There has been a huge rise in interest in what many people refer to as bubble tea. This drink first originated from Taiwan in the 1990s or 1980s and it quickly became a popular drink because it was different than regular tea or drinking coffee. It was a great alternative for those that want to save a little bit more money when going to the café. So, if you have also gotten bored of regular tea or coffee, I would recommend discovering this world of bubble tea or boba.
The method to create this drink is quite simple. All you need is a bit of milk, some tapioca balls and that’s about it. Of course, there are some other varieties that you can experience with, such as making it call with eyes or making it with hot milk, or adding cream for extra taste. But, right now, you probably want to know about all the other interesting facts I can tell you about bubble tea and here are some of them.
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1. How did it get its name?
Source: thespruceeats
I think that most people are interested in the origin of the name bubble tea. Of course, drinks can get all kinds of ridiculous or crazy names, but nothing such as this, especially since we are talking about a type of tea.
Well, if you look at a picture from boba you will see that the upper half of the drink is quite foamy and filled with bubbles. You might think that the reason why it got its name is because of the tapioca balls/pearls at the bottom, but it is actually about the phone. The right way to serve boba is by shaking the ice in the milk hard enough so it can start to foam. Once the foam is thick and consistent, the pearls can finally be added to finish the look of the tea.
2. What is the best way to drink it?
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Well, there is no exact or straightforward answer to this question. At the end of the day, your taste will determine which way you should drink it. Although, if you are looking for that traditional taste then you should drink it while it is neither cold nor hot. Traditionally, they didn’t mix the pearls with call milk, nor they added any ice to the glass. So, if you plan on making it yourself, do not add any ice if you want the traditional style.
However, I personally believe that the best way to experience boba is by drinking it ice cold. I like to add as many ice cubes as possible inside of the glass after mixing the milk with the tapioca balls. If you want to make things even better, I would recommend adding crushed ice instead of regular cubes. Once you finally get through the foamy milk at the top, you get to the boba at the bottom which you can eat. Think of it as a small reward at the bottom of the glass.
3. You can buy premade bubble tea in plastic cups
Source: taiwan-scene
Not a lot of people know this, but you can actually purchase boba in premade plastic cups that come with straws. These are usually a great way to satisfy your needs for bubble tea and they are quite convenient since they come with their own straw. These cups usually have an aluminum foil at the top that needs to be pierced with a straw when you want to start drinking.
Although, I do not personally condone buying these single-use plastic cups because it is not as satisfying since the tea is not in a real glass and because it is bad for the environment. These days, we have to put up a lot of effort to protect our planet and to save it from ourselves. Fortunately, you won’t have to give up on bubble tea entirely because there are quite a lot of glass alternatives to these plastic cups. According to Bobbleware, using a glass tumbler is better for both the Earth and healthier for humans since glass is toxic-free, unlike plastic.
4. It does not have to be tapioca
Source: touristsecrets
Like I already mentioned, bubble tea originates from Taiwan from the 1980s. Since then, I think it is safe to say that a lot of things have changed. Taiwan as a country has changed, people’s taste has changed and many other things. During these last 40 years, the drink became popular all around the world and not just in Taiwan or the neighboring countries. And, it became popular for a good reason. It is fun to make, it is cheap to make and it is quite tasty.
Believe it or not, but originally, bubble tea never had any kind of addition to the foamy milk at the bottom. The pearls that you can now find in bubble tea was nonexistent. Tapioca balls became a popular choice in these last 10 or 20 years, but I am not exactly sure why.
So, what does this tell us? It means that we can make this drink with other ingredients other than tapioca. If the original way of preparing this tasty treat did not require tapioca, that means we don’t need it now either.
If you want, you can experience with other jelly based origin or like ingredients to change the taste of your drink. There also restaurants or cafés that serve different types of boba. I would recommend that you try at least several different types to find out which one satisfies your needs the most.
5. You can add any kind of toppings
Source: brewedleaflove
For those that want to make their bubble tea even sweeter and more interesting, they can easily add any kind of topping. I have seen people adding whipped cream, hot chocolate, and who knows what else. So, if you feel like experimenting, go ahead and see whether you will likely taste.
As you can see, there are a lot of interesting facts about bubble tea and you will need to learn more about it if you want to get the best possible experience when drinking it.
