Whats all the bubbly about bubble tea? By: Melissa Iachetta

Whats all the bubbly about bubble tea?

Bubbly tea has taken a sip up in popularity. The drink which consists of a coffee/tea base is mixed with different flavors such as peach, green apple, and even violet. Milk is added if desired, and then the words are asked, “would you like tapioca?.”
Invented in Taiwan in the 1980s, the tea drink first spread to nearby East Asian countries,  and migrated to Canada before spreading to Chinatown in New York City. Its even reached various spots throughout the West Coast of the United States.
This drink is called bubble tea because of the marble-sized tapioca balls, pearls, or boba’s that are present and sit at the bottom of the cup. These chewy balls, although having little flavor, are sucked up through large wide straws and are consumed along with the drink.
Today you can find shops entirely devoted to bubble tea, similar to the juice bars of the early 1990s. Some cafes use plastic dome-shaped lids, while other bubble tea bars serve it using a machine to seal the top of the cup with plastic cellophane. This allows the tea to be shaken in the serving cup. The cellophane is then pierced with an oversize straw large enough to allow the pearls to pass through.
Tapioca balls great and small are the most popular chewy aspect of bubble tea, but a wide range of other options can add an equally delectable texture to the drink. Green pearls have a small hint of green tea flavor and are chewier than the traditional tapioca balls. Jelly is also used in small cubes, stars, or rectangular strips, with flavors like coconut jelly, konjac, lychee, grass, mango, and green tea. Rainbow (a fruit mix), has a crispy consistency. Red bean or mung bean mush, also used as a toppings for Taiwanese shaved ice, gives the drink added flavor as well as texture. Aloe, egg pudding, sago, and taro balls can also be found in most tea houses to complete the perfect cup of bubble tea.

Bubble tea cafes frequently serve drinks without coffee or tea in them. The base for these drinks is flavoring blended with ice, called Snow Bubble. All mix-ins that can be added to the bubble tea can also be added to these slushy like drinks. A negative to Snow Bubble is that the coldness of the iced drink may cause the tapioca balls to harden, making them difficult to suck up through a straw and chew. To prevent this from happening, Snow Bubble must be consumed more quickly than bubble tea.

Quickly a popular bubble tea hangout in Flushing has lines out the door on any given day.

WJPS junior Adriana Crotty comments on her love for bubble tea, “I would totally wait on a line that was outside a door for some bubble tea. It is so awesome. It’s a really good drink, sometimes I go with my friends after school and we get bubble tea together, Quickly has this special price for students so that’s a bonus.”

So the only question is…wanna sip?