Iced Minty Coconut Latte by Luckin Coffee

I like Luckin's coconut milk flavour and their coconut latte offerings, so when I saw it paired with mint and a tantalising pastel blue colour, I wanted to try it.
Iced Minty Coconut Latte by Luckin Coffee
See how prominent the blue is. In the photo below, the blue is so strong that it is almost the same intensity of blue as the order chit label stuck to the cup. (For another prominently blue coconut drink, check out their Blue-Ming Coconut Latte.) The coloured label printed on the plastic cup is a collaboration with Osamu Goods. I don't follow that brand, however, so I don't have any opinion of it.

Previously, I had found their coconut latte too sweet, but it seems that over the years since they first opened in Singapore, they have been adjusting sugar levels down. The coconut latte is now at a 2% sugar level (grams per 100ml) for the least sweet option. 

This Iced Minty Coconut Latte is at a 3% level for the least sweet option, so it's a bit sweeter, but let's see how it goes.
Iced Minty Coconut Latte by Luckin Coffee - back view of blue colour
Overall, I ended up finding it unbearable to drink. 

But first, the good stuff: I liked the coconut milk flavour as usual. It is smoother and more refreshing compared to dairy milk due to the lighter nutty notes. It also has a cleaner and sharper finish without the earthy and buttery notes found in dairy milk. I thought that this sharpness paired better with the sharpness of the mint, especially as an iced cold drink, compared to dairy milk, which might do better in a warmer and more homey drink such as cocoa.

The sugar level was also much better from when I last remembered it. I had tried the first iteration and the sugar level was just through the roof so I neither finished it nor wanted to feature a post on it. This time around it is much more subtle. The sweetness still pokes out from the rest of the flavours, but not by much. It would have been better at a 2% level in my opinion.

And now for the bad part that I couldn't take. The spice level of hte mint was through the roof this time around. It was so spicy that it really reminded me of white pepper! So spicy that it was actually warm, not cool at all, ironically. It is good that it is an iced drink and not a hot one or the double heat would have been really too much. The warm pepper spice doesn't hit immediately, but starts to prickle the back half of my tongue around 1 to 2 seconds into the sip. It is fine albeit unpleasant for one small sip, but it becomes a bit too prickly, spicy and even warm when I started taking larger consecutive sips. It is too harsh and stinging for it to be gulped down, and doesn't come across as cool or refreshing at all as a result. 

During the first launch of this drink, I don't recall it being this type of stinging spice. There was a very strong peppermint coolness, and the coolness did feel very strong and at some points overwhelming if I drank too much at one go, but I don't recall it being prickly like pepper at all. I wonder if they changed the formula. 

This is a pity, because the cool aspect of the mint and the non-earthy nutty coconut milk flavour go very well together. I would have loved it if not for that prickly spice sensation. Instead, this prickly level of spice makes this come across as a niche drink to me.

Nonetheless, I can imagine that people who like that sensation would love this. If you do, and you liked this drink, I would love to hear your perspective in the comments.

Finally, this photo below shows it after I stirred it, sitting next to the Pink Blossom Latte. You can see that it is still a much cooler shade of brown that the normal coffee colour, so the blue colouration really does persist through the coffee's brown.
Iced Minty Coconut Latte by Luckin Coffee - colour after stirring
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