Bubble tea

Each of the ingredients of bubble tea can have many variations depending on the tea store. Typically, different types of black tea, green tea, oolong tea, and sometimes white tea are used.[9]

Another variation called yuenyeung (Chinese: 鴛鴦, named after the Mandarin duck) originated in Hong Kong and consists of black tea, coffee, and milk. Decaffeinated versions of teas are sometimes available when the tea house freshly brews the tea base.

Other varieties of the drink can include blended tea drinks. Some may be blended with ice cream. There are also smoothies that contain both tea and fruit.

Although bubble tea originated in Taiwan, some bubble tea shops are starting to add in flavors that originate from other countries. For example, hibiscus flowers, saffron, cardamom, and rosewater are becoming popular.[10]

Tapioca (boba)

Tapioca pearls (boba) are the prevailing chewy spheres in bubble tea, but a wide range of other options can be used to add similar texture to the drink. These are usually black due to the brown sugar mixed in with the tapioca. Green pearls have a small hint of green tea flavor and are chewier than the traditional tapioca balls. White pearls, not to be confused with the original pearls, are made with seaweed extract making them slightly healthier with a crunchier texture.

Jelly comes in different shapes: small cubes, stars, or rectangular strips, and flavors such as coconut jelly, konjac, lychee, grass jelly, mango, coffee and green tea available at some shops. Azuki bean or mung bean paste, typical toppings for Taiwanese shaved ice desserts, give the drinks an added subtle flavor as well as texture. Aloe, egg pudding (custard), grass jelly, and sago can be found in most tea houses.

Popping boba are spheres and have fruit juices or syrups inside them. They are also popular toppings. Flavors include mango, lychee, strawberry, green apple, passion fruit, pomegranate, orange, cantaloupe, blueberry, coffee, chocolate, yogurt, kiwi, peach, banana, lime, cherry, pineapple, and red guava.

Some shops offer milk or cheese foam top off the drink too, which has a thicker consistency similar to that of whipped cream. In some cases, the foam is meant to be drunk with the tea by tilting the cup to get a good balance instead of mixing the foam into the tea.

Bubble tea cafés will frequently offer drinks without coffee or tea in them. The dairy base for these drinks is flavoring blended with ice, often called snow bubble. Another variation of the blended drink commonly found at bubble tea cafés is called slush bubble, just like the snow version it is also blended with ice, however, it does not have dairy in it, it has a water base instead. All mix-ins that can be added to the bubble tea can be added to these slushie-like drinks. One drawback 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, these slushies must be consumed more quickly than bubble tea.

Some bubble tea sellers have tried to market their products by packaging it in unique shapes, like this lightbulb. Offering a fresh change from the traditional takeaway cup[11] with plastic sealing.

Bubble tea stores often give customers the option of choosing the amount of ice or sugar. Sugar level is usually specified in percentages (e.g. 30%, 50%, 70%, 100%), and ice level is usually specified ordinally (e.g. no ice, less ice, normal ice).

Bubble tea is also offered in some restaurants, like the Michelin-awarded Din Tai Fung.

In Southeast Asia, bubble tea is traditionally packaged in a plastic takeaway cup, sealed with plastic or a rounded cap. New entrants into the market have attempted to distinguish their products by packaging it in bottles[12] and other interesting shapes.[13] Some have even done away with the bottle and used plastic sealed bags.[14] Nevertheless, the traditional plastic takeaway cup with a sealed cap is still the most ubiquitous packaging method.

Preparation method

The traditional way of bubble tea preparation is to mix the ingredients (sugar, powders and other flavorants) together using a bubble tea shaker cup, by hand.

Many present-day bubble tea shops use a bubble tea shaker machine. This eliminates the need for humans to shake the bubble tea by hand. It also reduces manpower needs as multiple cups of bubble tea may be prepared by a single human.[15]

One bubble tea shop in Taiwan, named Jhu Dong Auto Tea, has taken the human-out-of-the-loop approach. The store does not rely on human manpower at all. All stages of the bubble tea sales process, from ordering, to making, to collection, is fully automated.[16]

Within Taiwan bubble tea is iconic, to the point of serving as a representation of the nation. A stylized embossed gold image of bubble tea was even suggested as an alternative cover for the country's passport.[21]

According to Al Jazeera, bubble tea has become synonymous with Taiwan and is an important symbol of Taiwanese identity both domestically and internationally.[22] Bubble tea is used to represent Taiwan in the context of the Milk Tea Alliance.[23][22]

Bubble tea is loved by many Singaporeans. It is also known locally in Chinese as 泡泡茶 (Pinyin: pào pào chá), although the English term is still widely used.[24]

The drink was first sold in Singapore as early as the 1980s but only surged in popularity around the turn of the century.[25] Then, bubble tea shops were mostly locally owned or by Taiwanese immigrants. Shops were reportedly able to sell 1,000 to 1,500 cups a day.[26]

The popularity of bubble tea waned in the early 2000s for a number of years until it experienced a resurgence as chains such as Gong Cha, Liho and KOI entered the Singapore market.[26] Non-drink related bubble tea products such as bubble tea cosmetics, bubble tea cake rolls, pancakes and buns have also popped up in the country.[25][27]

Many Taiwanese immigrants settled in California, leading to a number of bubble tea shops opening around Los Angeles.[28] Two of the first dedicated bubble tea shops were Tapioca Express and Lollicup, both of which were originally owned by Taiwanese immigrants.[29] In the Western United States, due to its large Asian American community, bubble tea is commonly known under the colloquial term "boba". In Los Angeles, its association and popularity with Asian Americans has given rise to a subculture referred to as "boba life". Though it has also garnered criticism as a symbol for Asian-American identity due to its superficiaility and lack of inclusiveness.[28]

The coffeehouse-style chain called Boba Tea Company from Albuquerque, New Mexico, has several locations throughout the Southwestern United States.[30] The city of Albuquerque has a large concentration of boba tea restaurants, including Kawaii Boba Cafe and Rustic Bubble Tea, as the drink is popular among the Hispano, Pueblo, and other Native American and Latino communities in the state.[31][32]