Green Tea Bubble Tea - What is it? Why is it Trending? and How You can Make it at Home

November 18, 2017

BUBBLE TEA

The bubble tea was invented in Taiwan by Liu Han Chie, the owner of Chun Shui Tang teahouse. Although many tea companies claim and take credit for bubble tea invention, the due credit is always given to beverage visionary Liu. He once decided to put pearls in sweet tea and ended up inventing a whole new trendy beverage. It soon became popular in Asia and later spread throughout the world and loved by masses.

Bubble tea is also known as pearl milk tea, bubble milk tea, and the most popular name is boba tea. It is a drink that has milk or tea base and then different flavor topping and chewy tapioca pearls. These pearls are also called boba, which is Taiwanese slang for pearls.

TAPIOCA PEARLS OR BOBA

The boba or tapioca pearls are marble size balls made from tapioca, which is a starch extracted from cassava root. It is gluten-free and made into flour and then into pearl shapes. Boba is flavorless, and to add it in the tea, and it is prepared with a process. It is cooked in boiling water and soaked in sweet syrup. The pearls are soaked until they are chewy and then used in tea. These are put in the base and then fill the cup with different flavors and kinds of drinks.

WHY IS IT CALLED BUBBLE TEA?

When most people think of bubble tea, they think of the boba or tapioca pearls on the bottom of the cup. But actually, bubble tea got its name because of the small bubbles that form on top after shaking the tea. In fact, In Taiwan (where bubble tea was invented), the most popular drink isn’t boba milk tea but actually regular iced green or oolong tea.

TYPES OF BUBBLE TEA

Bubble tea has many varieties with a wide range of flavors, but the most popular around the world is black pearl milk tea and green pearl milk tea. The most common types of bubble tea are:

Fruit flavored tea: It is widely available in summer due to refreshing go-to drink and fruity flavor that quench your thirst in hot weather. Tea is prepared by adding syrup and fruits like strawberries, mangos, apples, lychee, watermelon, grapes, pineapple, and many more such.

Milk tea: The milk tea is the most famous due to the healthier version, and green tea is at the top. It is made with condensed milk, creamer, or any choice of vegan milk and tapioca pearls.

Hybrid fruit and milk tea: It is the hybrid version that combines fruits, jellies, milk, and pearls into a one-cup drink. It is highly customizable, and you can enjoy and make according to your choice and taste.

GREEN TEA BUBBLE MILK TEA

Although most milk teas are made by mixing fresh milk with black tea, many people are also mixing milk with green tea or sweets, which can be served hot or cold. Green tea is often seen as a healthier option than coffee and can be very refreshing on hot summer days. Green Tea Bubble Tea is shaken iced green tea. Most shops in Taiwan will start with hot green tea, add ice, and then shake it in a shaker machine for about 6-8 seconds to create the bubbles on top. One of my favorites is a matcha bubble tea latte, which combines matcha powder, fresh milk, and tapioca pearls to make an unforgettable drink.

 

Bubble Milk Tea in the US is usually made using a flavored powder. For example, to make taro bubble tea, most shops will use taro bubble tea powder. Surprisingly, some bubble tea shops mix this powder with water, so there isn’t any tea in your bubble tea! We recommend mixing taro powder with hot green tea to accentuate the flavor.

HOW TO MAKE GREEN TEA BUBBLE MILK TEA AT HOME

To make green tea bubble milk tea in the comfort of your home, you’ll need the following ingredients:

 

• Tapioca Pearls (It can be purchased on Amazon here, and this is the one I personally recommend)
• A large pot (with a lid)
• A serving bowl
• Honey
• High-Quality Matcha (You can try our premium Matcha, and it will not disappoint you.)

 

STEPS TO MAKE GREEN TEA BUBBLE MILK TEA

First, you need to prepare tapioca pearls, and the instructions are as follows:

• Measure 100 grams of tapioca pearls.
• Put 1000ml of water into a pot and bring it to a boil.
• Place the tapioca pearls into the water.
• Wait for the tapioca pearls to rise to the top and start to boil.
• Once the tapioca pearls begin to boil, stir them and start a timer for 25 minutes.
• Lower the heat to medium and stir occasionally.
• Once the timer goes off, turn off the heat and let the tapioca pearls sit for 10 minutes with the lid on
• After 10 minutes, put the tapioca pearls into a colander and rinse them with cold water until the tapioca balls are no longer hot
• Let all the water drain from the strainer

 

Prepare a bowl of honey:

• Pour 50 grams of honey into a bowl, add a little hot water and stir.
• Put pearls in the bowl of honey and let them soak for at least 20 minutes before serving.

 

Final assemble:

• First, place the pearls in a cup and then add your prepared favorite premium Matcha.
• Add ice cubes if you like it cold.
• Enjoy your homemade Green Tea Bubble Tea!

 

THE RISING TREND OF BUBBLE TEA

Although bubble tea has been around since the 1980s, it’s still gaining popularity.

People used to have to go to Los Angeles or New York for great bubble tea; now it’s popping up in shopping malls all over the midwest and becoming as ubiquitous as Cinnabon or Jamba Juice.

As of November 2017, there are 1968 listings for bubble tea shops in the US, and Google Trends reports continued growth in searches for bubble tea (the annual dips are during the winter months).

Bubble Tea is Trending in USA.

 

BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA BUBBLE TEA

The bubble tea taste and its benefits depend on the ingredients you put in it because the pearls are flavorless but sweetened with syrup. Depending on the ingredients, the flavor can range from sweet to nutty and earthy. The most popular is green tea due to the health benefits it offers, along with great taste.

Picking the right ingredients is the key as you do not want to poison yourself with excess sugar. The bubble tea that you buy from shops has high calories and is unhealthy if you get obsessed with it. However, if you make bubble tea at home with green tea and a controlled sugar level, then it is healthy for your health and refreshes you on a summer day.

Green tea, as you know, is the most popular flavor for bubble tea, and it is rightfully so due to its effects on human body health. It strengthens the immune system with the help of antioxidants like catechins present in tea leaves. If you combine it with fruit flavors, then you get an extra boost of Vitamin C, which is great for the immune system and skin.

The green, black and white teas contain sugar and caffeine, which is a great energy boost. However, high sugar is always risky, so you should take a healthier version of this drink with less sugar. The green tea bubble tea also enhances your metabolism and keeps you refreshed and healthy all day.

Moreover, the antioxidants and inflammatory compounds present in green tea strengthen the blood vessel walls and help in the prevention of plaque forming in arteries. So it is important to choose a healthier version that can help maintain your body and heart in good condition.

SIDE EFFECTS OF BUBBLE TEA

The bubble tea is highly sweet due to the excess amount of sugar which leads to health problems. Excessive sugar and high-calorie intake result in weight gain. A cup of bubble tea, including fruit syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and boba, contains at least 350g of calories. This much calories intake in with one cup and regularly is not beneficial for your health

The tapioca balls are a source of carbohydrates, which then combine with sugar, so, naturally, such beverages will likely cause diabetes. This tea is not suitable for people who already have diabetes or are prone to this disease.

Going Pro

While making bubble tea at home can be a fun hobby, many people are capitalizing on the growing trend of bubble tea by opening their own bubble tea shop.  Some of the professional equipment and machines that bubble tea shops are using are Cup Sealer Machines, Shaker Machines and Fructose Dispensers.

Japanese Green Tea readers can get a special discount of $75.00 on all bubble tea machines by using the code greentea at BubbleTeaology.com. 

 

This article is written by Mike, CEO of BubbleTeaology. 

Author Bio

Mike is originally from the US but has spent the past 6 years in Taiwan and 2 of those years working for one of the largest bubble tea shops in Taiwan.  Now he is the owner of BubbleTeaology which supplies Boba Tea Machines and Wholesale Ingredients to drink shops around the world.

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