Summary of Key Points
Recently, lemon milk drinks launched by leading new tea beverage brands such as Ba Wang Cha Ji have become an instant hit (Ba Wang Cha Ji sold 80,000 cups in just three days), sparking a trend among the industry. Unlike previous summers when sales relied on seasonal fresh fruits (like lychees and peaches, which were only available for 2-3 months), lemon milk uses fragrant lemons that are available throughout the year, making it suitable for both cold and hot drinks, and has the potential to become a “perennial product.” What’s more unique about this trend is that it didn’t originate from top brands; instead, it started with small street vendors solving technical issues (such as preventing milk from clumping) and was later scaled up by regional chains. However, lemon milk also faces challenges such as low production efficiency, limited flavor variety, and the risk of homogenization.
Why Can Lemon Milk Break the Summer “Seasonal Curse”?
In previous summers, new tea beverage brands relied on seasonal fruits to boost sales, but these fruits were only available for a short period and then removed from the market, effectively becoming “short-term hits.” Lemon milk, on the other hand:
1. Available Year-Round: Fragrant lemons are consistently supplied throughout the year, unlike lychees, which are only available in summer. This makes lemon milk suitable for both cold and hot drinks, with no seasonal restrictions.
2. Aligns with Current Taste Trends: People used to prefer high-sugar, rich milk teas, but now younger consumers prefer lighter, lower-sugar options. The combination of lemon and milk in lemon milk hits this preference perfectly.
3. Profitable for Brands: Ordinary lemon teas are priced around 9.9 yuan, which is a low-price strategy to attract customers; lemon milk, with prices ranging from 15-19 yuan, targets the mid-to-high-end market, allowing brands to increase average transaction values.
Lemon Milk Didn’t Become an Instant Hit—it’s a “Grassroots Success”
Lemon milk didn’t emerge suddenly from a major brand; it evolved step by step from small businesses:
1. Early Challenges: Hong Kong-style tea restaurants had frozen lemon milk, but the mixture of lemon juice and milk would clump and taste astringent, a problem that remained unsolved.
2. Small Business Innovation: A shop in Huzhou, Zhejiang, discovered that simply crushing the lemon peel (without using the fruit flesh) could release the aroma while reducing acidity, effectively solving the clumping issue, and the drink became popular locally.
3. Regional Standardization: In 2025, the brand “Grandpa Doesn’t Make Tea” in Central China standardized the production process (e.g., crushing the lemon peel 30 times) and paired it with floral tea and special milk, resulting in a stable flavor that sold millions of cups.
4. Top Brand Promotion: This year, Ba Wang Cha Ji used this mature product model along with its own customer base to popularize lemon milk nationwide, turning it into an industry trend.
This “grassroots → regional → top brand” approach is the opposite of the traditional pattern where top brands introduce new products and small businesses follow suit.
Can Lemon Milk Continue to Be Popular?
While industry analysts suggest it could become the next perennial product in the tea beverage market, there are also challenges:
Opportunities:
- Replaces Low-Price Lemon Teas: With lemon teas priced at around 9.9 yuan, lemon milk can fill the mid-to-high-end market and help brands escape the price competition.
- Stable Long-Term Demand: The preference for lighter flavors indicates a sustainable demand if production issues are addressed.
Challenges:
- Low Production Efficiency: Crushing lemon peels manually is time-consuming and increases labor costs, slowing down service speed in stores.
- Unstable Flavor: The drink may become astringent or clump over time, affecting the consumer experience.
- Limited Flavor Variation: Relying mainly on lemon peel aroma makes it difficult to introduce new variations, potentially leading to customer fatigue.
- Rapid Homogenization: With thousands of stores adopting the recipe within a month, the product may become homogeneous and lose its novelty.
The New Tea Beverage Industry: Moving from “Seasonal Follow-up” to “Perennial Product Development”
The growth of the new tea beverage market has slowed, and competition is becoming more focused on existing products. Fruits and teas have been largely explored, making it challenging to introduce groundbreaking new products. The success of lemon milk reflects the industry’s search for long-term solutions:
- Moving from seasonal reliance on fruits to developing products that sell well year-round.
- Some brands are cautious about adopting lemon milk, indicating a more rational approach rather than blind following of trends.
However, if too many brands start producing lemon milk, homogenization is inevitable, and brands will need to rely on quality and innovation to retain customers. Whether lemon milk can truly become a perennial product depends on their ability to overcome these challenges.
Why Are Some Brands Cautious About Lemon Milk?
Some top brands have not embraced lemon milk, possibly for the following reasons:
1. High Production Costs: Manual lemon peel crushing requires more labor and is costly for smaller businesses.
2. Fear of Homogenization: With many brands already in the market, entering now might not be profitable; it’s better to wait for more mature opportunities.
3. Product Alignment: Some brands focus on high-end fresh fruit teas, and the combination of lemon peel and milk may not align with their brand image.
This differentiated approach is healthier than the previous trend of the entire industry rushing to follow the same trends. It shows that new tea beverage brands are making more informed decisions and are no longer blindly chasing hot topics.
In summary, the success of lemon milk represents an attempt by the industry to break through in a competitive market. While it has broken seasonal constraints and adopted a new growth model, its long-term popularity depends on the ability to address production and flavor-related issues. For consumers, it offers a fresh, enjoyable option; for brands, it presents a test of transitioning from short-term sales strategies to sustainable profitability.