Colourful tea: a few words about bubble tea
When we hear the word tea, we usually think of leaves steeped in water at the right temperature for the right time, with additions such as lemon, honey or cloves. But we need not stop at traditional recipes: there are new things to try! Anyone looking for different, surprising or inventive flavours in the world of tea will certainly find bubble tea interesting. What exactly is this drink? Read on.
What is bubble tea?
Bubble tea is a drink from Taiwan. According to the story, Liu Han Jie, the owner of a tearoom in Taichung, developed the recipe in the 1980s and added it to the menu. Pearl milk tea, as it was then known, was intended to encourage children and teenagers to drink tea. It became far more famous than anyone might have expected.
Today the bubble tea phenomenon has spread beyond Asia to America and Europe. In each of these parts of the world it quickly caught consumers' attention. There are now many venues, shops and stands specialising in bubble tea. The price of a drink ranges from 10 to 20 zł.
The main ingredients are tea — usually black or green, less often white or jasmine — milk, sugar and tapioca, which appears as chewy, jelly-like pearls. Modern versions include all sorts of additions, such as fruit juices, honey, gummies, jelly, chocolate, cocoa and vanilla, creating unusual flavour experiences. Bubble tea can be served hot or cold, and tastes surprisingly good either way.
It is usually served in a tall, transparent cup or glass with a wide straw that allows the edible pearls to pass through.
How do you make bubble tea?
Making bubble tea yourself is not difficult. You need the ingredients, a tall glass and a little creativity. Let us get straight to the details!
- The base is tea, preferably loose leaf. We recommend jasmine green tea, Albert Tea Jasmine Dragon Pearls, or black tea with cherry notes, Albert Tea Ceylon OP Nuvara Eliya.
- For green tea, measure one teaspoon of leaves, pour over filtered water at 70–80°C, cover and brew for 1–2 minutes.
- For black tea, use one teaspoon of leaves and filtered water at 100°C; cover and brew for 2–3 minutes.
- You cannot have bubble tea without the pearls! Measure around four tablespoons of tapioca pearls into boiling water. You can sweeten the water with sugar, xylitol or another sweetener. Cook for around 15 minutes, then turn off the heat when the pearls float to the surface. Leave them for around another 15 minutes to cool a little, then drain.
- Transfer the pearls to a tall glass.
- Pour in the tea prepared earlier.
- Add milk and ice cubes if making cold bubble tea, plus flavoured syrup, maple syrup, honey, gummies, whipped cream, chocolate, fruit or other additions. Experiment!
- Your bubble tea is ready to drink.
A closer look at tapioca
Tapioca is a starch product made from cassava roots. It is gluten-free and, interestingly, has no flavour of its own. Tapioca itself provides around 360 kcal per 100 g, while its glycaemic index is high, at approximately 110 — specifically, GI 108. It is easy to digest and is described as not causing digestive discomfort after consumption. Its vitamin and mineral content is relatively low.
How many calories are in bubble tea?
Given the many variations — fruity, chocolate, milky and more — and the freedom to choose and measure the ingredients, bubble tea can range from 100 to as much as 600–700 kcal. Naturally, the more ingredients we add, the higher the calorie content can become. It is worth keeping an eye on it.
Knowing how many calories bubble tea contains is particularly important for people watching their diet. In this case, fruit-based versions are generally recommended over milk-based ones, as they tend to contain fewer calories.
To know exactly what is in your bubble tea, ask which ingredients are used. Ideally — and this is what we wish for you — you will find recipes based on natural, minimally processed ingredients.
Read also: Café-style coffee at home? It is possible!