Introduction:In recent years, coffee festivals have sprung up across various regions, with specialty coffee brands competing to launch creative specialty drinks, most priced between 30 and 50 yuan. Yet it’s common to see these high-priced drinks being discarded on-site, with consumers complaining about “small portions and bland flavors,” or even encountering bizarre pairings like “soybean residue Americanos.” This article delves into the consumer phenomena behind the specialty drink craze at coffee festivals, exploring how high pricing and the cost of trial and error affect participation willingness, and provides practical observation tips to help you avoid the pitfalls.

In recent years, cities such as Jinan, Ningbo, and Nanning have successively hosted distinctive coffee festivals, attracting numerous specialty coffee brands to set up booths, along with fun activities organized by the event hosts. The venues are always packed with coffee enthusiasts who come specifically for the occasion. In addition to classic espresso-based drinks, the specialty beverages promoted by each booth have become the focal point, generally priced between 30 and over 50 yuan. However, it’s not uncommon to see nearly untouched, high-priced specialty drinks in the trash bins, sparking widespread discussion.

Participants have shared that some vendors, mindful of potential discomfort from overconsumption, thoughtfully provide snacks to accompany the drinks, earning praise for their service details. According to feedback from on-site consumers, the prices of espresso drinks at coffee festivals across different locations don’t vary much, but specialty drinks are mostly priced between 30-plus and 50-plus yuan. Although considered less affordable, many enthusiasts still sample five or six cups in one go, spending hundreds of yuan in a single event.

However, after the events end, nearby trash bins are often found filled with nearly full but discarded specialty drinks, including those priced over 50 yuan, leaving netizens astonished that “high-priced specialty drinks are thrown away without hesitation.” Regular attendees of coffee festivals point out that to attract first-time tasters, the frequency of specialty drinks has continued to rise, but so has the chance of disappointment—some attendees at the Ningbo Coffee Festival tried five or six different brands’ specialty drinks, only to be left deeply disappointed due to “small portions and weak coffee flavor.” There are even extreme cases, such as creative pairings like “soybean residue Americanos,” which people try once and never again.

High pricing is also a major point of contention. Some participants bluntly state, “Apart from the baristas, everything related to coffee is expensive” or “For 50 yuan a cup, 40 of it goes to the barista’s tattoos,” causing some to back out early due to the shocking price. Regulars at coffee festivals observe that the specialty drinks at these events resemble a competition of “fancy sodas,” gradually losing the essence of coffee—not only with underwhelming flavor profiles, but sometimes with single-cup prices equivalent to two or three lattes, adding to the financial burden on consumers.

Coffee festivals bring together specialty brands from all over, allowing the public to experience a variety of signature coffees without traveling far. But when an overwhelming array of specialty drinks becomes the main offering at booths—and prices continue to climb—the cost of trial and error for consumers also rises. More and more participants, worried about disappointment, hesitate in the face of high prices and prefer to opt for more familiar classic options.

Faced with the specialty drink craze at coffee festivals, it is recommended that the public first observe feedback from other customers, pay attention to descriptions of the drink ingredients, and prioritize booths from reputable brands to reduce the risk of disappointment. When trying drinks on-site, you can also start with more affordable options or classic flavors, gradually exploring creative specialty drinks that suit your personal taste.

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