March 31, 2011

About Bubble Tea

Bubble Tea is the catch-all name for endless unusual names of this drink such as: tapioca pearl drink, tapioca ball drink, pearl shake, pearl tea, black pearl tea, big pearl, boba tea, boba ice tea, boba nai cha, milk tea, bubble drink, zhen zhu nai cha, momi, momi milk tea, QQ, BBT, PT, and possibly many other names.

The tea is sweet, though it has less sugar than a typical soft drink. The drink is usually a mix of tea, milk, sugar, and giant black tapioca balls. The "bubble" refers to the foam created by shaking the freshly brewed tea with ice (the drink must always be shaken and not stirred).

For the first-timers, ordering a Bubble Tea can be an event. The unique ingredient of Bubble Tea is the tapioca pearls . 

The Bubble Tea craze has been huge in Taiwan, and other parts of Southeast Asia for the last 15 years. Teenagers and elementary school children looked forward to their after school tea. Tapioca pearls are made mostly from tapioca starch. This created a new fad of adding tapioca pearls into the children's favorite tea drinks.

Bubble tea can be made at home, but preparing tapioca pearls can be quite labor intensive as the tapioca pearls must be consumed immediately to maintain freshness and not lose their soft gummy texture.

Each of the ingredients of bubble tea can have many variations depending on the tea house. Typically, different types of black tea, green tea, or even coffee can form the basis of this beverage. The most common black tea varieties are Oolong and Earl Grey, while jasmine green tea is a mainstay at almost all tea houses. Decaffeinated versions of teas are sometimes available when the tea house fresh brews the tea base.

The milk in bubble tea is optional, though many tea houses use it. This adds a distinct flavor and consistency to the drink.

Different flavorings can be added to bubble tea. Some widely available fruit flavors include strawberry, green apple, passion fruit, mango, lemon, watermelon, grape, lychee, peach, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, banana, avocado, coconut, kiwi, and jackfruit.

Some of the sour fruit flavors are only available in bubble tea without milk as the acidity will curdle the milk.

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