Bubble Tea

Something new is hitting tea houses and coffee shops across the country. It’s bubble tea. This bizarre drink also goes by the names boba, Bubble, peal and minute pearls.

Bubble drinks are usually cool, refreshing, and a sweet drink with tapioca pearls sitting on the bottom of a clear cup. Sometimes the drink is made with fresh fruits, milk, and crushed ice to create a healthy milk shake.

Bubble tea is far from the plain-looking tea you are familiar with. It comes in a wild variety of flavors and colors. Flavors include Matcha Green Tea, Black Milk Tea, Chai Tea, Taro and Thai Tea and Fruit Flavors include Mango, Sour Green Apple, Honeydew and Watermelon. There is Also chocolate flavors that are Latte (Coffee), Mocha, Vanilla Latte, Cappuccino and White Chocolate Mocha. There are also the more traditional green or black tea flavors. It can be served either hot or cold. My personal favorite White Chocolate Mocha, iced.

But the fun part of bubble tea isn’t the colors or the flavors; it’s the ‘bubbles’. Big, black, balls of chewy tapioca are what make bubble tea such an interesting experience. These pearls are about the size of small marbles and they sink to the bottom of your cup. This tea is usually served with a gigantic straw just the right size for slurping up these gummy treats.

Bubble tea originated overseas in Taiwan and has only recent migrated to North America within the last 10 years or so. You can now find places serving bubble tea in most major cities, such as Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver, New York and Toronto. Many say that the local imports just aren’t as good as the stuff you get in Japan and Taiwan. If you visit Taiwan or Hong Kong you can't help but notice the unique bubble teashops on every corner. Bubble Tea to Taiwan is what coffee or soda is to the U.S. One would think Bubble Tea is the national drink by its popularity. Just like in Taiwan, Bubble Tea shops are popping up all over the world. One Taiwan based company has over 450 locations while in the Philippines another person owns over 100 within 1.5 years. The U.S. is also now feeling the growth. Hundreds of locations serve Bubble Tea in California alone.

You can get the flavour of your choice from www.bobateadirect.com also all sort of coffee and Chai also available.