To the Taiwanese, tea is serious business, so much so that they serve the pre- ferred hot oolong tea to customers waiting in line at government businesses such as banks and civic offices. But they can also appreciate the lighter side of tea, having concocted over 100 different flavors of iced tea. One of these is Bubble Tea, a brightly colored mixture of tea, fruit, and tapioca pearls drunk with a large, oversize straw. |
Created in Taiwan in the 1980’s, bubble tea first made its way to nearby East Asian countries, on to Canada, then spread to Chinatowns throughout the U.S., before wending its way through various college towns along the West Coast.The recipes for bubble tea vary, but the basic ver- sion is made with a tea base mixed with various fruits (or fruit syrup) and/or milk. Most bubble teas contain small tapioca balls or pearls called “boba.” Pearls made of jelly are also often available in many places. The concoction is shaken to mix the ingredients, creating a foam top, which is where the name originates. There are two distinct types of bubble tea: |
fruit flavored teas and milk teas. Some shops offer a third hybrid style-fruit milk tea.
Milk teas can be made with dairy or non-dairy creamers. Local shops Because many East Asians are lactose intolerant, many tea houses use a There are numerous variations of bubble tea, as each of the ingredients Another interesting variation called “yuan- Just about every popular type of fruit you can Of the popular non-fruit flavors there’s The tapioca balls provide the interesting chewy bits in Green pearls with a hint of green tea flavor are often A rainbow fruit mix with an almost crispy consistency is a popular add- Two different tea houses claim Bubble Tea as their creation. The first The drink received very little interest until it was featured The second originator was the Hanlin Teahouse in Tainan, There are cafes and tea shops devoted entirely to Bubble Tea throughout the world, If you don’t happen to have any local tea or coffee houses that offer Bubble Tea, it wouldn’t be hard to conjure up |