This is the Phoenix Oolong Pineapple Lemon Tea ($12.90; medium ice, slightly sugar) from Ningji, featuring Phoenix oolong tea with pineapple, lemon and crystal pearls, substituted for jelly as the latter was unavailable.
The beverage presented with a translucent golden-brown hue, with cubes of golden pineapple at the base alongside clear crystal pearls and two slices of lime beneath the ice.
As the pineapple was added to the base rather than shaken with the tea, the beverage required vigorous stirring. Once mixed, initial contact delivered notable sweetness from the pineapple, tasting of the intensely sweet, low-acidity pineapple common in Taiwan and China rather than the tarter varieties found in Australia. Mid-sip, zesty lime notes balanced the sweetness, although pineapple remained dominant. The Phoenix oolong contributed little of its characteristic honeyed floral notes, resulting in a smooth finish without bitterness or astringency and a clean aftertaste.
Towards the finish, the pineapple cubes provided concentrated pockets of sweetness with subtle fibre texture, complementing the smooth tea base and crisp bounce of the crystal pearls. The drink was most enjoyable for its pineapple profile, but lacked the lemon intensity and tea presence of similar beverages from Order Lemon.
Overall, a pineapple-forward fruit tea with a sweet-to-zesty flavour trajectory and contrasting fruit fibres and crisp pearls, resulting in a smooth, clean drink with subdued tea and lemon character.
This Phoenix Oolong Pineapple Lemon Tea was purchased from Ningji in Sydney, Australia in September 2026.