliers to create unique raw materials, they enhance their products while keeping prices low, making it affordable for everyone. They can attract fans and make profits at the same time.

Well, I personally think this product is great, and even my white friends find it delicious. If you get the chance, everyone should give it a try.