Pink Blossom Latte by Luckin Coffee (or Kansan Cherry Blossom Latte) - both iced and hot versions reviewed

Luckin recently relaunched their Pink Blossom Latte, which is a caffe latte made with Kansan cherry blossom juice. This is apparently a floral extract from the Kanzan (or Kwanzan) cherry tree (Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan'), which is a popular Japanese cherry cultivar known for its large, deep-pink, double blossoms, which look kind of floppy and jagged compared to the more common 5-petaled sakura trees. It is a different type of sakura, of the yaezakura (double-blossom) variety, and the flowers blossom alongside bronze leaves, unlike the normal sakura whose branches are bare when the flowers blossom.
Pink Blossom Latte by Luckin Coffee (or Kansan Cherry Blossom Latte) - both iced and hot versions
Luckin boasts the use of cherry blossom juice in each cup, and specifically mentions Kansan cherry blossoms. I tried both the hot and iced versions to see which I preferred. (They also have some collaboration with Osamu Goods, which is reflected in their fancy cup sleeve and prints.)

Before the reviews, some interesting things I discovered is that the juice is typically made from the flowers (not fruit or leaves) before they are fully bloomed, at the midway or three-quarter mark, pickling them in salt and vinegar, then boiling them in the sugar syrup. Unlike the barely-flavoured normal sakura flavours, which often derive their flavour from the leaf of the plant and the plum vinegar they are pickled in, this kansan cherry blossom juice actually produces a delicate floral and almond-marzipan flavour coming from the flowers itself, and the dark pink flowers are themselves highly fragrant. As such, it seems like they are better suited to flavouring more intense ingredients such as coffee, than the less-flavoured sakura flowers.

Hot Pink Blossom Latte
Hot Pink Blossom Latte by Luckin Coffee (or Kansan Cherry Blossom Latte)
I tried the hot version first. Although it is slight, there is a pinkish hue visible even in the milk foam. 

And I was sold on the hot version.

There was a slightly tart cherry flavour, like a morella cherry tart, but not nearly anywhere as sour, just a hint. Like a cherry compote or fruit jam, perhaps. Based on how the juice is normally made, this is probably from the vinegar used in the pickling process? Unless they also used actual cherry or other tart fruits in the juice. Otherwise, the flower itself shouldn't have any sourness to contribute.

This blended with notes of floral cherry, almond marzipan and bright fruity strawberry to create a very complex fruity conserve flavour.

The coffee was quite weak, as most of Luckin's hot coffees are (since they fill the entire cup with milk and there's only 1 shot of espresso), but it was still present, and complemented the cherry and berry flavour well with a nice dark chocolate darkness, reminiscent of a milky and light version of a black forest cake. This was a surprising result.

There was no option to adjust the sweetness level for either version, but the standard was a 3% level of sugar (I believe in grams per 100ml), and it was a perfect level for me because the sugar was balanced by the tartness and other flavours. 

I didn't notice any salt, however, which would normally accompany the normal sakura pickled leaves, and apparently kansan cherry blossom juice is supposed to also have some salt for the pickling. So I'm not sure how the typical pickling process features into the particular juice they used. 

Iced Pink Blossom Latte
Iced Pink Blossom Latte by Luckin Coffee (or Kansan Cherry Blossom Latte)
Next, I tried the cold version. Because the cup is transparent, you can actually see the distinctly pink hue of the milk they used.

It was mostly the same as the hot version, and I didn't think it was too sweet either.

But the interesting difference is that it came across as less tart, and with more prominent floral cherry or almond marzipan notes. Overall, it felt like a caffe latte made with the typical Meiji or other strawberry milk you can get in the supermarket, but with hints of almond cherry flavour. 

Verdict

This is probably my favourite fruity latte so far, although it is actually flower-flavoured. I love the blend of tart and fragrant fruity notes with the darkness of the coffee, like a black forest cake I mentioned. (Other fruit- and flower-flavoured coffee lattes I've tried so far are gardenia pear, plum and pineapple, also from Luckin. Other flower-flavoured ones would be Jasmine Cloud Latte by Luckin or Rose Tea Latte by Greybox Coffee, but they weren't fruity at all and were quite different.)

I much preferred the warm version because the tart and jam-like effect seemed stronger, and it made it very warm and comforting, reminiscent of English scones with a mixed berry jam and clotted cream, albeit with a dash of coffee.

Just a note that they seem to have improved the formula for this year's drink. I had actually tried the Pink Blossom Latte (iced version only) much earlier when it first launched (image below), and at the time, I honestly couldn't tell the difference between a strawberry milk with coffee. I didn't remember any almond marzipan notes or tartness. There seemed to be some vague cherry notes at the edges of my palate, but I wasn't sure if I made it up back then. Here's a picture of the iced version I tried back then.
Iced Pink Blossom Latte by Luckin Coffee - previous version
Health Warning for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women

One caution to note is that because natural flowers are used in the juice, there could somehow be health implications for pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers,those who have flower or pollen allergies. Luckin also includes a warning for pregnant and breastfeeding women in their app, but doesn't explain why. When researching this, it seems that the flowers contain naturally occurring cyanogenic glycosides in the leaves and blossoms, which could release toxic cyanide. The traditional Japanese salt-pickling process seems to extract and reduce these toxins, and I suppose any large scale manufacturing of such juices would test for such compounds to ensure that they are within safe levels, but I think if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it might be safer to err on the side of avoiding them. (I don't think your own doctor would know anything about the safety levels of these manufacturing processes anyway, so it's probably no point consulting them.)

Strawberry Coffee by Nespresso
Nespresso White Chocolate and Strawberry and French Lavender and Vanilla Vertuo Sleeves
This pleasant experience reminded me that I really loved Nespresso's White Chocolate and Strawberry flavour (the pink and white sleeve at the bottom in the photo above). I got the Vertuo capsule version and am not sure if they have it in other capsule versions. I had it with cold dairy milk in latte form, and absolute loved it. Someone made it for me without telling me what flavour it was, and I could instantly taste the delicate strawberry, thinking to myself that it reminded me of the strawberry flavour in Häagen-Dazs' classic strawberry ice cream, just without sugar, which was perfect for me since I like my lattes without sugar.

So if you find that you like this Pink Blossom Latte, this berry-milk-coffee combination might work for you and you could make your own versions at home with Nespresso. (I'm not sponsored, but I was so taken by this flavour that it got me excited to share.)

I saw mixed reviews of this flavour online, but those people seem to have used oat milk or syrups or drunk it hot (which tends to make such flavours less prominent). 

In any case, here are some other photos of the White Chocolate and Strawberry flavour for reference (click to enlarge). It's the pink ones. [The purple one is some other (French Lavender and Vanilla), but I either haven't tried it yet or drunk it without noticing the flavour, so I can't review or recommend it.]
Nespresso White Chocolate and Strawberry and French Lavender and Vanilla Vertuo Capsules
Nespresso White Chocolate and Strawberry and French Lavender and Vanilla Vertuo Sleeves - back view details
Discover other interesting coffees from Luckin

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