Discovering The Quirky Bubbly Boba Tea

In recent years people have become more partial to ordering bubble tea or boba tea instead of their usual carbonated drinks. Boba tea stalls have become fixtures in schools and malls, and Asian restaurant owners serve some or the other version of the beverage to their customers. The introduction of bubble teas and beverage brought the tea drinking culture to a younger, wider, and more diverse market.

It is widely accepted that the beverage was made in a Taiwanese tea shop around 1980. To serve their patrons a new tea drinking experience, tapioca pearls were added to an infusion of either green or black tea. These were then called bubble teas or boba teas. Sucking on a big straw and chewing on the pearls seemed disconcerting to some at first, but the hype surrounding the new drink definitely turned hesitation into curiosity.As per the story, the beverage was prepared by shaking to mix all the ingredients together. Interestingly, agitating the tea in such a manner produces bubbles which also inadvertently makes the drink lighter in comparison to conventional tea preparations. Another popular version of boba tea’s etymology is simply because of the tapioca pearls which are popularly known around Asia as ‘boba.’ 

At present, there is not just one definitive bubble tea recipe. People who make the beverage are at liberty to mix and match, and adjust proportions of the main ingredients. These variants seem to fall under three major categories, namely: fruit teas, milk or non-fruit teas, and combinations of both. Non-fruit flavors like coffee, chocolate, and sesame have become popular, even outselling fruit flavored ones in most regions. Some bubble teas are mixed with shaved ice, or just served cold. 

Traditional bubble teas are healthier beverage options. It’s role in preventing health problems of cardiac origin are well documented. Recent studies have also shown its role in preventing malignant growths. Also, these infusions have been used extensively for regulating bowel movement, as well as serum cholesterol and glucose levels. Its thermogenic properties have also been studied extensively and have shown promising results in terms of promoting weight loss. 

Sadly, nowadays these healthy drinks have become laden with calories because of the artificial flavorings and unctuous crèmes that are incorporated in the traditional bubble tea recipe. Indubitably, it made tea more appealing and pleasurable. We just need to remember that some preparations aren’t as healthy and would only contribute inches to our waistlines.