Bubble tea is a Taiwanese recipe made by blending tea with milk, fruit and fruit juices, then adding tasty tapioca pearls and shaking vigorously.

Bubble tea is suddenly all the rage over here in the UK, but it’s actually been a hot (or cold!) favorite in countries like China since the 1980s.

What are the Bubbles?

An incredibly unique looking beverage, Bubble tea is a Taiwanese recipe made by blending a tea base with milk, fruit and fruit juices, then adding the signature “bubbles” – yummy tapioca pearls that sit at the bottom.

These delicious fruit or tea infusions can be served either piping hot or iced cold, making a delicious and ever-so-quirky drink and snack. Bubble tea is served in transparent cups with a fat straw so that – as you sip – the tapioca balls (also known as “pearls” or “boba”) come shooting up it and can be chewed as you swallow down the delicious liquid. It’s called bubble tea both because of the tapioca balls, and the floating “bubbles” created by the vigorous shaking involved in its blending.

It is said that a teahouse called Chun Shui Tang in Taichung began serving Chinese tea cold – having adopted the idea from Japanese-style iced coffee. Just a few years later, Chun Shui’s product development manager, one Ms. Lin Hsiu Hui was bored at a staff meeting. On the spur of the moment, she decided to dump her Taiwanese dessert called fen yuan—a sweetened tapioca pudding—into her Assam iced tea and drink it. It was so good that they decided to add it to the menu, where it soon became the franchise’s top-selling product. Soon after seeing the success of this drink at one teahouse, concessions all over Taiwan started adding tapioca pearls and different fruit flavours to their iced teas, and so began bubble tea as we now know it!

What’s It Like to Drink?

Tapioca pearls, which sit at the bottom of the cup have a chewy consistency somewhere between jelly and chewing gum. You can get different flavored pearls and they are usually black, but sometimes white or transparent, making the drink look rather similar to a passionfruit.

What Does Bubble Tea Taste Like?

A sweet, cool refreshing and really delicious treat. It comes in as many flavors as there are teas and fruits, so you can pick and choose.

What Does It Look Like?

Served in a transparent cup to show off its bubbly qualities, bubble tea can be made in a wide range of ways. As well as using the aforementioned varieties of fruit infusions and teas, fresh fruits, crushed ice and milk are often features – a very fancy milkshake indeed. After popping all the ingredients together, it needs a thorough shake to blend it all together. James Bond would approve.

Who Invented Bubble Tea?

There is no documented evidence about the invention of bubble tea, but as with many teas, there is a story around it! Rumour has it that the blend first appeared in Asia in the 1980s. Just visit Taiwan or Hong Kong and you can’t help but notice the unique bubble teashops on every corner. Taiwanese tea stands became very popular in the 1980s as a post-work pick me up and place to hang out. This created a certain competitive atmosphere in the tea market, and merchants started searching for and creating ever more inventive variations on their teas and beverages.

Nutrition Information

According to the USDA, 8 ounces of bubble tea contains:

  • Calories: 120
  • Protein: 0 grams 
  • Fat: 1.5 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 28 grams
  • Fiber: 0 grams
  • Sugar: 28 grams

Keep in mind that these nutrients only account for the average boba tea. Many boba teas are prepared with pudding, yogurt, fruit, jellies, syrups, and more. 

Bubble tea provides few vitamins and minerals. However, it contains small amounts of: 

  • Folate
  • Calcium
  • Iron
  • Selenium

Potential Health Benefits of Bubble Tea

Unfortunately, bubble itself provides very few health benefits, though its calories and carbohydrates can provide you with a boost in energy. In most cases, boba tea contains high levels of sugar, which is linked to long-term health conditions like diabetes and obesity. 

However, the tea contained in these beverages can offer the following health benefits:

Lower Blood Pressure

One study that drinking green tea — a common base for boba tea — can lower blood pressure and total cholesterol, which can lower the risk of developing serious conditions like heart disease and stroke.

Decreased Risk of Cancer

Green tea has also been shown to have an impact on certain cancers. In a study examining green tea’s antioxidants, substances that prevent or slow damage from unstable oxygen molecules in the body, researchers found that green tea can lower the risk of liver, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. However, many bubble tea mixtures don’t use green tea as a base.

Potential Risks of Bubble Tea

While there are some health benefits to consuming the green tea in some bubble team mixtures, most forms of boba tea also contain high levels of sugar. The amount of sugar you drink along with your boba tea can pose potential risks. 

Increased Risk of Obesity and Diseases

Consuming high levels of sugar has been linked to serious health complications like obesity, cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cognitive decline, and some forms of cancer.

Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages is also linked to higher body fat in young children. 

Allergic Reactions

As the boba tapioca balls are made from cassava, you should also avoid boba if you’re allergic to root vegetables. Some people with latex allergies may also have a reaction to products made from cassava. 

Healthier Alternatives

Like many sugary drinks, boba tea is best enjoyed in moderation. However, there are some alternatives and substitutions that can make boba tea much healthier. 

Lower Levels of Sugar

When ordering boba tea or making your own, look for lower-sugar alternatives. While the boba tea will be less sweet, you can still enjoy the flavor with less sugar. 

Other alternatives for sugar can include honey or other sweeteners.

Dairy Alternatives 

Soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, or non-dairy creamer can cut down on calories while providing more health benefits than whole milk or cream. These are also a great alternative for those with dairy allergies. 

Fewer Toppings

The boba tapioca pearls themselves contain a lot of sugar, so asking for fewer tapioca pearls can help you cut down on sugar. 

Many tea shops will give you the option of adding toppings to your boba drink, like jellies, pudding, or yogurt-filled tapioca pearls. Asking for fewer toppings — or none at all — can significantly reduce your sugar intake

Reference: twinings.co.uk, webmd.com