Bubble tea — or boba tea — is a Taidese drink made from tea, milk and tapioca, which has spread worldwide. If this new-age drink is a concept new to you or even if you need to iron out certain facts, then read on for this is a detailed guide.
What is Boba Tea?
Boba tea is a beverage invented in Taiwan and started gaining popularity in the late 1980s. The original is prepared using water, black tea, sugar and milk, and small balls of tapioca. These are from the tapioca starch which forms the base for the pearls that are a feature of this drink and its name. Nevertheless, while most of the boba tea contains milk, the drinks come in a variety of fruit-flavored types serving a variety of palates.
Key Ingredients
Tapioca Pearls: These are tender spheres that are often associated with boba tea. They are cassava-based, which is prepared by boiling it and steeping it in a sugar solution to improve its taste.
- Tea Base: Black, green, and oolong teas are the most often used tea bases, which are available in many tea varieties. Green tea mainly consists of different notes that can be always interchanged to achieve a different flavour.
- Milk and Creamers: While classic boba tea recipe calls for dairy milk, most shops even have non-dairy milk options like almond, soy, or oat milk due to various dietary restrictions and preferences.
- Sweeteners: Sweetness intensity ranges from a little sweetness to abundant sweetness, the latter is often generated through the use of sugar, honey, or syrups.
Types of Boba Tea
- Classic Milk Tea: This type is prepared by steeping tea and adding milk and small balls that are usually made from tapioca.
- Fruit Tea: To add a little difference, some fruit teas are made from fresh fruit juices or flavoured syrups and not milk.
- Smoothies and Slushies: They are mixed forms of boba tea which here includes ice and fruit which turn it to be a chilled one.
- Popping Boba: These are small balls which are usually made of different fruit juices that form a layer upon being peeled, it reproduces in the mouth and enhances the taste of the juice.
Ways to Enjoy Boba Tea
Ideally, boba tea must be consumed immediately, especially for the tapioca balls that stiffen when they spend considerable time unserved. Something similar to sipping the pearls together with the tea is to use a jumbo straw to gulp the pearls. For those who are planning to have a boba tea party or if you own a cafe, it would be more advantageous and economical to avail of Wholesale Boba Tea Straws.
How to Make Boba Tea
Most people believe that making boba tea at home is a hard process, however, it is a pretty easy activity. Certainly, the best approach is to buy encapsulated citric acid so that you do not run short of this compound or fail to add it in the right measure in the tea base to make it more trenchant. Follow these steps for a perfect homemade boba tea:
- Cook the Tapioca Pearls: Pearls have to be boiled as the specific package directions indicate, and then they have to be immersed in sugar syrup.
- Prepare the Tea: Boil the water and prepare your selected tea, then allow it to cool down to the desired temperature.
- Mix the Ingredients: Stir tea, milk or creamer, sweetener and tapioca pearls all together.
- Serve and Enjoy: This should be served as a cocktail and poured into a glass with added ice if preferred it is best enjoyed using a wide straw.
