Latest Update! Cha Yan Yue Se Issues Statement to Remove Sexytea Logo!

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Tea Brand Changes English Name Amid Controversy

On September 17, ChaYanYueSe issued a statement about adjusting its store signage translations, announcing that it would remove the "Sexytea" signage from newly opened stores and stop using the English name in all future locations. Once a new name is settled on, the brand will also phase out the English signage at existing ChaYan stores.

ChaYanYueSe explained that over the previous two days, the English name "Sexytea" on its storefronts had drawn a wave of attention and debate. Because the word "Sexy" carries multiple meanings, it had invited all sorts of interpretations among internet users, sparking widespread controversy online. The brand offered a sincere apology for the misunderstanding.

According to the statement, the original intent was for every cup of tea to bring customers a small moment of delight—for every creation handed across the counter to have its own character, both visually and in taste. That idea, the company said, lined up with the "charming" connotation of the word "sexy," which is how the name came about.

Response and Controversy

On the subject of renaming, ChaYanYueSe noted that the team had already discussed optimizing the English name during its mid-year review, but that progress afterward had indeed been slow. The online uproar, the brand said, served as a wake-up call and would push it to take self-improvement more seriously.

The line in the statement about "nine years of ChaYan, constantly iterating and refining how we express ourselves" does read a little self-congratulatory, doesn't it? To be fair, though, no one expects a tea company to nail the translator's ideal of "faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance." They sell tea, not prose. And precisely because they sell tea, they should concentrate on selling it well.

As the debate raged, some netizens also dug up earlier ChaYanYueSe merchandise—advertising copy like "picking someone up" printed on mugs, and "My lord, I want to..." written on tea bags.

Back on the evening of February 19 and the early morning of February 20, 2021, ChaYanYueSe posted two apologies on its official Weibo account, admitting that it "had not grasped the appropriate boundaries in the creative process," and recalled the controversial mugs. It added that other early products with questionable creative choices had been pulled from sale, along with an apology and a promise of reflection.

Brand Background and Future

Founded in 2013, ChaYanYueSe is a well-known milk tea brand from Changsha with an unapologetically traditional Chinese aesthetic. Its stores are decorated in Chinese style throughout, and its products and merchandise all carry that same classical flavor. The logo itself—a classical beauty with a traditional hairstyle holding a round fan—radiates old-world charm. It gives off a sense of calm and quiet: this is clearly a place where Chinese people drink tea.

Reflecting and improving after each misstep is what will move the brand closer to being one "trusted by consumers." A Chinese-style tea shop that wants consumers' trust really shouldn't carry an English name like "SexyTea" with its layered innuendo. Here's hoping that with a better new logo comes better tea and better service, too.

Lessons for Brands

Attention-grabbing creative marketing is one of the tools many brands use to move forward. And yes, creative work matters if you want to win customers over—but creativity without boundaries can backfire, and brand trust erodes a little each time. As netizens put it: know where the line is, and keep the boundary between humor and vulgarity intact.

It's worth remembering that companies should weigh the values behind their advertising whenever they chase attention. Communicating the right brand values matters just as much. Only by pairing growth with responsibility—aligning their own interests with those of society—can companies truly grow strong. What consumers want, more than clever ads, are brands and products with healthy values. A brand store needs more than traffic; it needs reputation and quality. Don't pick up sesame seeds while letting the watermelon slip away.

Image source: Internet

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

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If you'd rather something rounder and sweeter, the FrontStreet natural Huakui from Ethiopia shows off strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, and honeyed florals with almost no bitterness, while the FrontStreet Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon brings creamy peanut, toast, and caramel notes in a soft, low-acid body—comforting in the way a good milk tea is, but with nothing to hide behind.

And just as a tea brand lives or dies by the quality in the cup rather than the name on the sign, coffee rewards the same honesty: fresh beans, sensible roasting, and careful brewing. FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan arabica from Baoshan—washed, with gentle nut and chocolate notes—makes a fine everyday reminder that good sourcing speaks louder than good marketing.