Bubble tea, also known as Boba or Pearl Milk Tea, is a yummy drink made of tea mixed with fruit and/or milk. It’s uniqueness comes from the fat, chewy tapioca pearls at the bottom, making it a super fun snack that you can eat as well as drink.
Originating from Taichung, Taiwan, Bubble Tea got its name from the frothy bubbles in the milk, rather than the tapioca pearls.
The most classic flavor of bubble tea consisted simply of black tea, condensed milk and syrup, but as it popularity grew, many new and interesting flavors such as red bean, sesame and taro have exploded onto the Boba scene.
As a base, you start with either jasmine-infused green tea or black tea, then add real fruit or powdered fruit flavoring, ice, milk and syrup. Then everything is shaken in a cocktail shaker or blended in a blender. Finally, you add the cooked tapioca pearls, stick in a giant, bubble tea straw and devour the frothy gummy treat with big, satisfying gulps.
Fun Fact: Believe or not, the Boba is actually slang for “breasts”!
I just found that out so now you can thank me for that interesting yet useless fact.