Starbucks introduces pork-flavoured coffee in China

Starbucks has introduced an unconventional offering that is pork-flavoured coffee in China for the Chinese New Year, potentially challenging perceptions created by divisive creations like the olive oil-laced coffee.

The announcement was made by Starbucks’ Reserve Roastery in Shanghai through its verified Weibo microblog account on February 5. The limited edition offering is a pork-flavored latte called “Abundant Year Savory Latte,” or “Lucky Savory Latte” in English, blending coffee tradition with New Year customs.

This unique creation combines espresso with “Dongpo pork” sauce, a nod to a famous braised pork dish named after an 11th-century poet. After incorporating steamed milk, the latte is topped with a skewered pork slice and finished with an additional drizzle of pork sauce.

Priced at approximately $9.50 (68 Chinese yuan) at Reserve stores in China, the news of the pork-flavored latte quickly spread across Chinese social media platforms, sparking a range of reactions.

Some users expressed skepticism about the unusual combination, while others were pleasantly surprised by the unexpected flavor profile. On Xiaohongshu, China’s equivalent of Instagram, one user described the latte as initially strange-looking but ultimately delightful, praising its intriguing blend of sweet and salty flavors that harmoniously merge the aromas of meat and coffee.

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