Introduction:Luckin Coffee has launched a limited-edition collaborative drink with the popular cartoon character Loopy, the “Lightly Jasmine” light milk tea, bundled with a range of adorable themed merchandise, quickly sparking a buying frenzy among fans. However, many consumers who tried the new product noted that its flavor is strikingly similar to霸王茶姬’s signature “Boyue Jue Xian” (Bo Ya’s Broken String), leading to discussions about a “flavor clash.” This article details the highlights of the collaboration, the features of the product, market feedback, and offers practical tasting suggestions to help coffee enthusiasts better understand this emerging milk tea.
Luckin Coffee has been active in the market recently—not only did it enlist actor Tan Jianci to endorse its instant product line, but it also partnered with the beloved cartoon character Loopy (Ruby) for an offline collaborative event. The centerpiece of this collaboration is a new product called “Lightly Jasmine,” a light milk tea, along with the release of several themed cups and merchandise, successfully drawing significant attention and purchases from fans.
For many netizens, Loopy (Ruby) might be the expressive little beaver often seen in social media chats. With her pink cheeks, round facial features, iconic playful stray hair, and bunny teeth, she has become a “voice for the voiceless” online for many office workers and students through a series of viral, humorous, and exaggerated meme stickers used to convey emotions and jokes.
This collaboration between Luckin and Loopy offers fans a two-in-one treat: not only can they enjoy a special drink themed around Loopy, but they can also collect a variety of cute merchandise including co-branded cups, paper bags, cup sleeves, and stickers. According to official information, the “Lightly Jasmine” light milk tea comes with corresponding Loopy-themed merchandise based on different purchase combinations, allowing consumers to enjoy their drink while also indulging in the joy of collecting.
It’s worth noting that although only one drink is being offered in this collaboration, depending on the differences between the light coffee version and the classic version, cup sizes, and choices between hot and cold drinks, the actual drinks are served in five different designs of co-branded themed cups—three specifically designed for milk tea and two limited-edition event cups. This also means baristas have to meticulously match each drink’s recipe with the correct cup, making the task quite intricate.
In terms of flavor, “Lightly Jasmine,” which uses jasmine flower aroma as a base combined with creamy milk to create a milk tea, has been described by many consumers as very similar to霸王茶姬’s classic product “Boyue Jue Xian,” sparking intense online discussions about the “flavor clash.” Many users on social platforms shared their thoughts after trying it, bluntly stating things like “Isn’t this just a cheaper version of霸王茶姬?”, “It tastes exactly like Boyue Jue Xian,” or “Cute on the outside, but the flavor inside is the familiar霸王茶姬 taste,” showing that the high similarity in flavor has become a major talking point.
Industry insiders speculate that this new product may represent an important step for Luckin as it ventures into the milk tea market, with future product lines potentially shifting from their previous focus on flavored coffee to more widely accepted categories like milk tea and fruit tea. As for why the flavor of “Lightly Jasmine” is so similar to霸王茶姬’s signature product, the brand has yet to provide further clarification.
In summary, Luckin’s collaboration with Loopy has not only been successful in attracting the younger consumer demographic at the marketing level, but it has also stirred up market discussion due to the product’s flavor. For consumers looking to try something new in the milk tea category, it might be worth personally trying out the “Lightly Jasmine” and comparing it with your impression of霸王茶姬’s “Boyue Jue Xian”—you might discover some unexpected surprises or differences.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
