Popular Taiwanese delight bubble tea (boba tea) comes in a huge variety of flavours. Your mind may spin from the dizzying array of menu options that Bubble Tea cafés may provide. Start with some fundamental understanding about this delectable, chewy beverage and the various flavours and textures available, whether you’re creating bubble tea at home or getting it at a tea shop.
One (or more) of these tastes will undoubtedly work for you whether you prefer your bubble tea hot or chilled, with or without tapioca balls. Ask your Bubble Tea barista if they can lessen the sweetness if you don’t have a big sweet tooth because some establishments do have that choice on their menu: 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% sweetness (the standard is usually the 100 percent ).
What Is Bubble Tea?
The tea beverage known as Bubble Tea , often referred to as boba tea, pearl tea, and tapioca tea, was developed in Taiwan in the 1980s. Extremely well-liked in its own nation, it is now well-liked throughout the entire planet.
Four ingredients make up a standard bubble tea: brewed tea, milk or non-dairy milk (which is occasionally omitted), taste and/or sweetener, and tapioca pearls or another type of boba. Typically, the combination is shaken with ice and served with a large, fat straw.
THE 5 MOST POPULAR BUBBLE TEA FLAVOURS ARE:
- (Black) Milk Tea
- Tiger Milk Tea
- Thai Milk Tea
- Taro Milk Tea
- Lychee Fruit Tea
(Black) Milk Tea
Nothing could be more elementary than this. The most traditional milk tea of them all will be enjoyed by English breakfast tea drinkers (like myself). This is a wonderful first drink if you’ve never had Bubble Tea or if you’re not feeling very adventurous.
TIGER MILK TEA
Our current drink of the month is tiger milk tea, Bubble Tea sometimes referred to as brown sugar milk tea, and with good cause. Due to its sweet caramel flavour, smooth texture, and attractive colours, this flavour is very well-liked.
P.S. If you’re wondering how this drink got its name, it comes from the patterns of stripes and colours that appear when it is served.
TARO MILK TEA
Taro is a purple, eye-catching Asian root that is used to make Taro milk tea, which is a somewhat sweet beverage. This beverage has a flavour that is somewhat earthy, vanilla-like, nutty, and many people say it tastes just like cookies and cream. Sound good, yes?
THAI MILK TEA
If you’ve ever tried Thai tea, you know just how amazing it is. This orange-colored beverage is easily recognisable, and it tastes just as nice as it looks. Thai milk tea is incredibly sweet, making it the ideal beverage for people with active sweet tooths.
Strawberry Milk Tea
After taking the first sip, I immediately thought of Nesquik strawberry milk. This drink brought back a tonne of childhood memories and made me think of how many bottles of strawberry milk I drank as a youngster. Nesquik chocolate milk was, of course, still one of my favourite childhood beverages.
Who Invented Bubble Tea?
Although the invention of Bubble Tea is not supported by any evidence, there is a legend around it, just like many other teas! The mix allegedly initially appeared in Asia in the 1980s. You can’t help but notice the distinctive bubble tea businesses on every corner if you visit Taiwan or Hong Kong.
In the 1980s, Taiwanese tea shops gained a lot of traction as a place to unwind after work and hang out. As a result, the tea market became more competitive, and traders began looking for and developing ever-inventive variations on their teas and brews.
Flavors of Bubble Tea
While tea, milk, and boba serve as the foundation for bubble tea, the flavouring component, such as a syrup or powder, is what gives the drink its distinctive flavour. Bubble Tea businesses are equipped with a wide selection of syrups and powders, just like coffee shops would offer a line of syrup bottles to flavour lattes.
Because they blend readily with the cold milk tea, flavoured simple syrups are the more preferred flavouring option. Several well-liked fruity choices include:
- Honeydew
- Lychee
- Mango
- Passion Fruit
- Peach
- Plum
- Strawberry
- Avocado
- Banana
- Cantaloupe
- Coconut
- Grape
- Green Apple
- Jackfruit
- Kiwi
- Lemon
- Pineapple
- Watermelon
Types of Bubbles and Other Additions
The word “bubble” originally referred to the air bubbles created by shaking the tea and milk combinations. It is now used to refer to the “pearls” or “boba” and other components present in beverages of a similar nature. Typically, these beverages contain an ingredient known as “QQ” in Taiwan and China.
- Small, rounded globules of boiling tapioca starch known as “tapioca pearls” have absolutely no flavour and are extremely chewy, like gum. Although they can also be white or a pastel shade, they are commonly a purplish-black tint. They are by far the most well-known boba and come in a variety of sizes.
- Jelly: Made from Chinese mesona, grass jelly has a mildly sweet, herbal flavour and is made up of chewy cubes. Similar to a jelly, aloe jelly is produced from an aloe plant. Sometimes, additional jelly flavours like coconut are also available.
- The taro ball These sweet balls are created from the taro plant and are usually cooked.
Brown Sugar Milk Tea or Tiger Milk Tea
The best and most well-liked Bubble Tea flavour was kept for last. You’re missing out if you haven’t tried tiger milk tea or brown sugar milk tea.
This flavour was first developed a few years ago and made popular in Taiwan by none other than Tiger Sugar. It eventually gained acceptance into Western culture and the US for everyone to try.
