This Gong Cha QQ Passionfruit Green Tea ($7.00 for regular, including all toppings, with 30% sugar) caught my eye many months ago as being the equivalent to the Comebuy Passionfruit Blast, and I’ve long been curious about how they compare as the latter drink was available for less at $5.00 for a large. Both drinks include pearls and coconut jelly, which the Chinese call ‘QQ’ due to difficulties in pronouncing ‘chewy chewy’, as well as passionfruit pulp, and together, the toppings take up almost half the cup in the Gong Cha version.
The tea is a cloudy orange colour with a tart and tropical aroma. Served chilled, the passionfruit flavour came through from the start of each sip, building to a prominent and fragrant tartness in the body before lingering with a minor astringency – the only reminder that it’s a tea – in the aftertaste as you slowly chew through the numerous toppings. The passionfruit pulp adds a crunch from the seeds as well as pops of sweetness, while the jelly has a firmer and cleaner bite than the chewy pearls.
Overall, the Gong Cha version of this drink is more fragrant and generous with its toppings, although it does cost $1.50 for the regular size. Personally, I enjoy the brighter flavour of the Gong Cha version but prefer the bigger ratio of drink to toppings in the Comebuy version.
QQ Passionfruit Green Tea was purchased at Gong Cha in Sydney, Australia during July 2018.