“全冰”咖啡火了！下一个流行爆款，会是你的心头好吗？The 'all ice' coffee is on fire! Will the next popular item be your favorite?

图片来源：社交媒体截图

而从更深层次看，这种喝法契合了消费者对“掌控感”的心理需求。咖啡是标准化程度较高的餐饮品类，统一的配方和流程保证了产品品质的稳定性，但消费者并不甘于停留在标准答案之中，而是希望在标准化产品中创造属于自己的体验。变化或许有限，却满足了消费者对个性表达和自主选择的需求。

但将这些原本存在于备注区和社交平台里的“民间智慧”纳入正式菜单，却是一笔划算的生意。经济学里有个概念叫“价值共创”，即企业不再单方面设计产品，而是让消费者参与创造价值。相较耗时耗力的新品研发，消费者自发探索出的喝法，本身就是真实的市场调研。当某种隐藏喝法不断被模仿、传播，企业再将其升级为官方产品，就能以较低成本完成一次新品迭代。

Source: Economic Daily WeChat official account

Recently, there has been a frequently appearing "clearance code" on the notes of ordering takeout coffee - "all ice, remove water, change arch cover". This hidden menu, originally popular on social media platforms and invented by netizens, has now been included in the official ordering pages of multiple chain coffee brands, and even launched exclusive new products.

Image source: screenshot from social media

You know, chain coffee has been roast by netizens because of "too much ice". Nowadays, with the change of wind direction, consumers not only don't mind too much ice, but also want to be completely frozen. Why have consumers changed?

The most direct reason is to remove the direct drinking water from the formula and replace it with a full cup of ice cubes, which reduces the dilution of additional water. The coffee has a richer and more mellow flavor when it enters the mouth, and as the ice cubes slowly melt, the drink will present different levels of taste changes. Exquisite taste control has become a romantic taste that only "old drinkers" can understand.

At a deeper level, this drinking method aligns with consumers' psychological need for a sense of control. Coffee is a highly standardized food and beverage category, and a unified formula and process ensure the stability of product quality. However, consumers are not satisfied with staying in the standard answer, but hope to create their own experience in standardized products. The changes may be limited, but they meet consumers' needs for personality expression and independent choice.

Why did the brand change accordingly?

The chain catering industry pursues ultimate efficiency and cost control, and when it comes to store operations, it requires baristas to strictly follow standard procedures for production. Various types of takeaway notes often become the "efficiency killer" of stores. If employees are allowed to freely replace cup lids and add or remove ingredients based on the remarks, it will not only increase operational complexity, but also affect material management and cost accounting.

But incorporating these "folk wisdom" that originally existed in the comments section and social media platforms into the official menu is a cost-effective business. There is a concept in economics called 'value co creation', which means that companies no longer unilaterally design products, but instead involve consumers in creating value. Compared to the time-consuming and labor-intensive development of new products, consumers' spontaneous exploration of drinking methods is itself a real market research. When a certain hidden drinking method is constantly imitated and spread, and the enterprise upgrades it to an official product, it can complete a new product iteration at a lower cost.

AI generates images

During this process, consumers' psychology also underwent a reversal. In traditional perception, spending more than ten yuan to buy a cup of coffee that is "half full of water" can easily lead consumers to develop a resistance mentality of being "tricked by merchants". When the product becomes "all ice and water", consumers no longer feel like they are paying for diluted drinks, but rather buying a sense of group identity. The personalized drinking method that used to rely on notes for luck and store understanding is now officially recognized by the brand. This psychological satisfaction of being understood and respected far exceeds the physical value of the product itself.

The popularity of 'all ice to water' is not an isolated case. From Xicha to turn the popular matching in the hidden menu of the store into bottled products, to Yang Guofu Spicy Hot Pot to push the consumer's own sesame paste matching to the front of the stage; From the "Ice Cup Challenge" that swept the internet in convenience stores, to McDonald's leaving the choice of whether to keep pickles to consumers... More and more business innovations do not originate from enterprises, but from consumers' daily practices.

The production logic of industrialization, standardization, and scale is increasingly accepting personalized reverse reconstruction. When consumers place personalized orders in front of the screen, they begin to reverse calibrate the data of the brand's production line and supply chain, creating a two-way co creation between the brand and the individual, achieving product iteration in modern business.

The next time you drink coffee, you may want to make more wonderful attempts of your own. Don't underestimate these imaginative flavors, they may be quietly rewriting the evolutionary history of coffee. After all, who can guarantee that the next popular item that will go viral on the streets and alleys will not be your sudden whim at this moment?

Source/Economic Daily (June 28, 2026, 9th edition, reporter Cui Hao), original title "Want to become a popular hit with your heart's desire? Do you do it this way"