Bubble Tea

By Jenny Leung | June 30, 2024

It was love at first sip.

After my first cup of bubble tea as a child, I was hooked—and I'm not the only one obsessed with this beautiful drink. Bubble tea, also known as boba tea or pearl milk tea, has taken the world by storm with its irresistible blend of flavours and textures. Originating in Taiwan in the 1980s, bubble tea has since become a delicious global phenomenon, captivating taste buds and winning hearts everywhere.

At its core, bubble tea is a sweet and refreshing beverage made from a base of tea, milk or fruit flavours, combined with chewy tapioca pearls or other toppings such as fruit-flavoured jelly, fresh fruit or grass jelly. As for the chewy tapioca pearls (the "bubbles"), they are actually made from cassava, which is a starchy root vegetable native to South America. To make tapioca pearls, cassava liquid is extracted from ground cassava root. Once the starchy liquid is squeezed out of the ground cassava root, it undergoes evaporation, leaving behind tapioca powder that can be used to make tapioca pearls.

Bubble tea is highly customizable, with many bubble tea shops offering a wide range of options for varying sweetness levels, different tea bases or milk alternatives and toppings to suit individual preferences. Served hot or cold, it's a cool fusion of tea and dessert, offering an interesting sensory experience with every sip. If you haven’t experienced bubble tea before, I encourage you to give it a try this summer!