Description
The distinctive characteristic of bubble tea is the presence of chewy translucent balls of (, that sit at the bottom of the glass. Usually the pearls are "large pearl," larger than the "small pearl" that is customary in tapioca pudding. Cooked, large pearls have a diameter of at least 6 millimeters. Occasionally, "small pearl" tapioca is used. Both sizes of pearls are available in a variety of colors. The pearls are prepared by boiling for 25 minutes, until they are cooked thoroughly but have not lost pliancy, then cooled for 25 minutes. After cooking they last about 7 hours. The pearls have little taste, and are usually soaked in sugar or honey solutions.
Bubble teas are generally of two distinct types: fruit-flavored teas, and milk teas. However, some shops offer a hybrid "fruit milk tea." Milk teas may use dairy or non-dairy creamers.
The original bubble tea consisted of a hot black tea, brown large pearl tapioca, condensed milk, and honey. As this drink became more popular, variations were created. Initially iced versions with a hint of peach or plum flavoring began to appear, then more fruit flavors were added until, in some variations, the tea was removed entirely in favor of real fruits. These fruit versions usually contain colored pearls , the color chosen to match whatever fruit juice is used. Flavors may be added in the form of powder, fruit juice, pulp, or syrup to hot black or green tea, which is shaken in a cocktail shaker or mixed in a with ice until chilled. Cooked tapioca pearls and other mix-ins are addded at the end.
Today one can find shops entirely devoted to bubble tea, similar to juice bars of the early 1990s. Bubble tea bars often serve bubble tea using a machine to seal the top of the cup with plastic cellophane. This allows the tea to be shaken in the serving cup. The cellophane is then pierced with a straw. The straw may be brightly colored, and is oversize, large enough for sucking up the pearls. Other cafés use plastic dome-shaped lids.
Bubble tea kits for making bubble tea at home can also be purchased from online shops.
Variants
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. Another variation called 鸳鸯 originated in HongKong and consists of half black tea and half coffee. Decaffeinated versions of teas are sometimes available when the tea house fresh brew the tea base.
The milk in bubble tea is optional and many tea houses uses powder milk rather than fresh. Some cafes use a non-dairy creamer milk substitute instead of milk because many East Asians are . Soy milk options are widely available for those who avoid dairy products for various reasons. This adds a distinct flavor and consistency to the drink.
Different flavoring can be added to bubble tea. Some widely available fruit flavors include strawberry, green apple, passion fruit, mango, lemon, grape, lychee, peach, pineapple, cantaloupe, , . Other popular non-fruit flavors include taro, coconut, chocolate, barley, sesame, almond, ginger, lavender, rose, . Some of the sour fruit flavors are usually only available in bubble tea without milk as the acidity will curdle the milk.
Tapioca balls of big and small sizes are of course the prevailing chewy tid-bit in bubble tea, but a wide range of other options can add equally tantalizing texture to the drink. Green pearls have a small hint of green tea flavor, and are chewier than the traditional tapioca balls. Jelly, in small cube or rectangular strips, with flavors like , konjac, lychee ,, mango, green tea, or rainbow , has a pliant, almost crispy consistency. or mung bean mush, also typical toppings for Taiwanese shaved ice, give the drink an added subtle flavor as well texture. Aloe, egg pudding, sago, taro balls can also be found in most tea houses to complete the perfect cup of tea.
Bubble tea cafes will almost always serve drinks without coffee or tea in them. The base for these drinks is flavoring blended with ice, often called Snow Bubble. All mix-ins that can be added to the bubble tea can also be added to these slushie-like drinks. One drawback to Snow Bubble is that the coldness of the iced drink may cause the tapioca balls to harden, making them difficult to suck up through a straw and chew. To prevent this from happening, Snow Bubble tea must be consumed faster than regular bubble tea.
Culture
Bubble tea cafes are often popular hangouts for younger Asians. Consequently, they will often have stacks of magazines , Chinese manga, and show music videos of Asian pop music. These cafes will generally have a small food menu catering to its clientele.
Some bubble tea cafes in California include Quickly , Tapioca Express , Ten Ren Tea , Fantasia Tea and Coffee, and Verde Tea Cafe .
History
There are three shops that claim to be the first creator of bubble tea. One is Liu Han Chie who worked in Chun Shui Tang teahouse Taichung City, Taiwan in the early 1980's, and experimented with cold milk tea by adding fruit, syrup, , and tapioca balls. Although the drink was not popular at first, a Japanese television show generated interest among businessmen. The drink became well-known in most parts of East and Southeast Asia during the 1990s.
An alternative origin is the Hanlin Teahouse in Tainan City, Taiwan, owned by Tu Tsong He Hanlin. Bubble tea is made by adding traditional white ''fenyuan'' which have an appearance of pearls, supposedly resulting in the so-called "pearl tea." Shortly after, Hanlin changed the white ''fenyuan'' to the black, as it is today.
In the late 1990's, bubble tea began to gain popularity in the major North American cities with large Asian populations, especially those on the and and in Texas. The trend in the United States was started by Lollicup in the city of San Gabriel, California and quickly spread throughout Southern California. The beverage has received much attention from mainstream American media, including covers on National Public Radio ''Morning Edition'' and the Los Angeles Times. In the U.S., national and local chains are expanding into suburban areas, particularly those with large Asian populations. Bubble tea shops can now be found in shopping malls and shopping centers in the suburbs. It can also be found in a number of Chinese and Thai restaurants in and around large cities and college towns. Los Angeles and currently has one of the highest concentration of "boba" bars in the U.S., due to the region's large number of Asian residents.
Bubble tea has spread internationally through Chinatowns and other overseas Asian communities. It can be found in major European cities such as London and Paris. Bubble tea is also gaining in popularity in Canada, particularly in and around the cities of Vancouver, British Columbia; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Toronto, Ontario; Edmonton, Alberta; and Montreal, Quebec where there are large Asian-Canadian communities. It is also gaining popularity in Australia, especially in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne where there are also high concentrations of Asian immigrants and descendants.
More recently, bubble tea has quickly spread in the Mexican city of Monterrey, and the "Chinatown" neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Taiwanese communities have introduced it.
Names
The term for this drink would be literally translated "''pearl milk tea''" . "Bubbling tea" in Chinese actually refers to a modern method of beverage preparation: to efficiently and homogeneously mix various ingredients in these drinks , drink makers often shake the tea up as bartenders do with cocktails. Thusly prepared, a layer of foam forms on the surface, and any tea so prepared can be called bubble tea. "Foam black tea" and "foam green tea" are also common drinks made by shaking sweetened tea. After bubble tea was brought to non-Asian countries, it was given the name "bubble tea." The pearls in "pearl milk tea," however, do refer to the tapioca "pearls."
Bubble tea has many other names, including:
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Chinese
* 泡沫紅茶 : "bubble red tea", used mainly in Taiwan
* 泡沫奶茶 : "pearl milk tea," in and usage
* 波霸奶茶 : "large pearls milk tea," used mainly in southern Taiwan for the large-pearl kind; tea with smaller pearls is called "pearl milk tea"
* 黑珍珠奶茶 : "black pearl milk tea"
* 茶珍珠 : " tea pearl"
English
* pearl tea or drink
* tapioca milk tea drink
* milk pearl tea or drink
* black pearl tea or drink
* tea pearl
* boba tea or drink
* tapioca tea or drink
* bubble tea
* bubble milk
* bubble cup
Others
* Trà s?a tr?n ch?u : literally "pearl milk tea"
* ?? ???, ?? ?, ??? : transliterated "boba drink," "boba tea," "bubble tea"
* タピオカティー : ''tapiokatii'' transliterated "tapioca tea"
* ????????, ????? : literally "pearl tea"
* SAGO : literally "tapioca pearls"
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