What is special about boba tea?

Bubble tea or boba tea is a sweet milk based tea with tapioca pearls. The drink first originated in Taiwan in the 1980’s and has become popular worldwide especially in the United states and Europe. Depending on the location the tea may be called bubble tea or boba tea but the drink remains similar. The bubbles in the tea refer to the tapioca pearls. Since these pearls are large in size boba tea is served with a large diameter straw so that the drinker can have also sip the bubbles. Though boba tea is served in restaurants, many people prefer to make boba tea at home so that they control the taste of the boba tea based on their personal preferences

Ingredients

There are a variety of boba tea drink recipes available and they differ in the ingredients which are being used. There are different types of tea powders which can be used, and it is better to use jasmine, black tea or other flavored tea since the ice cubes and milk added will dilute the flavor of the tea to a large extent. For the milk boba tea drink the user can choose between different kinds of milk. Some prefer to use whole milk, others use milk with cream and a few prefer non-dairy milk like soy milk. Tapioca pearls are also required, and they are different brands which differ in the size , taste and sweetness. A sweetener like honey or granulated sugar is required

Procedure

To make the boba tea, the tapioca pearls which make the tea unique are first cooked in hot water. Since the tapioca pearls will harden quickly they should be cooked just before the tea is required. If the tapioca pearls are kept in hot water they will remain soft for a longer period of time. Then the tea is prepared mixing the tea powder with water. For the best boba tea drink with uniform flavor and sweetness it is advisable to add the sweetener when the tea is hot so that it dissolves fully. The tapioca pearls are then added to the tea to make the boba tea.

Popularity

One of the reasons why the boba tea is popular is because it provides an energy boost due to the sweeteners and carbohydrates in it. The tapioca pearls in the bubble tea make it unique. Ideally the tapioca pearls should be soft, rubbery and chewy. Though initially the tapioca pearls were black in color, there are now many different types of pearls available. Some of pearls are small in size like peas while others are larger like marbles. The pearls are available in different colors like red or transparent pearls, shapes including square.

Variants

Nowadays, restaurants are serving variants of the boba tea to cater to the requirement of their customer. Since boba tea has sweeteners, users can ask for less sugar if they are calorie conscious. Similarly they can choose between tea with ice, tea without ice, warm or cold tea. Additionally the tea can be combined with taro, fruits or other ingredients for a distinct flavor. 

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