Luckin Coffee is known for tech-forward, cashier-less ordering, fast service and an affordable beverage lineup. But this week in New York City, the second largest coffee chain in the world played up the quality and tasting notes of its menu in a curated coffee tasting led by World Barista Champion Anthony Douglas.
One of Luckin’s 18 New York City locations was transformed into a “coffee omakase,” where Douglas guided participants on a tasting of five beverages—four coffee drinks and one matcha—and provided quick lessons on coffee growing regions, roast styles and quality, and latte art.
The aroma of the beans and coffee adds to the tasting experience.
The tasting began with Luckin’s Cold Brew, “a refreshing expression of coffee sweetness and balance,” according to Douglas. Sweetness and balance are two quality markers to evaluate when tasting coffee, he said. Coffee roasted and brewed properly is slightly sweet without sugar, but that sweetness should be balanced with acidity and bitterness to give the coffee body. Some tasters also notice notes of umami and saltiness.
We moved on to Luckin’s most popular beverage, the Coconut Latte, a blend of espresso with coconut milk. Douglas explained that milk drinks are evaluated a little differently from a black coffee or cold brew, with taste, tactile and visual the three criteria. A latte or cappuccino drinker should make sure there is harmony between the creamy, sweet milk and the dominant espresso; they shouldn’t be fighting for attention and one shouldn’t drown out the other, he said. The beverage should feel smooth in the mouth—not watery, dry or too bubbly. And on the visual front, the milk foam texture should be silky, not bubbly.
The Coconut Latte hit the mark and also had a pleasant aftertaste, or what Douglas calls a “nice, long finish”—another quality indicator. It was a crowd favorite.
Luckin team members serve tastings of the five beverages.
The coffees became “heavier” as the omakase progressed. Next up was a Velvet Latte, made with dark roast coffee and whole milk and built around texture and mouthfeel. It definitely had more body and presence in the mouth when sipped. Dark roast coffees are not necessarily stronger or higher in caffeine as some coffee drinkers think, Douglas said. “Darkness doesn’t always equal strength. You can have a light roast coffee that is technically just as strong, but because dark roast flavors are slightly more intense, you may feel like you get a bit more of a hit.”
Sea Salt Caramel Latte was the fourth “course” in the tasting. Blended with caramel syrup, this drink was thicker and sweeter, aimed at coffee drinkers who crave a sugar hit. But as Douglas pointed out, the salt helps round out the caramel sweetness and gives it more texture.
We finished the omakase experience with a Kyoto Matcha Latte made with high-grade matcha from Kyoto, Japan, and milk. If it hadn’t come at the end of the tasting, it would have overpowered the subtler beverages in the lineup.
The visual component
Having a coffee or matcha that looks good is part of the experience, and when Douglas was named World Barista Champion in 2022, latte art was part of the competition. He described the process of steaming and pouring the milk to achieve the perfect design.
Douglas demonstrates the perfect steamed milk pour.
“Steamed milk has a very short lifespan, and the foam immediately rises to the top, similar to the foam on a Guinness. If it sits too long, the foam separates from the milk, making it hard to work with,” he said. “So once it’s steamed, I swirl the milk to integrate the foam, then pour it high and slow over the cup at the beginning, and then low and fast to create the latte art.”
Douglas stressed that the temperature of the milk has to be spot on as well. If you overheat it, the milk gets too watery and the foam structure is hard to work with; same with under-heating. Protein and fat molecules have to be at the right temperature. The final design should be symmetrical and in the middle of the cup, with an appealing brown ring around the outside.
The latte art lasts even after the coffee sits for a while. | Photo by Pat Cobe
Douglas competed for seven years before being named World Barista Champion.
“First you have to win the regional championships, then the national championship in your country,” he said. He was finally crowned the national champion in his native Australia and earned the chance to represent his birthplace in the world competition.
Besides latte art, the competition involved serving three rounds of coffees—four espressos, four milk beverages and four signature drinks—to a panel of four judges. Douglas selected and brewed the beverages from his own coffee brand, Homebody Union, a Melbourne, Australia-based coffee roaster. He currently is working with Luckin on product development and events, but plans to open a Homebody Union café back in Australia soon.
While Douglas thrives on diving into coffee minutiae, coffee is very subjective and there’s no right or wrong, he believes. “At the end of the day, we all enjoy coffee how we enjoy it, and that may be different from one person to another. You don't need to analyze it, you can just drink it and have fun,” he said.
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