What is the « Bubble Tea »?

Bubble Tea is a mixture of hot or cold tea and milk with tapioca pearls. Tapioca beads are small, gelatinous brown beads that explode in the mouth. This “tea with pearls”, invented in the 1980’s, is a very popular drink in Taiwan and other Asian countries such as China, South Korea and Japan. The popularity of this drink has reached the place of a Taiwanese “national beverage”.

The large brown tapioca beads are located at the bottom of the drink. Once sucked with a straw with a large diameter, they explode in the mouth giving an interesting texture to the whole drink. You can find bubble tea with different scents, tea, vegetable or animal milk or fruit.

 

Tapioca, what is it?

Tapioca is a starch produced from the roots of bitter cassava. It is widely used in Asian and South American cuisine. Tapioca is a very good thickener for desserts or soups. Close to semolina, it has a neutral taste. Many sweet and savoury dishes contain tapioca.

In recent years, the success of the bubble tea has spread to Europe and especially to France, giving way to many businesses that have made this drink their specialty. It is now common to see bubble tea shops in the heart of big cities like Paris, Lyon and Clermont-Ferrand.

 

Why does Bubble tea as such success ?  

This drink is easy to reproduce at home. Tapioca pearls are available in Asian grocery stores. In addition, its photogenic side delighted the followers of social networks.