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Bubble Tea or Boba Tea

By: Groshan

In the year 1980, in Taiwan a new drink was born. This drink is actually two in one, because it can be both a drink and something to eat at the same time. Bubble tea is the name of this drink or so to say the name that stuck with it. Boba tea or tapioca drink or pearl sake are some of the names that were given to this drink at first before one stuck.

Bubble tea, or in short boba tea, then started to gain ground because it was fun and tasty and different. Boba tea first gained Asia, and then Europe was next in line. Nowadays, bubble tea is popular all over the world.

If you wonder where the name came from, then this is another story. Bubble tea or boba tea contains tapioca, this being the main ingredient. The name bubble actually refers to the balls of tapioca that can be found in your boba tea.

In its beginnings, bubble tea was actually made of the black tea specific in Taiwan, mixed with honey and condensed milk. As the drink became more and more popular, some other variations started to be created. This made boba tea more fun then it was before. The possibility of having the same drink but tasting different every time is actually something that most of us dream of. As variations stared to be created so did the name of the drink. Milk tea, big pearl, pearl tea were some of the alternatives to the original name of this drink. In the end, bubble tea or boba tea stuck, because a great drink like this had to have a catchy name as well.

As the popularity of bubble tea grew, the recipe started to change in order to meet the demands of the costumers. At first there was the iced version of boba tea. This was very popular and so the changes went on. Makers started to add flavors to the bubble tea. At first they tried only a hint of plum or peach flavor and because it was so successful, other flavors were added as well. In the end, boba tea became tea- less, its place being taken by real fruits. Nevertheless, the name bubble tea stuck, even if there was no tea in the drink anymore.

However, there are still places where the boba tea actually has tea in it and is pretty much like the original drink, except only some minor changes. Bubble tea is now a mixture of sweetened tea, hot or iced, milk, tapioca and sometimes other flavors as well.

This drink is found in plastic glasses and you actually drink it through a straw. It can be difficult at times, because the main characteristic of bubble tea is tapioca pearls, that are as big as six millimeters in diameter. These tapioca pearls were the reason why many names with pearl were given to this drink, before these two names: bubble tea or boba tea became permanent. Nowadays, besides the normal color of the pearls, which is translucent brown, some other colors are available as well.

In the end, what is the most important of all is that bubble tea is both fun and tasty and the changes that has evolved are for the better.

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