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Tea is one of the most popular beverages gaining prominence worldwide as it is no longer restricted to a humble homemade drink. It has been gaining popularity with various trends and customisations of tea like bubble tea which is one of the few tea preparations that has become a full-blown sensation not only in its country of origin, Taiwan, but abroad as well.
Bubble tea is a type of tea which is also known as Pearl milk tea or Boba tea. The bubble alludes to the froth made by shaking the tea, which is additionally called pàomò tea, which means foamy or frothy tea. Bubble tea caught everyone’s fancy during the 1990s at some stage in Asia. It then increased its fame within the United States and in Europe from 2000.
Boba balls are made of tapioca, which is a starch that is extracted from the cassava root. Tapioca is boiled to deliver a round chewy ball that is then added to hot as well as cool drinks. Colourful tapioca balls are created by adding some water, sugar and food colours. The ice-mixed renditions of bubble tea are generally blended in with juice or syrup to form a slushy consistency. The tapioca pearls, which sit at the bottom of the cup, come in different flavours and are usually black, but sometimes white or transparent, making the drink look rather similar to a passion fruit.
Nowadays, people are consuming bubble tea because of its taste, texture and variety all over the world. Maybe it is the chewy, addictive texture of the tapioca balls, the creaminess of the milky tea, or the simple satisfaction of popping the straw into the sealed plastic top, that people can’t get enough of bubble tea.
Even its origins are very simple as in the late ’80s, both shaved ice and tapioca balls were common desserts. During one hot summer, a savvy food stall owner thought to combine three popular elements into one beverage — tapioca balls at the bottom, followed by a layer of shaved ice, and milk tea to fill out the rest of the drink.
However, many people are unaware of the negative effects of bubble tea on their health and are blindly following the trend. The halo around the bubble seems to be bursting as the main culprit is the sugar contained in the drink. On an average, a cup of bubble tea contains 20 teaspoons of sugar. For a normal healthy adult, it is recommended to take no more than eight teaspoons of sugar a day. Bubble tea can definitely make you gain weight as it adds to your daily calorie intake.
Some researchers found that tapioca pearls contain traces of aspolychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, including certain types of styrene, acetophenone that can cause cancer. While some did swear off the drink, there were others who stood by it for its refreshing flavour.
A bubble tea can be good for you if you choose the right ingredients and avoid additional flavours and excessive sugar.
Adding excessive sugar will boost the overall calorie count of the drink and thus make it an unhealthy one. However, there are healthier ways to prepare this beverage, by using fresh fruits like banana, mango and watermelon as this will impart a natural sweetness to the drink.