The Coffee Industry's Enema?! Luckin's New Product Feedback Even Made the Official Brand Say: Thank You for Your 'Feedback'...

What could make a netizen post a comment that "enlightened"?

Ever since the Blue Sky White Cloud Latte that brought a little rich sweetness into everyone's lives, Luckin has rolled out new products again. As usual, every new Luckin release sparks heated debate online. But this time the direction of that debate did not just stun onlookers — even Luckin's official account posted: "Is this... really true ( •᷄ὤ•᷅)?"

Before Luckin officially launched the Plum Latte, some netizens were already asking what kind of combination this was, and whether drinking it would cause digestive trouble. Sure enough, the day after the post, plenty of netizens answered the question from personal experience.

The unanimous focus of the discussion had Luckin's official team questioning their own existence.

They could not help but comment.

Because the new product really did give many people who drank it the same symptom, with some netizens even reporting stomach cramps afterward. Luckin's team panicked. Four days after the launch, they issued an "educational" response.

Luckin explained that the online talk about "toilet light," "heart-stealing gut-wrenching," "tired legs from squatting," and "the coffee world's laxative" comes down to the fact that coffee boosts metabolism and promotes intestinal peristalsis, which produces that feeling of smoothness. They also reminded everyone that, delicious as coffee is, you should not overdo it.

In response, some friends asked whether the cause of the smoothness might be excessive fermentation of plum juice inside, since many netizens reported that the drink tasted like alcohol. That got Luckin's team moving. "You are overthinking it! If we really used plum concentrate, we would not need you to check the ingredients — Luckin would have put up prominent ads ourselves! There is only plum-flavored syrup inside!"

Luckin's official team also stated the day after launch that the Plum Latte contains no alcohol, so everyone can enjoy it without worry.

So what caused so many netizens to experience the same symptoms? Most of it came down to lactose intolerance plus psychological factors. Luckin's team repeatedly stated that there is no plum component in the syrup at all — so you cannot say it is unrelated to plums; it is completely unrelated.

According to the relevant research, lactose intolerance happens because in most people the activity of lactase in the intestines drops sharply after age 3-5. When lactose reaches the intestines and is not broken down and absorbed in time, intestinal bacteria use it instead, producing gases such as acetic acid, propionic acid, and ethyl carbon dioxide, which trigger various intestinal symptoms.

In China, over 80% of people suffer from some degree of lactose intolerance. Mild cases may only bloat after consuming dairy, while severe cases may suffer abdominal pain and diarrhea.

So why did so many people not show obvious lactose intolerance symptoms with Luckin's earlier products, which also contained milk? Partly it was a conditioned reflex driven by psychology. That is inseparable from the fact that many people were saying the new product had a laxative effect, which sparked curiosity and sent everyone to try a cup with the same mindset.

As they drink, the brain keeps signaling the intestines: "Yes — when you feel the milk coffee passing through, start peristalsis for me!" And so many people showed the same symptoms from the same coffee.

Some intestines may have gotten overexcited all at once — normally they ignore milk when it passes through, but after being prodded by the brain like that, they lost control and the frequency of peristalsis rose. Of course, that does not rule out the possibility that some intestines simply ignored it, which is why some netizens reported drinking it specifically for the laxative effect and feeling nothing at all.

Unexpected Marketing Success

Although the discussion around this new product did not look very positive, most feedback was only about intestinal smoothness rather than serious adverse reactions, and the official response came quickly, so there was not much negative impact.

Not only that, Luckin actually embraced the hashtag #diarrheatips and started promoting the "miraculous effects" of the new product. Netizens, out of curiosity, rushed to try a cup. This reverse marketing was, frankly, brilliant — it gave the new product a unique, clear label. Even if that label is not positive information, a sudden meme, used sensibly, can have unexpectedly powerful effects.

That said, this Luckin moment was a coincidence, and the company does not encourage anyone to do things that harm their health just for such a "label."

Image source: Xiaohongshu

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the milk drinks above are your thing, the real variable is the bean. For espresso and moka pot, where the goal is a concentrated base that turns into an Americano with water or a latte with milk, FrontStreet Coffee's Classic Blend is the first pick: it is built specifically for espresso and the moka pot, and its biggest strength is crema. Even a beginner on an unprofessional home machine can pull a dense, fine crema, which is exactly what every latte, cappuccino, and Dirty depends on. It follows the traditional Mamba recipe, thick and mellow, and works for novices and veterans alike at home or in a cafe.

If you want quality with an eye on cost, FrontStreet Coffee's Black Cocoa Blend uses 100% Arabica with ample crema and a full body at a friendly price, a favorite for cafe owners. FrontStreet Coffee's Premium Blend has been the shop's workhorse for nearly a decade, built on Brazil Cerrado and Colombia Huila for the classic espresso taste everyone remembers, while FrontStreet Coffee's Commercial Blend is the budget-conscious cafe standard. Brazil plays the lead in the Premium and Black Cocoa blends, so a latte made with them shows complex almond and walnut nuttiness with a silky, lingering texture; the Classic and Commercial blends include a touch of Robusta, which pours more golden crema and pushes body and caramel aroma to the max.

Milk does not have to mean espresso, either. For a pour-over that still shows through milk, choose a medium-deep single origin such as FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling, Paradise Bird, or Queen Estate, whose chocolate, nut, cream, and cocoa notes pair naturally with dairy. And for a cold brew that takes milk well, FrontStreet Coffee's Strawberry Candy Geisha blend and Colombia Pink Bourbon, with their fruit and wine-like aromas, stay clear and balanced once a little milk is added.