Introduction:Luckin Coffee has once again trended on Weibo due to excessive ice in its drinks, with consumers complaining, "I only got three or four sips before it was all ice." This article outlines the incident, analyzes the staff’s response that "ice also has costs," and provides practical ordering tips to help you avoid getting “half a cup of ice” and enjoy more actual beverage.

Luckin Coffee has recently stirred up controversy over ice content, becoming a hot topic on Weibo. This comes just over ten days after the previous dispute where customers complained of getting “only half a cup” after requesting less or no ice. On March 25, a woman in Heze, Shandong, shared a video on social media stating that she purchased a regular-priced Iced Coconut Latte through the Luckin Coffee mini-program, only to find that after just three or four sips, almost nothing was left—just ice cubes, which resonated with many netizens.

In the video, the woman revealed that she had ordered a standard-sized iced Iced Coconut Latte, but after just a few sips, she noticed there was very little liquid left, with the remaining space almost entirely filled with ice. The video quickly sparked widespread online discussion, with many users sharing similar experiences, jokingly referring to it as “half a cup of ice at Luckin,” while others lamented, “I spent over 20 yuan on a coffee, and after a few sips, it’s all ice.”

In online discussions, many users posted actual photos of their Luckin Coffee purchases, showing that even drinking at a slightly faster pace left a large amount of ice in the cup. Some consumers pointed out directly, “The ice is outrageously excessive—one or two sips and the coffee is gone,” while others humorously remarked, “This isn’t selling coffee, it’s selling ice with a side of coffee.” Additionally, some mentioned this isn’t unique to Luckin, as similar issues often occur when ordering iced drinks at Starbucks or other chain coffee shops, suggesting customers proactively request “less ice” or “no ice” to reduce the ice ratio.

Regarding the incident, the customer involved, Ms. Zhang, had previously asked the staff if they could reduce the amount of ice, but the employee responded, “If we take out the ice, there might only be half a drink left.” Ms. Zhang expressed her frustration, saying, “I’d only taken three sips, and the rest was all ice.” From the video she provided, it can be seen that after drinking quickly, a large amount of ice remained in the transparent plastic cup, raising questions about the actual coffee content of the entire drink.

Some netizens suggested in the comments that one could let the ice melt before drinking, but Ms. Zhang replied, “By the third sip, it already tasted like water—let alone waiting for the ice to melt.” This highlights consumer dissatisfaction with the excessive proportion of ice.

On March 28, a media reporter contacted the Luckin store involved. The staff explained that the store’s Iced Coconut Latte comes in two versions: iced and hot. The iced version is originally designed to be half liquid and half ice, while the hot version is nearly full to the brim. When asked if it would be more cost-effective for customers to simply choose the hot version, the staff responded, “You can’t think of it that way—the ice in the iced drink also has its own cost.”

In response to the controversy, a reporter also called Luckin Coffee’s national service hotline for clarification. The customer service representative stated that stores follow unified recipe proportions, with fixed standards for cup volume and ice quantity. If customers encounter issues after ordering, they can communicate with store staff or contact customer service for resolution. However, regarding whether the Iced Coconut Latte truly contains half ice, and whether this aligns with official recipes and preparation procedures, the customer service did not provide a clear answer.

This incident highlights the growing concern among consumers about the proportion of ice in their drinks. If you also frequently find yourself “getting no coffee, just ice,” it is recommended to proactively ask for “less ice” or “no ice” when ordering, or opt for the hot version to get more actual beverage. You may also consider requesting “regular ice” instead of “extra ice” to ensure the taste and actual content of your drink better meet your expectations.

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