In Europe, we go for a good cup of coffee at break time, but in Asia, we often go for bubble tea. Indeed this delicious sweet tea with milk and tapioca pearls is so addictive!

What Is Bubble Tea?

Bubble tea is a drink that originated in Taiwan around the 1980s. Also called milk tea, pearl tea, tapioca drink, or boba tea, this unique and fascinating drink is made by adding vegetable milk, various flavors, sugar, and tapioca to different types of tea. Black, green, and oolong teas are the most common, and they may or may not contain milk.

The milk tea in Taiwan is very rich in flavor, unlike the English style, where milk is added to the tea. In Taiwan, milk tea can be found everywhere, including convenience stores, restaurants, cafeterias, breakfast stalls, and of course, boba shops. They also make a variety of milk tea-flavored desserts. If you visit Taiwan, you will be pleasantly surprised at how much Taiwanese people love milk tea.

Why Is It Called Bubble Tea?

Bubble tea is literally “tea with bubbles. Why do we call it that? Perhaps it comes from the Taiwanese word “boba,” referring to the tapioca pearls that are the main ingredient in bubble tea.

What is Tapioca?

Tapioca is a starch derived from cassava or manjocca, a potato-like tuber native to Central and South America. This raw material is processed into a granular starch used in soups, puddings, desserts, bubble tea, and other drinks.

They develop a gelatinous, rubbery consistency when these white pearls are boiled. The flavor is mild and relatively neutral. Bubble tea’s classic tapioca balls are usually processed to be quick and convenient to cook, look good, and taste good when chewed. As such, they are available in black and other imaginative shades.

Which Flavor to Choose?

The exciting thing about bubble tea is that everyone can customize it as they wish. The possibilities are endless. For example, Assam black tea and mango juice, matcha and mint, oolong and apricot juice, chamomile and orange juice, pineapple juice, etc.

How to Make Bubble Tea at Home?

The essential ingredients needed are very simple, but the most important is the purchase of tapioca pearls. In recent years, tapioca pearls have become available on the Internet and in Asian supermarkets in major cities. Tapioca pearls usually come in two sizes, and instructions for use are provided on the package (although not always translated accurately). However, it is generally not difficult to make bubble tea at home, and a simple 10-minute soak of these pearls in cold water is all that is needed to complete the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup black tapioca pearls
• 500 ml water
• 1 tablespoon green or black tea
• Brown sugar (tea sweetener), to taste
• 100 ml rice milk
• Mango juice or other fruit of your choice

 

Method

After the tapioca pearls have cooled, bring the water to a boil, add the pearls, and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring carefully to prevent them from sticking to the bottom. When the pearls are translucent, remove the pan from the heat and let sit for another 15 minutes to drain before they turn to mush. At this point, combine the tapioca pearls with the fruit syrup and store them in the refrigerator for a few days to make them firmer. Add the tapioca pearls to the previously prepared tea.
Add milk and your bubble tea is ready to serve!

Have you ever had bubble tea? What is your favorite flavor? Let us know in the comments section below!