Are Luckin Coffee and Fortunate Coffee Really Low-End? How to Properly Understand Coffee Knowledge?

The Coffee Conundrum: Why Affordable Coffee Matters

Whenever instant coffee, budget coffee, or chain coffee comes up, the comments inevitably fill with voices like: "Such nutritionally empty stuff, I don't know why so many people like it," "There's no flavor, I don't know why so many people drink it," "This is dishwater, and you still flock to it," "This drags down the quality of the coffee industry." But have you ever considered: without these options, how many people in China would even know what "coffee" is? Without knowing "coffee," where would the demand for "freshly ground coffee" come from? And without that demand, how would anyone ever pursue "specialty coffee"?

- This is the coffee circle's "look-down chain" -

Wake up! Affordable coffee is exactly what the mass market needs! For most consumers in big cities, coffee is just a beverage — nothing more complicated than that. People drink it because everyone else does, so they follow along and give it a try. Many simply want caffeine to stay alert; they don't count milligrams, don't analyze flavor notes, and not many can appreciate bright, acidic coffees anyway. Richness and bitterness are still what most people recognize as "coffee taste."

For consumers in smaller cities, pour-over coffee remains out of reach price-wise, and Starbucks is expensive too. Very few actually buy these products, let alone care whether the coffee is "specialty." What's more, coffee shops concentrate almost entirely in first- and second-tier cities. For consumers in third- and fourth-tier cities, the only thing available anytime, anywhere is instant coffee.

The Coffee Landscape in China

According to a recent Chinese coffee consumption report, although freshly ground coffee consumption keeps growing, instant coffee still holds the largest share. And the growth of freshly ground coffee is largely driven by affordable chain coffee shops.

Third- and fourth-tier cities consume mainly Lucky Cup (Lucking) Coffee. Thanks to its franchise model, prices are very affordable, encouraging many people to rent a storefront in their hometown and invest in a franchise — bringing freshly ground coffee to even more people.

Second- and third-tier cities are dominated by Luckin. Compared with many independent coffee shops and Starbucks, Luckin's low prices and constant promotions have drawn consumer attention.

In first-tier cities, Luckin and Manner are the main players, alongside Starbucks with its "third place" positioning. Yet consumers who actually drink pour-over and specialty coffee remain a very small percentage.

The Inclusive Nature of Coffee Culture

Without instant coffee introducing people to coffee, without chain coffee introducing them to freshly ground coffee, and without affordable chains bringing freshly ground coffee deep into the market, how many people would be willing to try specialty and pour-over coffee today? And when people do become willing to try specialty and pour-over, it simply means those consumers want to understand coffee more deeply — it doesn't mean everyone else has to appreciate and savor coffee too.

(No matter how hard you push, this is probably the most you'll ever get from ordinary consumers...)

Coffee can be sophisticated and elegant, or affordable and approachable. You can sit along the Seine sipping an exquisite afternoon cup, or wander the streets of Vietnam and stop at a roadside stall for a pot whenever you're thirsty. This inclusiveness is inherent to coffee itself — otherwise, how could it have endured from ancient times to today, spanning both East and West?

Building a Better Coffee Culture

When it comes to drinking specialty coffee, what we should do is learn and study all the knowledge related to coffee, then properly share correct coffee culture and knowledge with the next person who wants to understand it. Instead of leading the charge in looking down on ordinary coffee consumers, or using your knowledge to argue with people who are just beginning to explore coffee.

Don't feel superior about it — such behavior is genuinely demeaning. It only convinces more people that "specialty coffee" is unattainable, and makes them lose interest in exploring coffee at all.

Coffee culture needs positive, correct dissemination — not "self-indulgence" in a so-called look-down chain.

Image source: Internet

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Starting your journey from chain coffee into pour-over? Here are three beginner-friendly beans:

FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Worka (Guodingding) — the classic gateway to specialty coffee, with bright citrus, berries, and florals plus a green-tea-like sweet finish. Its acidity is gentle and fruit-like, never harsh — very approachable for first-time pour-over drinkers.

FrontStreet Ethiopia Huakui — explosive tropical fruit aromas of strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, and lychee, with clear sweetness, almost no bitterness, and a smooth, juicy body. Often described as "the coffee that doesn't taste like coffee."

FrontStreet Queen Estate — a low-acid, balanced Brazilian with rich nut and cocoa aromas and a distinct caramel sweetness. Smooth and mellow, it suits pour-over, espresso, and moka pot brewing alike — an easy everyday favorite.