Bubble tea
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Bubble tea, also called Boba tea or simply Boba, is a tea beverage containing tapioca balls. It originated in Taiwan in the 1980s, spread to nearby East Asian countries, and migrated to Canada before spreading to Chinatown in New York City, then to various spots throughout the West Coast of the United States[1]. The literal translation from Chinese is pearl milk tea (traditional Chinese: 珍珠奶茶; Tongyong Pinyin: jhenjhu nǎichá; Hanyu Pinyin: zhēnzhū nǎichá). The word "bubble" refers to "bubbling", the process by which certain types of bubble tea are made, and not the actual tapioca balls (mixture of tapioca and carrageenan powder). The balls are often called boba or "pearls." Drinks with large pearls are consumed along with the beverage through wide straws; while drinks with small pearls are consumed through normal straws. Bubble tea is especially popular in many East Asian and Southeast Asian regions such as Taiwan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and more recently popularized in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Perú and even Belgium.
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[edit] Description
Bubble teas are generally of two distinct types: fruit-flavored teas, and milk teas. However, some shops offer a hybrid "fruit milk tea." Milk teas may use dairy or non-dairy creamers. Some healthier offers are 100% crushed fruit smoothies with pearls and signature ice cream shakes made from local ice cream sources. Some small cafes offer ultimate customer service with milk and sweetener substitutes such as honey, agave, stevia, and aspartame upon special request.
The original bubble tea consisted of a hot mixture of Taiwanese black tea, brown large pearl tapioca, condensed milk, and honey. As this drink became more popular, variations were created. Iced versions appeared soon, and then came along green bubble tea which uses jasmine-infused green tea instead of black tea. Peach or plum flavoring began to appear, then more fruit flavors were added until, in some variations, the tea was removed entirely in favor of real fruit. These fruit versions usually contain colored pearls (and/or "jelly cubes" as in the related drink taho), the color chosen to match whatever fruit juice is used. Flavors may be added in the form of powder, fruit juice, pulp, or syrup to hot black or green tea, which is shaken in a cocktail shaker or mixed in a blender with ice until chilled. Cooked tapioca pearls and other mix-ins are added at the end.
Today one can find shops entirely devoted to bubble tea, similar to juice bars of the early 1990s. Bubble tea bars often serve bubble tea using a machine to seal the top of the cup with plastic cellophane. This allows the tea to be shaken in the serving cup. The cellophane is then pierced with a straw. The straw may be brightly colored, and is oversized, large enough for the pearls to pass through. Other cafés use plastic dome-shaped lids.
[edit] Variants
Each of the ingredients of bubble tea can have many variations depending on the tea house. Typically, different types of black tea, green tea, or even coffee can form the basis of this beverage. The most common black tea varieties are Oolong and Earl Grey while jasmine green tea is a mainstay at almost all tea houses. Another variation called 鸳鸯 (yuanyang, literally translated to "mandarin duck") originated in Hong Kong and consists of half black tea and half coffee. Decaffeinated versions of teas are sometimes available when the tea house fresh brews the tea base.
The milk in bubble tea is optional, though many tea houses use milk. Some cafes use a non-dairy creamer milk substitute instead of milk because many East Asians are lactose intolerant. [2] Soy milk options are widely available for those who avoid dairy products for various reasons. This adds a distinct flavor and consistency to the drink.
Different flavorings can be added to bubble tea. Some widely available fruit flavors include strawberry, green apple, passion fruit, mango, lemon, grape, lychee, peach, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, banana, and kiwi. Other popular non-fruit flavors include taro, pudding, coconut, chocolate, coffee, mocha, barley, sesame, almond, ginger, lavender, rose, violet. Some of the sour fruit flavors are usually only available in bubble tea without milk as the acidity will curdle the milk.
Tapioca balls of big and small sizes are of course the prevailing chewy tidbit in bubble tea, but a wide range of other options can add equally tantalizing texture to the drink. Green pearls have a small hint of green tea flavor, and are chewier than the traditional tapioca balls. Jelly is also used in small cubes, stars, or rectangular strips, with flavors like coconut jelly, konjac, lychee, grass, mango, green tea, or rainbow (a fruit mix), has a pliant, almost crispy consistency. Red bean or mung bean mush, also typical toppings for Taiwanese shaved ice, give the drink an added subtle flavor as well as texture. Aloe, egg pudding, sago, taro balls can also be found in most tea houses to complete the perfect cup of tea.
"Instant Boba Milk Tea" mixes in individual serving packets are now widely available in Asian and Thai grocery stores. In keeping with modern marketing practices, while the illustration shows a translucent cup with large purple boba pearls showing through, in very small letters are the words "serving suggestion" and "Just add Boba". There is no mention of the time-consuming process of preparing the tapioca pearls that is noted elsewhere in this article.
Bubble tea cafes will also almost always serve drinks without coffee or tea in them. The base for these drinks is flavoring blended with ice, often called Snow Bubble. All mix-ins that can be added to the bubble tea can also be added to these slushie-like drinks. One drawback to Snow Bubble is that the coldness of the iced drink may cause the tapioca balls to harden, making them difficult to suck up through a straw and chew. To prevent this from happening, Snow Bubble tea must be consumed faster than regular bubble tea.
Occasionally, nata de coco is used in mass-produced bubble tea drinks as a healthier alternative to tapioca. Nata de coco is high in dietary fiber and low in cholesterol and fat. The nata de coco is sliced into thin strips to make it easier to pass through a straw.[3]
[edit] History
There are two shops that claim to be the first creator of bubble tea. One is Liu Han Chie who worked in Chun Shui Tang teahouse (春水堂)Taichung City, Taiwan in the early 1980s, and experimented with cold milk tea by adding fruit, syrup, candied yams, and tapioca balls. Although the drink was not popular at first, a Japanese television show generated interest among businessmen. The drink became well-known in most parts of East and Southeast Asia during the 1990s.
An alternative origin is the Hanlin (翰林)Teahouse in Tainan City, Taiwan, owned by Tu Tsong He Hanlin. Bubble tea is made by adding traditional white fenyuan which have an appearance of pearls, supposedly resulting in the so-called "pearl tea." Shortly after, Hanlin changed the white fenyuan (粉圓) to the black, as it is today.
In the late 1990s, bubble tea began to gain popularity in the major North American cities with large Asian populations, especially those on the West Coast and East Coast and in Texas. The beverage has received much attention from mainstream American media, including covers on National Public Radio show Morning Edition and the Los Angeles Times. In the U.S., national and local chains are expanding into suburban areas, particularly those with large Asian populations. Bubble tea shops can now be found in shopping malls and shopping centers in the suburbs. It can also be found in a number of Chinese and Thai restaurants in and around large cities and college towns. Los Angeles and Orange County currently has one of the highest concentration of "boba" bars in the U.S., due to the region's large number of Asian residents.
Bubble tea has spread internationally through Chinatowns and other overseas Asian communities. It can be found in major European cities such as London and Paris. Bubble tea is also gaining popularity in Canada, particularly in and around the cities of Kamloops, British Columbia; Vancouver, British Columbia; Victoria, British Columbia; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Toronto, Ontario; Edmonton, Calgary; Alberta; and Montreal, Quebec where there are large Asian-Canadian communities. It is also gaining popularity in Australia, especially in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne where Asian immigrants and descendants are highly populated.
More recently, bubble tea has quickly spread in the Mexican city of Monterrey, and the "Chinatown" neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Taiwanese communities have introduced it.
[edit] Names
Bubble tea has many other names, including:
[edit] Chinese
- 泡沫紅茶 (pinyin: pàomò hóngchá): "bubble black tea", used mainly in Taiwan
- 泡沫奶茶 (pinyin: pàomò nǎichá): "bubble milk tea", used mainly in Taiwan
- 珍珠奶茶 or 珍奶) (Hanyu Pinyin: zhēnzhū nǎichá; Tongyong Pinyin: jhenjhu nǎichá): "pearl milk tea," in Taiwanese Minnan and Mandarin Chinese usage
- 波霸奶茶 (Hanyu Pinyin: bōbà nǎichá; Tongyong Pinyin: bobà nǎichá): "large pearls milk tea," used mainly in southern Taiwan for the large-pearl kind; tea with smaller pearls is called "pearl milk tea"
- 黑珍珠奶茶 (Hanyu Pinyin: hēi zhēnzhū nǎichá; Tongyong Pinyin: hei jhenjhu nǎichá): "black pearl milk tea" (less common)
- (奶)茶珍珠 (Hanyu Pinyin: (nǎi) chá zhēnzhū; Tongyong Pinyin: (nǎi) chá jhenjhu): "(milk) tea pearl" (less common)
[edit] English
- boba (milk) tea or drink
- pearl (milk) tea or drink
- tapioca milk tea drink
- milk pearl tea or drink
- black pearl (milk) tea or drink
- (milk) tea pearl
- tapioca (milk) tea or drink
- bubble tea
- bubble milk
[edit] Others
- 보바 드링크, 보바 티, 버블티 (Korean): transliterated "boba drink," "boba tea," "bubble tea"
- タピオカティー (Japanese): transliterated tapiokatii translated "tapioca tea"
- Trà sữa trân châu (Vietnamese): literally "pearl milk tea"
- ชาไข่มุก, ชานมไข่มุก (Thai): literally "pearl tea"
- Ságo at Guláman (Tagalog): literally "tapioca pearls and agar"
- Teh Mutiara (Indonesian): literally "Pearl Tea"
- Té de burbujas (Spanish): translated "bubbles tea"
- Suco de Pobá (Portuguese): transliterated "Boba juice" - from interpretation of Boba
[edit] References
- ^ Ressner, Jeffrey (February 5, 2001). "Boba Drinks". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,999172,00.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-17.
- ^ Chao, Julie (December 12, 1999). "Taiwan tapioca tea on tap". San Francisco Examiner. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1999/12/12/NEWS3323.dtl.
- ^ "Healthier Bubble Tea". Five by Fifty - Asian Consumer Intelligence. March 17, 2009. http://www.fivebyfifty.com/2009/03/17/healthier-bubble-tea.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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