Introduction:The creative boundaries of new-style tea drinks are constantly being pushed, ranging from goji berry health milk teas to those featuring luosifen (river snail rice noodles), hot pot, or even raw marinated Chinese mitten crabs. The bizarre combinations of ingredients are truly astonishing. These drinks not only feature bold pairings but also offer customizable options akin to ordering a meal—such as choosing broth bases, spice levels, and mix-ins. Is this boundless creativity or a blurring of the line? This article takes you through those mind-boggling tea drink combinations and reconsiders the reasonable limits of beverage innovation.

The pace of innovation in the new-style tea drink industry seems to be becoming increasingly unpredictable. From goji berry milk tea, which claims to combine health benefits with deliciousness, to completely unrelated combinations like luosifen milk tea, Chongqing hot pot milk tea, and even off-putting ones like roast duck milk tea, Lao Gan Ma milk tea, or yuxingcao (fish mint) and coriander lemon tea—and even raw marinated Chinese mitten crab (or actually, small marsh crabs) milk tea… The ingredients in these drinks are not only unconventional; some even allow customers to choose the broth base, toppings, and spice level, as if turning an entire dish directly into a cup. Faced with these wildly imaginative combinations, one can't help but wonder: is the only bottom line for beverage innovation “as long as you can survive drinking it”? Might returning to a milk tea with pure ingredients and balanced flavor be a more reliable choice?

First up are the types that claim to “achieve both health and deliciousness.” These combinations are like mixing coffee with herbal tea, adding a few goji berries to beer, or putting a ginseng stick in cola—all in an attempt to achieve a nourishing effect while drinking it down in one go. As long as the proportions are “just right,” they can transform into a comforting, healthy happy tea. As the internet meme goes: “Milk tea with coffee and goji berries will definitely get you up early tomorrow.”

Next come the “completely out-of-left-field” pairing contenders. Luosifen milk tea, Chongqing hot pot milk tea, coconut chicken hot pot milk tea, ramen milk tea, and others have all made appearances, leaving people wide-eyed in disbelief.

Some products even mimic the dine-in ordering experience, allowing customers to select a “broth base,” pair it with “toppings,” and set the “spice level.” Aside from actual meat, almost every common element in hot pot can find a counterpart in these drinks. Some products even recreate classic flavors using “substitute ingredients”—for example, using white grass jelly instead of rice noodles in luosifen, or replacing ramen noodles with egg pudding.

Making their grand entrance are the “just hearing the name makes you hesitate” series: roast duck milk tea, Lao Gan Ma milk tea, yuxingcao and coriander lemon tea, and even raw marinated Chinese mitten crab (actually small marsh crabs) milk tea…

(One can’t help but ask: won’t such combinations cause discomfort?)

(Once again emphasized: are such pairings really safe?)

It seems that the current bottom line for beverage innovation has become “as long as you can still breathe after drinking it, you can keep breaking the limit.” So, wouldn’t returning to a normal milk tea with clean ingredients and harmonious flavor—or choosing a pour over coffee with a clear profile—be more reassuring and enjoyable?

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.