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What is it about Bubble Tea? |
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Food
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Wednesday, 08 August 2007 |
 There is a phenomenon in the world of tea that will have tea connoisseurs either vomiting in disgust or secretly slurping away in euphoria, hiding in their home so they don't have to admit they actually paid money to drink it.
The bubble tea phenomenon is rapidly penetrating all major cities in the world where there is a decent Chinese population. If you are Chinese, you know what I mean. Girlfriends and kids queue up all over Chinatowns in the world and order their favourite variations of bubble tea. In Taiwan, there is a chain with over 400 branches selling the drink. It is the Starbucks of Taiwan. Large chains have developed all over Asia as well, including one chain with over 150 branches in the Philippines. Bubbles have also appeared in Western cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto, London, New York, Sydney, and Melbourne.
For the uninitiated, bubble tea is a tea drink with a big spoonful or two of marble-sized black tapioca balls added to it. It can come in many different varieties, which can be categorised by two main types - bubble milk tea or bubble fruit teas. Milk tea is tea that has milk added to it and fruit has one or more fruit added to the drink. In either case, the infamous ‘bubbles' or tapioca balls are added to the drink. Bubble tea purists like me prefer to simply have black tea with milk and bubbles. This is the most common variation.
This is not rocket science and requires no secret recipe. Both tea and tapioca balls have been very common in the Chinese world for centuries. However, in the 1980s, someone in Taiwan decided to add the tapioca balls into the tea and, voila, created Bubble Tea.
According to Wikipedia, a man by the name of Liu Han Chie invented the drink in the 1980s. He worked in the Chun Shui Tang teahouse in Taichung City. He began experimenting with cold milk tea by adding tapioca balls to it. It was not popular until a Japanese TV show showcased the drink and generated interest among businessmen. In the early 90s the drink began to spread all over Taiwan and Asia. Then, in the late 90s, it began penetrating the Chinatowns all around the world.
 In London, you can find them in many Chinese delis or restaurants. I usually get my fix at HK Diner on Wardour Street or Jen Café on Newport Place, both in Chinatown. The key to a good bubble tea is the quality of the bubbles, which must be soft and chewable with a good texture, but not overcooked to the point of mushy. The quality of the tea is also important. It depends on what type of tea you enjoy. I prefer the strong milk tea (‘nai cha') - the Hong Kong-ese favour.
So here's the confounding question, why are people like me addicted to bubble tea? Clearly it has to do with the tapioca balls and its interplay with the tea. However, I suspect one has to pierce the inner soul and deepest layer of emotions and psyche to understand why a person would want to chew on tasteless balls of tapioca while drinking tea. There are various theories. Simple market research via surveys won't yield the real reasons.
One theory is more superficial - Asian people like to eat their drinks or drink their food. Soupy desserts in Chinese culture like red bean soup or substantial drinks like halo halo in the Philippines and Three Colour Drink in Vietnam add beans, fruits, and various chewable ingredients to exercise the mouth. However, none of these drinks or foods has matched the simple bubble tea success. There must be something more.
One theory is that bubbles are like breasts and are very attractive to men in ways you can guess, and to both men and women in a motherly way. Another term for bubble tea is boba tea - ‘boba' meaning breast in Chinese slang. I haven't really given this theory much thought and really don't want to.
What do you think are the reasons why? Give us your theories and thoughts below.
Photos courtesy of Andree Lau and Rachel Lovinger.
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