Another eyebrow-raising flavour was launched by Luckin recently, as a collaboration with Tom & Jerry. It's called the Mascarpone Latte. I tried the iced version first, then updated on the hot version after, further below.
Iced Mascarpone Latte
My first impression is that it tasted nothing like mascarpone cheese. As you would know, probably from trying tiramisus, mascarpone cheese is rather unlike other cheeses in that it is closer to a cream, and it is sweet rather than salty.
The first thing that struck me about this Mascarpone Latte, however, was that it was a very savoury drink. Not in a bad way at all - I think salt does a good job in balancing creamy, milky and rich drinks, and too much sugar without salt makes the sweetness cloying.
The coffee flavour was mild, just blending in at the edge of the body. Most Luckin lattes are like that, especially given the large amount of milk used. (See how much whiteness there is compared to coffee colour in the picture.)
As for the cheese flavour itself, it resembled the affordable non-gourmet sliced cheeses you get in the supermarket, with a hint of nacho cheese, so it was nothing like mascarpone.
As for sugar level, they did not have sugarless, only "least sweet", which I opted for. The level of sweetness was distinct but mild, possibly because the salt balances it.
The balance between sweet and salty was great, and the cheesy notes provided a layer of complexity that complements the milk. Like other good cheese foam drinks, except for this drink, the flavour was in the milk, not via a foam.
Overall, it reminds me of cheese teas such as Hey Tea, except it is the coffee version with mild coffee flavour. And the cheese doesn't appear in a separate foam layer on top.
If you prefer a more prominent and complex coffee flavour, go for their Cloud Cold Brew instead. It is a cheese foam drink with less milk and a more balanced, complex coffee taste that is a blend of nutty, fruity and rich.
On a side note, they had a nice Tom & Jerry themed sleeve showing Jerry posing with his cheese.
Hot Mascarpone Latte
The hot version did have more foam on top compared to a normal latte of theirs, but it wasn't clearly yellow or white, and did not particularly look like cheese or milk foam. Just the regular milk froth in Western milky coffee drinks.
In terms of the taste, the specific cheesy element was somewhat less prominent in the hot version but still mildly present. The savoury and creamy notes remained prominent, however, and over all it was a bit like a sea salt ice cream milk bar, but warm version and with a dark roast coffee taste.
It also seemed less sweet than the iced version, which was good.
Finally, it came in a nice Tom & Jerry-themed cup as well.
Opinion
I personally preferred the iced version because the cheese taste was more prominent, so it was more interesting, but the hot version was much more comforting and probably one of my preferred savoury coffees from Luckin. (Other savoury coffees would include the Pandan Coconut Latte, Pistachio Oat Latte, Sea Salt Caramel Latte, Brown Sugar Plum Latte and Cloud Cold Brew.)
Also from Luckin
- Cloud Cold Brew (mentioned)
- Ceylon Yuan Yang with Milk vs First Crush Tea Latte by Luckin Coffee (mentioned)
- Hot vs Iced Pair Hug Latte - Gardenia Pear Flavoured Cafe Latte by Luckin Coffee (mentioned)
- Little Butter Latte by Luckin Coffee
- Pandan Coconut Latte by Luckin Coffee (mentioned)
- Pistachio Oat Latte by Luckin Coffee (mentioned)
- Toffee Hazelnut Oat Latte by Luckin Coffee
- Brown Sugar Plum Latte by Luckin Coffee (mentioned)
- Jasmine Cloud Latte
Other interesting coffees
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