Chinese learner's guide to Luckin x Moutai craze 来杯酱香拿铁

 

If you've been in China for the past week, you must've already heard the news about the new baijiu-infused coffee. What's the deal? And how to get it? This week, we'll share Chinese learner's guide to Luckin x Moutai craze.

 

About Moutai

 

Moutai/Maotai, or 茅台酒 (Máo tái jiǔ) in Chinese, is a type of Chinese liquor made in Guizhou province in the town of Maotai.

 

茅台酒 (Máotáijiǔ) is a famous Chinese brand. It's a variety of baijiu, crafted from fermented sorghum, with a rich history spanning over 200 years.

 

茅台酒
Máo tái jiǔ
Kweichow Moutai
(the old romanization of Guizhou Maotai)

 

白酒 (bái jiǔ) ∙ baijiu, "white spirit"
高粱 (gāo liang) ∙ sorghum

 

TASTE

 

Moutai's alcoholic content may vary from 38 to 53%, so it's a very strong liquor. The flavour is hot and sharp. Upon first taste, it reminds of very rough vodka, followed by soy sauce notes, and also has pear, walnut and almond notes.

 

NOTE
茅台酒 (Máo tái jiǔ) is normally served at room temperature, but it can also be warmed like sake. So it will taste nice in hot coffee.

 

PRICE

 

茅台酒 (Máo tái jiǔ) bottles get more expensive with age. A 1980-s bottle can be sold at an auction for over 100,000 RMB. There are also limited editions and vintage collections that are more expensive.

 

But if you search for an 'average' price on Taobao, the bottles start from around 1,500 RMB per 500 ml bottle. Prices may also vary based on alcoholic content – the higher the degree, the more expensive the bottles is.

 

Luckin x Moutai: Chinese learner's guide to Luckin x Moutai Craze

 

On September 4th, Luckin Coffee* and Guizhou Moutai teamed up for a surprise collaboration that excited coffee lovers and others alike: Moutai-infused Coffee.

 

*Luckin Coffee is a popular Chinese coffee chain known for its unique coffee service approach. Founded in 2017, the company gained significant attention and rapid growth in a short period.

 

The two companies have come up with a drink called 酱香拿铁 (jiàngxiāng nátiě) — Moutai latte.

 

酱香拿铁
Jiàng xiāng ná tiě
Moutai latte
(lit. "sauce-fragrant-latte")

 

Just imagine the numbers: based on reports from last week, over 5.4 million cups have already been sold across China and single-day revenues have surpassed 100 million yuan.

 

If you're concerned about getting tipsy at work, don't worry – Luckin Coffee says that each cup contains less than 0.5% of Moutai.

 

How to Get It

 

As any 网红 (wǎng hóng, online-popular) drink, 酱香拿铁 (jiàng xiāng ná tiě) has been extremely hard to get in the first weeks since the launch. We've talked to the local Luckin coffee baristas in Shanghai, and they've recommended to check the apps as early in the morning as the Luckin Coffee stores open — the drink sells out within minutes.

 

There've also been shortages in ingredients this week, so many stores will get re-stocked soon.

 

If you'd like to try it, keep checking the Luckin/delivery apps every morning.

 

Ordering Instructions

 

Now let's try getting a 酱香拿铁 (jiàng xiāng ná tiě)!

 

01. Apps

 

You can try ordering a cup either from the official Luckin Coffee app/mini-program, or from one of the delivery apps.

 

Luckin Coffee

 

When ordering "酱香拿铁" (jiàng xiāng ná tiě) via the Luckin Coffee app or WeChat/Alipay mini-program, you'll have 2 options: delivery or pick-up.

 

外卖 (wài mài) ∙ (to order) a takeout
到店取 (dào diàn qǔ) ∙ pick up by yourself in store

 

Eleme / Meituan

 

You can also search for 酱香拿铁 (jiàng xiāng ná tiě) in delivery apps* to have it delivered to your location.

 

02. Customize Your Drink

 

When placing your order, you can personalize it by selecting from these options: temperature, sugar content, and topping.

 

口味
kǒu wèi
taste; flavor

 

1. CUP SIZE

Both hot and cold options are available in a large cup size of 480 ml.

杯型
bēi xíng
cup size

大杯
dà bēi
large cup size

 

2. TEMPERATURE

酱香拿铁 (jiàng xiāng ná tiě) is available in 2 options: hot or cold.

温度
wēn dù
temperature

冰
bīng
ice-cold

热
rè
hot

 

3. SWEETNESS

You can choose from 3 options:

糖度
táng dù
sugar degree

不另外加糖
bú lìng wài jiā táng
without additional sugar

半糖
bàn táng
half-sweet

标准糖
biāo zhǔn táng
standard sweet

 

4. TOPPING

You can choose to have your 酱香拿铁 (jiàng xiāng ná tiě) with whipped cream on top.

奶油
nǎi yóu
cream

默认奶油
mò rèn nǎi yóu
default whipped cream

无奶油
wú nǎi yóu
without cream

 

Memes & Jokes

What makes this topic so cool for Chinese language learners are, of course, the memes and jokes around the drink. Have you seen any good ones in your social media feed?

 

Here's what we've spotted this week:

 

01. "Half drunk, half awake"

"半醉半醒"
"bàn zuì bàn xǐng"
"half drunk, half awake"

 

02."Can I have it without the coffee?"

"可以去咖啡液吗?"
"Kě yǐ qù kā fēi yè ma?"
"Can I have it without the coffee?"

*The verb 去 (qù) is commonly used in orders to ask for 去冰 (qù bīng), "without ice".

 

03. "Only missing a plate of peanuts"

"差盘花生米"
"chà pán huā shēng mǐ"
"Only missing a plate of peanuts"

*Baijiu is often served with snacks such as peanuts.

 

04."Boss, I'd like the Moutai Latte, no coffee please"

"老板，来一杯酱香拿铁，不要咖啡"
"Lǎo bǎn, lái yī bēi jiàng xiāng ná tiě, bù yào kā fēi"
"Boss, I'd like the Moutai Latte, no coffee please"

Source: That's Mandarin
Editor: wanwan