Bubble tea came into existence in Taiwan, when the beverage was
created during the 1980s. Although it is not known which exact Taiwanese shop
is the creator of Bubble tea, several shops are speculated to be the origin.
One
possible origin is Chun Shui Tang teahouse in Taichung, where Ms. Lin Hsiu Hui
(product development manager) poured sweetened tapioca balls into the tea during
a meeting in 1988. The beverage was well received by the people at the meeting,
leading to its inclusion on the menu, ultimately becoming the franchise's
top-selling product. An alternative origin is the Hanlin teahouse in Tainan,
Taiwan, owned by Tu Tsong-he. He made tea using traditional white tapioca,
which has the appearance of pearls, supposedly resulting in the so-called
"pearl tea". Shortly after, Hanlin changed the white tapioca balls to
the black version that is seen most today. The drink became popular in most
parts of East and Southeath Asia during the 1990s.
In June 2012, McDonald's McCafé locations in Germany and Austria
began offering bubble tea. They offer black, green, or white tea, available
with or without milk. Fruit syrups are also available, bringing the total
number of possible flavour combinations to 250.
Bubble teas are generally of two distinct types: fruit-flavoured
teas and milk teas. However, some shops offer hybrid "fruit milk teas".
Most milk teas include powdered dairy or non-dairy creamers, but some shops also offer fresh milk as an alternative. Other
varieties are 100% crushed-fruit smoothies with tapioca pearls and signature
ice cream shakes made from local ice cream sources. Many American bubble tea
vendors sell "milk smoothies", which are similar to bubble tea but do
not contain any tea ingredients. Some small cafés offer sweetener substitutes
such as honey, agave, stevia, and aspartame upon special request.
The oldest known bubble tea consisted of a mixture of hot Taiwanese black tea, small tapioca
pearls, condensed
milk, and
syrup or honey. Many variations were created, the most common of which is
served cold rather than hot. The tea type is frequently replaced. First was
bubble green tea, which uses jasmine-infused green tea instead of black tea. Big tapioca pearls were adapted
and quickly replaced the small pearls. Peach or plum flavouring appeared,
then more fruit flavours were added until, in some variations, the tea was
removed entirely in favour of real fruit. These fruit versions sometimes
contain coloured pearls (and/or "jelly cubes" as in the related drink taho), the colour chosen to match
whatever fruit juice is used. Flavours may be added in the form of powder,
fruit juice, pulp, or syrup to hot black or green tea, which is then shaken in
a cocktail
shaker or mixed with ice in a blender. Cooked tapioca pearls and other mix-ins (such as honey, syrup,
and sugar) are added at the end.
Today, one can find shops entirely devoted to bubble tea, similar to
the juice bars of the early 1990s. Some
cafés use plastic dome-shaped lids, while other bubble tea bars serve it using
a machine to seal the top of the cup with plastic cellophane. This allows the
tea to be shaken in the serving cup and makes it spill-free until one is ready
to drink it. The cellophane is then pierced with an oversized straw large
enough to allow the pearls to pass through.
Today, in Taiwan, it's more common for people to refer to the
drink as "pearl milk tea" (zhen zhu). "Pearl milk tea" is
also used by English speakers and overseas Chinese and Taiwanese speakers, but
it is usually called bubble tea.
