Saturday, January 24, 2009

BoBo Tea a.k.a. Bubble Tea










Bubble tea, also called "Boba" tea, is a Taiwanese tea beverage containing gelatinous tapioca pearls. It originated in Taiwan in the 1980s, spread to nearby East Asian countries, and migrated to Canada before spreading to Chinatown in New York, then to various spots throughout the West Coast of the United States[1]. The literal translation from Chinese is pearl milk tea (traditional Chinese: 珍珠奶茶; Tongyong Pinyin: jhenjhu nǎichá; Hanyu Pinyin: zhēnzhū nǎichá). The word "bubble" refers to "bubbling", the process by which certain types of bubble tea are made, and not the actual tapioca balls. The balls are often called "pearls." Drinks with large pearls are consumed along with the beverage through wide straws; while drinks with small pearls are consumed through normal straws. Bubble tea is especially popular in many East Asian and Southeast Asian regions such as Taiwan, China (including Hong Kong and Macau)I finally made it to Dr*gon Berries yesterday to try the bubble tea. I had the coconut and I loved it! I think I ate too many pearls though. I think the next time I will make sure I leave a lot of the pearls in my cup. The pearls made me think of soft gummy bears. It was weird, but in a good way. The milk tea was really good. I look forward to trying this in Taiwan.If you have the chance to try it.....do!

2 comments:

HuluMama said...

This was my favorite drink(besides beer) when I lived in Beijing. YUM!

loffer said...

I love the Thai Tea flavored bubble tea. I know what you mean about having too many pearls, though. I took my husband to try some and since he didn't care for it, I drank his as well. Won't do that again! I can't wait to try them in Taiwan, though!!!!!

Lora O.