Introduction:Luckin Coffee’s newly launched drink, ‘Triple Cheese Thick Matcha,’ has attracted numerous matcha enthusiasts with its high-quality 1000-mesh matcha base and daily freshly whipped matcha mousse topping. However, shortly after its release, the product was urgently pulled from shelves in multiple locations due to abnormal solidification of the matcha mousse after refrigeration. This article delves into the reasons behind this phenomenon and provides practical details to help readers understand key considerations in drink preparation and storage.

Luckin Coffee recently introduced a new product called ‘Triple Cheese Thick Matcha’ to the market. The drink features a base of high-fineness 1000-mesh matcha and is topped with freshly whipped matcha mousse made in-store daily, aiming to deliver a richly layered flavor experience. However, this highly anticipated new product encountered unexpected quality issues shortly after its launch.

Many customers reported that after ordering the ‘Triple Cheese Thick Matcha,’ they were either notified by the store that their order had been canceled or saw that the item was temporarily unavailable. Upon further investigation, the issue was not due to the product selling out, but rather because the pre-prepared matcha mousse stored in the refrigerator exhibited severe abnormal solidification.

According to frontline Luckin employees, the matcha mousse, which should have remained smooth and pourable, solidified into a hard, yogurt-like or even cement-like consistency after being refrigerated for some time. No amount of shaking or turning the cup could restore its flowability. This issue was not isolated to a single store but was widespread across multiple regions.

Faced with this situation, some staff initially suspected improper preparation on their part and remade the matcha mousse following the official recipe steps. However, even when freshly whipped, the mousse appeared normal and pourable, but once refrigerated, it would still solidify abnormally, exhibiting the same unusual texture as the initial batch.

Notably, the abnormalities in the matcha mousse were not uniform. Images and videos provided by employees showed some mousse with a rough, yogurt-like texture, others resembling dark-colored ice cream, and some even as thick and sticky as ‘matcha cement,’ almost completely unable to be poured. In a few cases, the mousse remained pourable but was overly thin, far from the expected creamy mousse texture.

As most store employees reported that the final matcha mousse did not meet the expected standards, regional managers in some areas had to urgently issue notices instructing stores to independently assess whether to suspend sales of the ‘Triple Cheese Thick Matcha.’ They were also asked to report detailed preparation conditions to Luckin headquarters for further investigation and resolution.

Faced with large-scale preparation issues shortly after the product launch, Luckin’s frontline employees analyzed the causes and also raised questions about the R&D process. Many employees expressed confusion on social platforms, believing that the issue might stem from obvious oversights in the R&D department’s formulation design, preparation guidelines, and mousse storage methods—resulting in widespread abnormalities despite adherence to standard procedures.

Some employees bluntly questioned: “What were you guys at Luckin R&D even thinking? Did you even try making it yourselves?” and “Didn’t you refrigerate it during testing?” Such criticisms were widespread, with calls for the R&D team to personally try making the product on the front lines to optimize it based on real-world conditions.

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