And what exactly is bubble tea?
The ‘bubble bars’ are suddenly popping up everywhere with their bubble tea. But what is it? And is it super healthy as well as super hip?
What is bubble tea?
Bubble tea seems new, but was invented in Taiwan more than 40 years ago. In recent years, the drink has also become extremely popular here. Bubble tea is a mix of cold or warm tea, (condensed) milk, fruit syrup and small tapioca balls. These balls consist of starch from the cassava, a root tuber with a somewhat nutty taste. Boiling the balls in sugar water gives them a chewy, gelatinous texture. If the sugar water has a color and taste, the balls will also get this color and taste. This creates the most diverse colors and flavors. Kind of like gummy bears. The balls are not always made of tapioca, sometimes gelatin or aloe vera is also used. It may sound crazy, but if the balls are made of gelatin, the bubble tea is not a vegetarian product because gelatin is a binding agent that is made from bones and cartilage of mammals.
The base
Originally the basis of bubble tea is tea with milk. But now you also see bubble tea without tea, but with coffee or lemonade. Bubble refers to the bubbling foam that is created when you shake the drink. In Southeast Asia, where the drink has been popular among young people for years, it is also called ‘boba’. This name does not refer to the bubbles, but to the balls.
What does bubble tea taste like?
Bubble tea actually tastes like anything but tea. It is a sweet drink, which in an (ice) cold version can be very refreshing in summer temperatures. The milk gives it a creamy taste. You have to suck up the balls through the extra wide straw and then you have to chew the balls, where they burst in your mouth and cause an explosion of sweet.
How healthy is bubble tea?
Tapioca balls are made up of carbohydrates. And unfortunately not in the slow form you find in whole grains. Gelatin and aloe vera naturally contain hardly any carbohydrates, but these balls are also strongly sweetened with sugar. The drink also contains all kinds of flavourings, such as fruit syrup and sweeteners. One glass of bubble tea therefore provides two and a half times as many calories as a glass of cola and almost 50 percent more sugar. You can easily make a healthy version yourself by not adding the syrup and tapioca balls. We have known such a drink for much longer, it is simply called tea.