Starbucks introduces new pork-flavored latte for Lunar New Year
Starbucks is offering an unlikely new flavor in its coffee: pork.
The interesting ingredient will be featured as both a new sauce and a garnish in a new savory latte released in China to commemorate the Lunar New Year, according to the Seattle-based coffee chain.
The pork-flavored latte combines the pork flavor sauce with the typical dressings of a latte: espresso and steamed milk. The specialty drink will also include extra pork sauce on top of the drink with a piece of pork breast meat skewered on top, dipping into the drink.
The "Abundant Year Savory Latte" or "Lucky Savory Latte" costs approximately 68 yuan, or $9.45. It will be available at 25 Starbucks Reserve stores in China.
Photos and videos of the drink quickly made their way to Weibo, a social media platform popular in China.
According to its website, Starbucks has grown a tremendous presence in China since it opened its first store in the China World Trade Building in Beijing in 1999.
The company now has more than 6,500 stores across 250 cities on the Chinese mainland. It employs more than 60,000 people at these locations.
The Lunar New Year marks one of Asia’s biggest holiday seasons and, subsequently, the busiest annual period of mass travel.
The holidays officially kicked off on Feb. 10 and Chinese state media predicted China would see a record 9 billion domestic trips made during a 40-day travel rush around the Lunar New Year holidays.