Bubble tea was invented in Taiwan in the 1980s as a tea drink called “bubble tea.” Ms. Liu Han-Chieh of the Chun Shui Tang tea store in Taichung, Taiwan, is usually credited with inventing the drink. A relatively new beverage, its popularity swiftly expanded around the world.
Bubble Tea Ingredients
Bubble tea is an intriguing beverage made of black or oolong tea, milk or fruit flavors, a sweetener, and a chewy texture found in Taiwanese cuisine known as QQ (what you might think of as the ‘bubbles’ in bubble tea). Tapioca pearls are the most common type of QQ.
Different Names For Bubble Tea
The name ‘bubble tea’ was derived from the bubbles formed when the milk tea was shaken, rather than the fun pearls contained within the drink.
Other names for the drink include ‘pearl tea,’ ‘boba tea,’ and ‘tapioca tea.’
Authentic Bubble Tea
Let’s take a look at the most common bubble tea recipes and what they contain.
- Tea with Tapioca Pearls (also known as Pearl Milk Tea or zhnzh nichá) – A milky tea with tapioca pearls, often known as bubble tea in the West Tapioca pearls were initially used in this form. Still, now most bubble tea businesses refer to the 1/4-inch tapioca balls as ‘pearls as well.’
- A variant of tapioca pearl tea, bubble milk tea (bbà nichá) with bigger tapioca balls (approximately 1/4-inch instead of 1/12-inch). Boba is slang for “big breast” in Taiwan and other regions of China.
- Black Pearl Milk Tea (or hi zhnzh nichá) – Another term for bubble milk tea made with black pearls rather than colorful or white pearls.
Popular Versions of Bubble Tea
- Try the “Foam Red Tea” (also known as Pàom Hóngchá) if you’re looking for something different.
- Pàom nichá (Foam milk tea) – This is a milky variant of the drink described above.
- A less popular and milk-free version of “Pearl milk tea,” known as chá zhnzh.
Other Bubble Tea Varieties
If you didn’t think there were enough alternatives for bubble tea, you’d be surprised to learn that there are more. We haven’t even scratched the surface yet, and there are plenty of other ways to enjoy this beverage.
- Drink fruity bubble tea, such as passion fruit, mango, or lychee.
- Drink bubble tea with fruit preserves or jelly
- Drinking Hong Kong Milk Tea, which is usually served hot
- Yuanyang – A hot drink made with Hong Kong Milk Tea and coffee.
- Bubble tea without the tea.
- With azuki in it, you can make bubble tea. The soup made with azuki may be utilized in bubble tea.
- Bubble can also come with an egg pudding or custard “topping.” The most frequent puddings are chocolate, mango, and Taro.
- You can also try “Snow Bubble”- Iced, blended bubble tea, sans tea. As a rule, it’s created using blended ice, non-dairy creamer, and boba, as well as various tastes and flavors.
Bubble tea is also available in these forms; however, they aren’t as famous as those listed above.
- Bubbly tea smoothies
- Bubbly tea-infused milkshakes
- Bubble coffee or “Snow Ice” is made by blending ice, powdered coffee, and flavorings.
- Mung bean soup with bubble tea in Chinese means “green bean soup” when translated directly from Chinese. For Chinese bean sprouts, several varieties of beans are utilized.
- Dairy-free bubbly as an alternative to sugar, bubble tea can be sweetened with honey, agave nectar, or stevia instead.
Varieties of Tea Used in Bubble Tea
Do you want to make your bubble tea? For many people, the first thing to consider is the type of tea to be included. There are a variety of bubble teas on the market.
- As far as bubble tea is concerned, black tea, especially Earl Grey, is the most common choice.
- Green Tea Particularly Jasmine Green Tea and Matcha.
- For Oolong Tea, bubble tea drinkers often prefer a cup of green oolong tea to a cup of traditional oolong tea.
- White Tea- The usage of so-called ‘white tea’ (which is not truly “genuine” white tea) is common in certain Western nations, although it is uncommon in Taiwan for bubble tea.
As bubble tea has risen in popularity, it appears that bubble tea does not even have to contain tea. Newer versions include “Snow Ice” (a powdered coffee-based drink that is frozen and mixed), cream-based beverages, and fruit-based drinks that are produced without any natural tea (see below for further information). Bubble tea businesses sell them as yet another variant on the subject of flavored beverages with chewy bits in them.
Varieties of Milk Used in Bubble Tea
To give bubble tea a creamy texture and flavor, milk and milk-like substances are frequently added. Dairy and dairy-like substances come in a variety of tastes and types.
- Non-dairy creamer (by far, the most popular “milk” used) (by far, the most popular “milk” used)
- Milk that has been freshly produced
- Milk that has been condensed
- Coconut milk is a delicious dairy product.
- A scoop of ice cream
- Milk produced from soybeans (freshly made or pre-made)
- Lactaid or any non-dairy milk in a liquid form
- Calpis and other yogurt-like beverages
Due to its acidity, several of the sour fruit bubble teas are only available without milk. In Taiwan and China, you can order bubble tea without milk as “chá zhnzh” (“Tea Pearl”)
Bubble Tea Flavors
Choose your bubble tea flavor now. While the other components make up the basis of bubble tea, this ingredient is responsible for the authentic flavor of the drink.
Sweet to savory, fruity to nuts, and even bean soup tastes are available in bubble tea. However, entire fresh items can also be utilized.
Varieties of ‘QQ’ Additives
Tappingioca pearls, boba, and taro balls are among the most popular QQ for bubble tea.
- Black or white, with a 1/12-inch diameter, tapioca pearls are traditionally 1/12-inch in diameter. However, pastel-colored mixes are also available.
- Boba – Tapioca balls with a diameter of around 1/4 inch.
- To make “Frog Eggs,” a variety of wild basil seeds is immersed in liquid, making it seem like an egg-like mass. This ingredient has been utilized in Taiwanese beverages for a long time before bubble tea became popular. To prepare traditional Taiwanese drinks, it was gathered along with other herbs.
- Now let’s talk about Taro balls. In Chinese, the word for “balls” of Taro is “yù tou” (). They’re created from the taro plant and are usually purple in hue (a Southeast Asian sweet potato). In Taiwanese cuisine, Taro is a common ingredient.
