No, it's not bubble gum! Rather, it is bubble tea. If this
term sounds strange to you, let's take a look at the
origins of bubble tea and the place it holds in society
today.
Are you wondering how bubble tea got its "bubbly"
name? Well, this is because when it is shaken it
produces a frothy, bubbly texture. Bubble tea is a
combination of iced or hot black or green sweetened
tea with either milk or fruit flavors added to it.
Therefore, there are two types of bubble tea - fruit-
flavored bubble tea and milk bubble tea.
The milky bubble teas can be enjoyed with dairy or
non-dairy creamers. On the other hand, fruit bubble
tea has a wide variety of flavoring that can be added
to it - including the tastes of chocolate, coconut, passion
fruit, and strawberry. These flavors can be added to
the bubble tea as a powder-like substance, juice,
syrup or pulp. After all of the extras are added to it,
the tea is then shaken in a cocktail shaker or put in a
blender.
Gum-like balls made of cooked tapioca (often referred
to as yam starch in Asia) can be added to the bubble
tea drink. These balls are sometimes also referred to
as "pearls" or "Boba". They sink to the bottom of the
teacup, and are sipped through a wide straw along
with the drink.
They have a diameter of about six millimeters or less,
and are meant to give the drinker something to chew
on between sips of tea. The tapioca pearls have little
taste to them, but are typically soaked in sugar or
honey after being boiled for a half of an hour. They are
typically good to use for up to seven hours after they
are prepared.
If you do not happen to be a fan of tapioca, you can
use coconut jelly, coffee jelly, lychee jelly, rainbow
jelly, or konjac jelly instead. These types of jellies can
be made into small cubes for you to enjoy. Some tea
enthusiasts actually order "half and half" bubble teas,
with one half tapioca pearls and one half jelly cubes.
New types of bubble teas are constantly coming about.
For example, a "Snow Bubble" is the slushy-like
version of the bubble tea. It is made with shaved ice
and fruit flavoring.
Bubble teas originated in Taiwan, and are highly
popular in Asia, including places like China, Hong
Kong, Macau, South Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia
and Singapore. It is also gaining popularity in the
United States, as well as Europe, Australia and
Canada. Bubble tea is available in a variety of small
cafes and restaurants around the globe.
These types of places typically serve coffee drinks as
well as fruit smoothies and juice drinks. Cafes that sell
bubble tea in these countries use plastic dome-shaped
lids on their cups to keep the frothiness inside the cup.
So don't be shy... try some bubble tea today and see
what the rage is all about!
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