Date article was published: April 14, 2022

Article Summary

Bubble Tea is a drink originating from Taiwan in the 1980’s. The base is composed of tea, milk, and sugar, but what makes bubble tea unique is the tapioca balls that gives a sweet flavor and a chewy texture. Although originally from Asia, the popularity of bubble tea has exploded over the last couple years, with thousands of bubble tea shops worldwide. There are many varieties of bubble tea including the classic milk tea, fruit teas, and fruit slushes. Although some bubble teas can be deemed unhealthy due to the amount of sugar, it is customizable and a refreshing treat to enjoy every so often.

Types of Bubble Tea

There are endless ways you can make your bubble tea, from choosing your base to picking your toppings. While every bubble tea shop is different, most stores have milk teas, fruit teas, slushes, and unique drinks such as matcha or yogurt teas. Within even just the classic milk tea, some are made with black tea while others can be made with green or oolong tea for a lighter note. As for toppings, there are thousands of combinations of toppings to make your drink to your liking. Toppings include, but are not limited to, lychee Jelly, aloe, red bean, popping boba, cheese foam, and more. You can also change the sugar and ice level if you like your drink less sweet or less cold.

My Thoughts

As a bubble tea barista myself, I have tasted many different teas from various stores. The quality of teas definitely depends from store to store. It is very noticeable if a brand uses higher quality teas or not. The store I work at prides itself on using high quality products and crafts each drink perfectly to order (but is on the more pricy side). I personally enjoy fruit teas over milk teas, specifically mango or strawberry flavored drinks. They are always refreshing and aren’t too heavy. As for toppings, I like my teas more smooth, but I may opt for aloe if I want a little bit of sweet texture.

About the Author

The author of this article is Sarah Jinee Park. She is originally from New York, and has an extensive background in not only writing, but in technology as well. She works at a tech startup, but is also the Executive Editor at Mochi Magazine. Many of her works have been published by other magazines as well.

Discussion

What I found most useful in the article is the section on the history of bubble tea. I think those in my generation have the most experience with the different tastes, flavors, and brands of boba, but are unfamiliar with where this delicacy came from. I learned that bubble tea is a fairly new drink, having been created less than 50 years ago although tea itself has been around for centuries.

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