Bubble Tea (also known as pearl milk tea, bubble milk tea, or boba) is a Taiwanese tea-based drink invented in Tainan and Taichung in the 1980s. Recipes contain tea of some kind, flavors of milk, and sugar. Toppings, such as chewy tapioca balls (also known as pearls or boba), popping boba, fruit jelly, grass jelly, agar jelly, and puddings are often added. Ice-blended versions are frozen and put into a blender, resulting in a slushy consistency. There are many varieties of the drink with a wide range of flavors. The two most popular varieties are black pearl milk tea and green pearl milk tea.
Bubble teas fall under two categories: teas (without milk) and milk teas. Both varieties come with a choice of black, green, or oolong tea, and come in many flavors (both fruit and non-fruit). Milk teas include either condensed milk, powdered milk, or fresh milk. Some shops offer non-dairy creamer options as well (many milk tea drinks in North America are made with non-dairy creamer). In addition, many boba shops sell Asian style smoothies, which include a dairy base and either fresh fruit or fruit-flavored powder (but no tea). Now, there are hot versions available at most shops as well. Today, in Taiwan, it is most common for people to refer to the drink as pearl milk tea (zhēn zhū nǎi chá, or zhēn nǎi for short).
There are two competing stories for the origin of bubble tea. The Hanlin Tea Room of Tainan, Taiwan, claims that it was invented in 1986 when teahouse owner Tu Tsong-he was inspired by white tapioca balls he saw in the Ya Mu Liao market. He then made tea using the tapioca balls, resulting in the so-called "pearl tea". Shortly after, Hanlin changed the white tapioca balls to the black version, mixed with brown sugar or honey, that is seen today. At many locations, one can purchase both black tapioca balls and white tapioca balls.
The other claim is from the Chun Shui Tang tearoom in Taichung, Taiwan. Its founder, Liu Han-Chieh, observed how the Japanese served cold coffee (while on a visit in the 1980s) and applied this method to tea. The new style of serving tea propelled his business, and multiple chains were established. This expansion began the rapid expansion of bubble tea. The creator of bubble tea is Lin Hsiu Hui, the teahouse's product development manager, who randomly poured her fen yuan into the iced tea drink during a boring meeting in 1988. The beverage was well received at the meeting, leading to its inclusion on the menu. It ultimately became the franchise's top-selling product.
The drink became popular in most parts of East and Southeast Asia during the 1990s, especially Vietnam. In Malaysia, the number of brands selling the beverage has grown to over 50. The drink is well received by foreign consumers in North America, specifically around areas with high populations of Chinese and Taiwanese expatriates. Notably, in the Bay Area of California, bubble tea is very popular and is consumed by many consumers from various backgrounds. Bubble tea has a very large presence in the city of San Jose, California which is populated by many of those from Chinese and Vietnamese backgrounds. It is one of the cities with the most amount of bubble tea shops in the United States. In fact, many Asian American consumers drink bubble tea daily, indicating how big a part it plays in the Asian American experience in California. In contemporary times, bubble tea has achieved cultural significance outside of Taiwan in some areas for major East Asian diaspora populations.
Recommendations: - Oolong Milk Tea - Honey Lemon Tea - Passion Fruit Green Tea