Roasted mess
Starbucks serves pork-flavored coffee in China
It looks chic, but sounds less tasty: Starbucks gives the “Abundant Year Savory Latte” a hearty aroma that is supposed to be reminiscent of pork
© Starbucks / PR
That sounds very nasty: on the occasion of Chinese New Year, Starbucks offers a special coffee in some Chinese branches – in some places it is served with a slice of pork.
“Eating meat means prosperity in the coming year” – that’s what the Chinese believe. But does that mean you have to mess up your coffee so much? In China’s most important microblogging service On Weibo, the American coffee chain advertises the “Savory Latte”, a savory coffee. There’s nothing wrong with that at first, but the source of the savory flavors in this hot drink just sounds wrong, at least to Western ears. Italians must be strong now.
For the equivalent of around nine euros you can get a coffee with pork flavor for a short time. This is apparently in a dark red sauce that is poured onto the milk foam. Sometimes you can see the cups additionally garnished with a slice of pork. As a company spokesperson told the “MirrorThe aim of the creation was to “highlight local tastes and underline traditional customs”.
Starbucks doesn’t seem to be serving up a disaster
Apparently coffee isn’t as bad as it sounds. A “CNN” reporter recently made his way to one of the branches that has the brew on the menu and ordered the special latte. A little disappointed that his coffee was served without the skewer, he reports: “Basically, it tastes like a regular latte with a sweet and savory topping. I understand why people like this mix of flavors. Personally, I’ll stick with my almond milk.”
However, there isn’t much time to try out the little mess. According to a spokesman, Starbucks has only planned the special campaign until the end of supplies or Monday next week – and the pig coffee is only available in 25 branches nationwide.
Starbucks in China apparently constantly needs campaigns that attract attention, according to another “CNN” report. Accordingly, there is great competitive pressure on the Chinese market as domestic brands try to displace global players. China is considered the largest market for branded coffee in the world, which means that more and more chains are trying their luck there.