Starbucks Just Rolled Out a Meat-Laden Coffee Drink in One of Its Biggest Markets The chain launched its Abundant Year Savory Latte ahead of the Lunar New Year.
By Amanda Breen
Starbucks, the largest coffeehouse chain in the world, is known for some creative product launches, including last year's olive oil-laced line.
And now, one of its latest innovations has arrived in China, the chain's top overseas market, just in time for the Lunar New Year: the Abundant Year Savory Latte, which melds pork and espresso flavors, CNN Business reported.
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The beverage, which costs 68 yuan ($9.45), boasts Dongpo Braised Pork Flavor Sauce with espresso and steamed milk and is garnished with additional pork sauce and pork breast meat, according to the Starbucks delivery app.
Starbucks operates more than 6,500 stores across 250 cities in mainland China and employs over 60,000 people, per the company's website.
The Starbucks pork latte is making the rounds on Chinese social media; the topic was viewed more than 476,000 times on Weibo at the time of publishing and garnered mixed reactions — with some users lamenting the cost and others saying they wouldn't put pork and coffee in their "mouth at the same time," per CNN.
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Last year, the coffee chain went viral on social media platforms in the U.S. with the launch of its "Oleato" line featuring cafe lattes, iced espressos, and cold brews infused with olive oil.