luckin coffee Review: China’s Largest Coffee Chain Is Now In Singapore With $0.99 Coffee For First-Timers

By Karmen on 06 Apr 2023

Digital Editor

Has severe RBF but is fairly jolly and carefree on the inside. Degree of life satisfaction is heavily influenced by food.

Coffee lovers, you have yet another new coffee haunt in town for your daily dose of caffeine - luckin coffee.

Known as the 'Starbucks' of China, luckin coffee's two new outlets at Marina Square and Ngee Ann City mark its first overseas debut.

The coffee chain got their street cred thanks to their hit beverage, Coconut Latte, that has sold over 300 million cups, as well as their cool, contemporary branding with minimalist interiors and 100% cashier-less stores with mobile app ordering.

The same hassle-free system is also in place at the Singapore outlets! After scanning a QR code which takes you to their app, place your order and collect your drink from the counter once it's ready.

Photo from luckin coffee

The Ngee Ann City outlet is a takeaway-only store while the one at Marina Square is a cafe with seating areas for dine-in customers. The cafe has a sleek, minimalist look with pretty blue murals adding a stylish splash of colour.

Photo from luckin coffee

There will soon be more luckin coffee joints popping up at Guoco Tower, Aperia, Citylink, Tampines 1, Jewel Changi Airport and more. All the outlets will have the complete range of bestselling coffees including the crowd-pleasing Coconut Series. These lattes are made with coconut syrup made by cold-pressing raw coconut milk.

If you weren't a fan of the trendy coconut coffees in Vietnam, luckin coffee's Coconut Latte ($6.40) might change your mind about this unlikely combination. This smooth and refreshing drink had a subtle coconut aroma giving it a little fragrant oomph rather than fighting with the coffee taste. The series also has other drinks such as Coconut Velvet Latte and Coconut Mocha.

Photo from GirlStyle Singapore

A fun fact about luckin coffee's blends are that they're created by a team of World Barista Championship's champions hailing from coffee capitals of the world including Poland, Italy, Japan, Australia and China.

This premium quality shined through the most in the Hambella Americano ($5.60), which is made with Ethopian-grown Hambella 5.0 green beans dried for 10 to 12 days. This light and clean-tasting brew had a pleasant fruity and floral aftertaste.

Photo from GirlStyle Singapore

If you like your coffee milk-heavy, go for the Creamy Dreamy Latte ($6.40). Like its name spells out, this drink had a rich and hearty creaminess.

Photo from GirlStyle Singapore

There are also non-coffee-based drinks on the menu including the Matcha Exfreezo ($6.40). This was another smooth drink that had a pleasant sweetness that wasn't cloying. This refreshing and easy-to-drink beverage will probably appeal to everyone, save those who like their matcha drinks intense with little to no sweetness.

Photo from GirlStyle Singapore

To celebrate its opening, luckin coffee is having a promotion where customers can make their first in-app order at $0.99.

luckin coffee Marina Square
Address: 6 Raffles Blvd, #02-153, Marina Square, Singapore 039594
Opening hours: 8am – 10pm (last order 9.30pm)
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