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According to most sources, Bubble Tea originated in Taiwan in the early 1980's at small tea stands. In a similar (but far healthier) way that American students stop by convenience stores for after school snacks, Chinese students patronized these tea stands for after school tea. As there was much competition among the tea stands, innovation began to happen. One particular tea stand began to introduce fruit flavors to their tea. The flavored teas became very popular with the children and the "flavoring" idea caught on quickly. Because the tea and flavoring had to be shaken vigorously to achieve a smooth consistency, a froth of bubbles was formed on top of the beverage, which soon became known as "Bubble Tea".
Tapioca pearls, which were not a part of the early Bubble Tea recipe, were introduced to Taiwan in 1983 by Liu Han-Chieh. Very quickly a trend began, to add the pearls to any number of beverages, most frequently flavored teas. The glossy, round and clumped appearance of the pearls reinforced the Bubble Tea name.
Tapioca pearls are usually black, but can also be white or transparent depending on the ingredients. Black pearls are made from sweet potato, cassava root and brown sugar. While cooking they are a light brown color and darken when done. After a rinsing in cold water, they achieve their characteristic black color. When cooked correctly, and still fresh (best within 3-4 hours) they have a distinct bounce when chewed, softer on the outside chewier toward the center. If under cooked they can be crunchy, over cooked, kind of slimy. If they are past their prime they loose the bounce and chew a little bit as if they were overcooked. Recently, flavored pearls of various colors have arrived in the marketplace.
There are hundreds of flavors for Bubble Tea and many variations in preparation. Some like their Bubble Tea very plain, black or jasmine green tea with pearls and no sugar. For others a combination of 3 flavors with creamer and sugar is preferable. There are three main flavor categories: lattes, made with cream, non-dairy creamer or soy milk; non-lattes; and sours, usually a fruit flavor with the addition of a sour lemon flavor. Some flavor types include: fruit flavors like strawberry, mango, honeydew, passion fruit; nut flavors like chocolate, vanilla, almond, black sesame, and peanut; and Asian based flavors like taro, Thai, chai, and red bean.
Bubble Tea in known around the world in a variety of names, some quite colorful:
milk tea, pearl tea, black pearl tea, boba, boba ice tea, pearl shake, pearl milk tea, pearl ice tea, tapioca ball drink, BBT, PT, and QQ (which means chewy in Chinese).
Bubble Tea is already quite popular on the west coast of North America and in certain eastern cities as well, (Toronto and New York in particular). It is rapidly spreading across the continent.