Jingshi Coffee, a café chain from the city of Ganzhou in Jiangxi province, has caught the attention of Chinese netizens with a new chili-infused spicy latte. Pairing milky coffee with fried chili peppers and chili powder, the beverage has a regular price of 20 RMB, or around 3 USD. Paying tribute to Jiangxi’s fiery cuisine (think the chili-laced stir fries of neighboring Hunan province, only spicier), the drink is selling at a rate of 300 cups a day.
The introduction of the spicy latte has sparked a flurry of reactions online, with debate playing out in the comment section of a viral Douyin post. Some expressed excitement for the unconventional flavor, while others raised a digital eyebrow towards this strange drink.
“This design is quite good and represents the local characteristics of Jiangxi,” sarcastically wrote user Nidi Xuewang. “We always need to innovate. Anyway, if you ask me to drink it, I won’t.”
Other netizens also poked fun at the drink, with Shi Xiang commenting “Finally understand the idiom ‘eat well and drink spicy.’” (The idiom 吃香喝辣 chī xiāng hē là refers to living the high life, but its last character literally translates to hot and spicy.)
Despite the skepticism online, Jingshi Coffee remains undeterred. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, an employee said “I don’t think it is very spicy. On the contrary, it tastes fine. This coffee is not as weird as people might think.” The store plans to continue selling the drink as long as demand remains.
The new drink echoes last year’s trend of bizarre coffee flavors, seen most prominently through liquor brand Moutai teaming up with Luckin Coffee to sell booze-infused “Soy Sauce Fragrance Lattes.” Only time will tell what other unexpected coffee drinks emerge this year…
