Introduction:After a six-month hiatus, ChaBaQi has launched its new “Return to Yunnan” series of ripe pu’er tea drinks, featuring three new beverages. Among them, “Clouds Rolling with Pine Wind” includes dried beef flakes and black truffle, marking a bold and groundbreaking style. Since their launch, the new series has sparked polarized discussions regarding taste and serving size. This article provides a detailed breakdown of the new products' features, market feedback, and a comparison of cost-performance, helping both tea and coffee enthusiasts better understand this emerging trend.

After remaining relatively quiet for nearly half a year, ChaBaQi has finally unveiled its brand-new “Return to Yunnan” series, introducing three innovative drinks all based on ripe Pu’er tea. These quickly became a hot topic in the market. This new release not only continues the brand’s experimentation with tea beverage innovation but also makes significant adjustments to product structure. In particular, “Clouds Rolling with Pine Wind” boldly incorporates dried beef flakes and black truffle, breaking away from its previous focus on light milk teas.

According to official brand information, the “Return to Yunnan” series includes one pure tea and two flavored milk teas, representing a rare move by the brand to introduce additional ingredients alongside the base tea. Especially for “Clouds Rolling with Pine Wind,” which centers around a sweet-and-salty flavor profile and uniquely combines dried beef flakes with black truffle, it immediately triggered heated discussions among consumers. Some called it “refreshingly unique,” while others joked it “tasted like barbecue dipping sauce.”

Since the launch of “Wanxiang Chunhe” in mid-April this year, ChaBaQi had gone without releasing any new products for as long as six months. Many loyal customers frequently urged the brand on social media platforms, stating they were “getting tired of the old drinks.” Therefore, when the “Return to Yunnan” series officially launched, many fans immediately placed orders to try them out and shared their first-hand experiences across various social platforms.

However, consumer feedback has been distinctly divided: some users appreciate the brand’s boldness in breaking conventions, believing that the combination of dried beef and black truffle in “Clouds Rolling with Pine Wind” is memorable and brings a fresh face to the tea beverage market. Nevertheless, quite a few consumers find it hard to accept, arguing that such a combination doesn’t match the nature of tea drinks. Some even described it as “tasting like barbecue or hotpot seasonings,” bluntly stating they “can’t accept having food bits in milk tea.”

Beyond the controversy over flavor, the serving size of the “Return to Yunnan” series has also become a focal point of discussion. Many long-time customers noticed that the new drinks come in noticeably smaller cups, with an actual capacity of about 350ml. Compared to the previously common 470ml medium cups, 580ml large cups, or 620ml plastic cups, this is a significant reduction. Some consumers pointed out after comparison that these new cups are even smaller than cold drink cups from certain coffee brands, which came as a surprise.

Further investigation revealed that brand customer service responded by stating that the “Return to Yunnan” series drinks have a capacity of approximately 350ml. This specification is noticeably smaller compared to the commonly accepted around 400ml for regular milk teas. What frustrated price-sensitive consumers even more was that the new products are priced higher than the classic “Boya Jue Xian,” and with the reduced capacity, the cost-performance ratio has clearly decreased. One netizen joked, “The cup is so small, I thought it was premium coffee.”

Summing up the market feedback, the balance between innovation and tradition in the “Return to Yunnan” series has become a key issue. For consumers who enjoy trying new things and seek unique flavors, the dried beef and black truffle combination in “Clouds Rolling with Pine Wind” might be an interesting experience. However, for those who prefer traditional tea drinks or are more conscious about value, the reduced serving size and higher price may affect their willingness to purchase.

The tea beverage market continues to evolve. For brands, how to balance consumer expectations with the actual performance of their products—while innovating—is a crucial factor in gaining future market recognition. For coffee and tea enthusiasts, understanding these market trends and product details can help make more suitable consumption choices.

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