Updated on November 11th, 2022
If you’re wondering what bubble tea tastes like, you’re not alone. Many people are curious about sweet beverages from Asia. While most places offer sweet drinks with varying amounts of sugar, you can always request one with less sugar if you’re not fond of the sweetness. In addition, you can opt to add milk if you’re lactose intolerant. However, you should not use cow’s milk, as it’s high in calories and sugar. If you want a lighter drink, you can choose almond or soy-based milk instead.
Basic bubble tea will include brewed tea, milk, sweetener, and tapioca pearls (similar to boba). These are usually served with a large, fat straw. Although most versions are made of black, green, or oolong tea, you can also find varieties that don’t contain any type of tea at all. You can also find fruit-based and cream-based bubble teas.
What Is Bubble Tea?
Bubble tea (also known as pearl milk tea, tapioca tea, boba nai cha, boba milk tea, or simply boba) is a tea-based beverage that originated in Taiwan’s tea shops in the 1980s.
A tea base is generally combined with milk or fruit in this recipe. Slushy-style variations are also available, made with ice and syrup or fruit. The most popular way to serve bubble tea is cold.
Bubble milk tea with tapioca and bubble milk green tea with tapioca are the most popular forms of bubble tea.
Many bubble tea businesses in the United States provide “milk smoothies” or ice cream shakes similar to boba but don’t include any tea. Some boba cafes use stevia or agave as a sugar alternative in their drinks. It’s usually served in clear plastic cups with dome-shaped lids, but many bubble tea shops now have machines that allow them to seal the top with cellophane to form a spill-proof cup (that can also be shaken), which is then pierced with a long straw to allow the pearls to pass through.
What Does Bubble Tea Taste Like?
If you’re wondering what bubble tea tastes like, there are many different varieties of the drink. The most common is the black boba, which is a purple yam. Unlike its name, taro bubble tea is a purple yam. The taro plant is not naturally purple, and the purple color is created with food coloring. In addition, the use flavor is sweeter than taro, which is why it’s the best option for your children.
Typically, bubble tea is a milk drink with gummy spheres and powdered flavoring. The tea is generally bright, and the powdered flavoring should be mixed with hot or warm water. However, if you want to add fresh fruit, you can add the fruit into the tea. In a few years, you’ll have a drink that tastes just like a tropical island.
The most straightforward bubble tea is a blend of brewed tea with milk and sugar. It is traditionally served with a giant, fat straw. The more modern varieties don’t include any tea at all. Some are cream-based, while others feature a fruity or vegetable-based base. As with any drink, the simplest version is the most popular. You can get more than one flavoring if you ask the barista.
As you can see, bubble tea is not very healthy, so you’d better be careful if you decide to drink it every day. The caffeine found in bubble tea can add up quickly. And as for the boba pearls, you’ll want to make sure you buy them in bulk if you’re worried about your kids choking on them. And while these items are tasty, they may not be for your child. If you’re concerned, consider preparing your own bubble tea at home.
Health Benefits Of Bubble Tea
The following are some of the advantages of this exotic tea:
It Has The Potential To Boost Energy
Because bubble tea contains sugar in addition to the caffeine found in black, white, or green tea, this famous Taiwanese beverage can deliver a significant energy boost. While you don’t want to drink too much of this drink because of its high calorie and sugar content, a healthy version with less sugar could still offer your metabolism a boost.
Immune System Strengthening
Green tea, one of the most popular bubble tea varieties, has a variety of possible antioxidants such as catechins and polyphenols, all of which can help the immune system by avoiding oxidative stress. Furthermore, if you use fresh fruits in your tea, such as mango, strawberry, or kiwi, you will get a dosage of vitamin C, which will give your immune system an extra boost.
Free Radical Damage May Be Prevented
Green bubble tea contains polyphenols and epigallocatechin, which can significantly impact free radicals in your body. Free radicals can create mutations, leading to chronic diseases, and cancer thus, including green tea in your diet is always a brilliant idea.
A sugar-rich diet is not always beneficial for your cardiovascular health. Still, if you make a healthy version of boba tea, the tea’s antioxidants and anti-inflammatory chemicals may help you maintain a healthy body and heart.
Note that these health benefits are essentially eliminated when you consume a regular, sugary, calorie-dense bubble tea. If you wish to experience any of these benefits, making your own healthier versions at home is highly recommended.
How To Make Homemade Bubble Tea?
If you don’t have access to a bubble tea shop or bar, you can prepare bubble tea at home. To get the ingredients for boba, you’ll need to go to an Asian market or grocery store.
There are also a lot of bubble tea ingredients and supplies available online, including a few that I’ve included below from Amazon to help you find the correct bubble tea manufacturing supplies quickly and conveniently.
What’s In Bubble Tea?
We need to know what’s inside a bubble tea drink before we can break down flavor profiles, right? It’s only natural to want to know what bubble tea tastes like.
Any bubble tea drink has four components (generally). Authentic brewed tea (typically loose-leaf), milk or creamer, sugar, and toppings are all included in any bubble tea. You’ll notice that boba cafes brew their teas with loose leaf tea since it helps them achieve a higher concentration of tea and the taste is much superior. Compared to loose leaf teas, you won’t get this rich flavor profile if you use teabags.
Oat milk, almond milk, conventional dairy’s milk, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, soy milk, and a few other options are available for milk or creamer. You’ll most likely discover two types of sweeteners: simple syrup and brown sugar syrup. Finally, there are a lot of toppings. Grass jelly, ordinary tapioca pearls, puddings, popping boba, and a few more toppings are famous.
Types Of Bubble Tea
Teas With Fruit Flavors
Strawberries, mangos, green apples, lychee, watermelons, grapes, pineapples, bananas, cantaloupes, kiwifruits, and jackfruits are common ingredients in fruit-flavored bubble drinks.
Milk Teas
A healthy variant of bubble tea can be made with milk substitutes. Condensed milk, non-dairy creamer, soy milk, low-fat milk, coconut milk, and almond milk are just a few of the delectable and healthful milk substitutes that go well with bubble tea.
Fruit Milk Teas With A Hybrid Flavor
Hybrid bubble teas are made up of a mix of fruits, jellies, and milk. This beverage-turned-dessert is one of those foods that you can personalize and enjoy as you like!
This tea’s sweet and unique flavor has led to it being sold in more than 30 countries and over 800 tea shops in the United States alone. Before you dive into this tea’s burgeoning popularity, make sure you know everything there is to know about this delectable treat.
What Are Side Effects Of Bubble Tea?
There are various adverse effects that people may want to avoid due to this tea’s ingredients and intrinsic nature.
Weight Gain
Drinking bubble tea regularly without adjusting your calorie intake in other areas might lead t gain. When you add fruit syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and tapioca balls to a glass of bubble tea, the calorie count can easily exceed 350 calories, which is high.
Diabetes
Because of the high sugar content and the high carbohydrate content of tapioca balls, this beverage is not suggested for persons who have diabetes or are at high risk of getting it.
Conclusion
Generally, bubble tea is a milk beverage that has been served with a sugar and cream base. While boba is a dessert, it can also be eaten as a snack. Unlike most foods, bubble tea is not recommended for children to be consumed while they’re young. Nevertheless, the sugar in bubble tea is not harmful to your health and will not cause any harm to your child. It’s best to consult a doctor or dentist for more information about this type of drink, as it contains high levels of caffeine.
There are many types of bubble tea. In Taiwan, the drink originated in the 1980s. Its inventor is unknown, but internet sources suggest that it was first created by an employee of a tea room. Then, a man in a suit tuxedo named Liu Han-Chieh added tapioca balls to the drink. Then he tipped a tapioca ball into the drink and served it as a treat to his customers. Soon, the concept was born, and Chun Shui Tang began selling the new, frothy beverage.
