Bubble tea Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Bubble tea, pearl milk tea (Chinese: 珍珠奶茶; pinyin: zhēnzhū nǎichá), or boba milk tea (波霸奶茶; bōbà nǎichá) is a tea beverage mixture with milk. Originating in Taiwan, it is especially popular in China and among overseas Chinese, though it is now increasingly popular outside the Chinese community. It is also known as black pearl tea or tapioca tea.
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2 Definition 3 Names 4 Availability 5 Trivia 6 Related topic 7 External link |
Origin
It is said to have originated in Taichung, Taiwan in 1983, by a Taiwanese teashop owner named Liu Han-Chieh (劉漢介), who experimented with cold milk tea by adding fruit, syrup, candied yams and, finally, tapioca balls. Although the drink was not so popular at first, publicity from a Japanese television show made businessmen take notice and it quickly became well known throughout Asia in the 1990s. In the early 2000s, bubble tea began to become popular in the United States, even outside the overseas Asian community.
Boba, a Cantonese slang, literally means the "dominatrix of breasts", connoting the image of a busty woman. "Bō" (波) is a slang for the breast which refers to the milk.
In the name "pearl milk tea," the "pearls" refers to the black gummy balls made of tapioca which sit in the mixture of sweetened ice tea and milk and possibly other flavorings.
The balls are generally about 1 cm in diameter and are sucked through a wide straw along with the drink, providing something to chew on between sips. In many cases, when ordering at the counter or a sit-down restaurant, customers are given the option whether they want "boba" or "pearl" in their beverages. Both terms refer to the tapioca balls.
The recipes for boba tea vary and so does the taste, but usually flavouring is added to hot black or green tea which is then shaken in a martini shaker with ice until chilled. Aficionados shop around for their favorite vendors. Tapioca pearls are primarily made from tapioca starch which can be found from bitter-cassava plants. The pearls are then heated with caramel into a thick mixture paste. The paste is then passed through a wet sieve to create different pearl sizes.
Instead of eating the chewy balls, some adolescents like to blow them out from the straw to shoot at targets or at each other.
The tea often accompanies chicken steak (雞排), also a popular snack in Taiwan.
Pearl milk tea usually uses large pearls of the size 7 millimeters or above, since smaller pearls are not as good for chewing. In southern Taiwan, most pearl milk tea use the name "boba milk tea", and the name "pearl milk tea" is used mostly for small sized pearls(much smaller than 1cm in diameter).
The tea, regardless of name, is available at small dedicated boba cafes, and at some Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine restaurants. Some Chinese restaurants and take-out delis may advertise a "boba special" promotion - for example, one cup of boba tea might cost only 99 cents with a purchase of a meal. In North America, major chains offering pearl milk tea include Lollicup (also called TeaZone), Tapioca Express [1], Ten Ren [1], and Teastation. It is also sold at Quickly outlets, which is a Taiwanese-based chain with many locations worldwide.
There are also many small family-owned boba outlets. The skills of making the tea widely varies.
The boba beverage has moved beyond an ethnic specialty and now appeals to the mainstream. Like Starbucks, boba tea is generally popular among college students. Boba shops are often found nearby or on some university campuses, such as UCLA and UCI.
In September 2004, defending a US$18 billion weapon purchase plan, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of Taiwan suggested Taiwanese people to shave "a cup of pearl milk tea [each week] for national security". "We can buy top-notch equipment to protect our country (if) everyone drinks one less cup of pearl milk tea every week". It may take 15 to 20 years for each Taiwanese citizen to cut pearl milk tea consumption to pay for the weapons.
This is an Article on Bubble tea. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Bubble tea Definition
Names
Pearl milk tea has now spread internationally, mainly through overseas Chinese communities. It is also known under a number of other names, including:
Availability
Trivia
Related topic
External link