Title: Twincitiesdiningguide
Author: Robert McClain
Company: WordsmithBob.com

The Tea Experience
Submitted by Robert W. McClain 
info@wordsmithbob.com
612-226-7667
11-22-04
Bubble Tea story

Bubbling with Enthusiasm

Bubbles have always been the playground of children. Everything from bubble pipes to bubble gum and even bubbles in the bathtub. Until now, the only bubbles adults could play with were in their champagne. However, Taiwan has come to the rescue of the pitiful, bubble-deprived adult with a complicated but fun concoction called Bubble Tea.

Bubble tea originated, or so we’re told, on Taiwan in the early 1980’s. No, this is not an ancient inscrutable herbal remedy, but rather the result of adaptation and savvy marketing. At the time iced tea was a popular after-school drink with kids in Taiwan.  Street vendors were competing for that oh-so-important elementary school kid’s allowance. One female vendor capitalized on the knowledge that kids like sugar.  Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out.  She began putting sweetened fruit syrup in her tea.

However, the watery tea and syrup needed a little coaxing to co-exist so she had to shake the tea vigorously to get them to mix properly. This created lots of little bubbles and the kids quickly latched on to the name “bubble tea.”  Another marketing genius thought that tapioca pearls -- fat black, fuzzy-looking edible balls with the consistency of marshmallows -- would be a fun addition. They sit in the bottom of the clear glass and look like, you guessed it, bubbles. This explains the “fat” straw with the slant-cut bottom necessary to drink bubble tea.

I first encountered bubble tea two years ago on a summer night in San Francisco’s Chinatown.  My wife and I were exploring the city on our honeymoon when we came across an odd sign proclaiming “Bubble Tea Inside!” Who could resist such a mysterious statement? I entered the establishment and strolled out a minute later gripping a tall, clear plastic glass full of ice, fruit-flavored tea, milk, and funny-looking black balls in the bottom.  It was delicious! The big surprise came when a couple of the tapioca pearls shot up the straw and popped into my mouth. Chew, chew, chew, gulp. (Italics) They had little or no flavor but they were great fun to eat. Imagine toys in your drink. It’s like ordering the kid’s meal and being encouraged to play with your food.

I have since learned that bubble tea, which is known by at least a dozen different names including QQ (which means ‘chewy’ in Chinese), pearl tea drink, and boba (which means ‘breast’ in Chinese) tea, has swept the coast of California and is slowly beginning to pop up in cities across the United States.  

One of the most wonderful things about bubble tea is that there really is no rigid recipe for it. You can literally be as creative as you like.  One of my favorite recipes calls for a strong black tea on ice with soy milk, fructose for sweetening, and coffee “jellies” served by The Tea Garden in Minneapolis, MN.  (What are jellies? Small rectangles of flavored gelatin that, again, sit in the bottom of your bubble tea. They’re even more fun to chew.)  The Tea Garden calls this drink Royal Tea.  If you’ve ever eaten a dark chocolate-espresso bar, you have a hint of how good this drink tastes to grown-ups.

My wife, who has become hopelessly addicted to bubble tea, loves a drink made with green iced tea, strawberry fruit syrup, and mango jellies. I admit, it is also divine, but I remain loyal to my Royal Tea.  As I said before, the beauty of this drink is that it can be made in hundreds of variations and it can be made as healthy or villainously abusive to your physique as you wish.

Okay, so here is the mechanic’s lowdown on what you can use to build one of these concoctions:

Iced tea
It can be black tea or green tea. However, aside from the obvious health benefits of green tea over black tea, the lighter flavor of green tea makes it much more suited to fruit-flavored bubble tea.

Flavoring
This component runs the gamut of fruit flavorings available from almost any culture across the face of the earth. It can be in powdered or syrup form. The powders tend to be less concentrated than the syrups. Bubble teas are generally made with unsweetened fruit flavorings so that you have more control over the final taste of the drink. 

Sweetener
Sweetening your drink is a very personal thing. Some people prefer almost no sweetener while others turn the drink into a liquid candy bar. You can use white or brown sugar for purists, fructose or honey for the more natural minded, or artificial sweetener for those who think they can fool their body into calorie submission.

Creamer
I consider creamer to be strictly an option. While the drink can be more refreshing without the creamer, the richness afforded by this additive can give the drink a very real decadence. Your options are half and half, whole milk, non-dairy creamers, evaporated milk, powdered milk, or soy milk. Heck, I’ve even used almond milk.

Pearls or Jellies
Of course, it wouldn’t be bubble tea without those playful little delights sitting in the bottom of your drink. Tapioca pearls come in black but can also be found in white or transparent, depending on the ingredients used to make them. I believe the white and transparent pearls are made with caramel, starch and chamomile root extract. The black ones are made from sweet potatoes, cassava root and brown sugar. Jellies are simply small rectangles of flavored gelatin.

So, there you have it…Bubble tea deconstructed.  Go forth and experiment.

And remember…it’s shaken, not stirred!

Story by Bob McClain, a freelance writer and copywriter who writes regularly for Arts Nation, The WaZoo! Show, and Twin Cities Dining Guide. What can “Bob” do for you? Visit www.wordsmithbob.com or try info@wordsmithbob.com or 612-226-7667.