Originating from the country of Taiwan in the early 1980s, this tea-based drink has various alternative names like bubble milk tea, pearl milk tea, or tapioca tea. It is commonly accompanied by chewy tapioca balls, referring to boba or pearls, but can also be made with other toppings.
Its interesting name, “Bubble Tea”, has come due to the appearance of the bubbles in the milk and tea blend after it is removed from the shaking machine. There are various varieties and flavors of boba tea available.
Withholding the maximum share of popularity in its home country, it gradually charmed people worldwide with its taste, flavor, and aroma very early on. It first extended to South and Southeast Asia and later to the USA.
Currently, some countries where boba tea is popular and is widely consumed are Hong Kong, Mainland China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and the United States.
Types of Boba Tea
While ordering a cup of Boba tea, it is important to know what teas to include to make it your perfect cup of tea. Most of the time, Boba tea is made using different teas like Black tea, White tea, Green tea, and Oolong tea.
But, with time new varieties of Boba tea are now made, many of which do not even include actual tea; out of these the cream-based drinks and the fruit tea have made a popular place in people’s hearts.
There are various types of boba tea available. Broadly, the categories are Plain milk tea, Plain Thai tea, Fruit bubble tea, Alcoholic bubble tea and the Shaved ice bubble tea.
Boba Tea Recipe
To make Boba Tea, follow this quick recipe at home.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tea bag
- Sweetener
- Tapioca Pearls or Boba
- Milk (of your choice)
- 1 cup of hot water
Directions:
- Steep the tea bag or leaves in the cup of freshly boiled water. Let the tea settle down until it cools completely. Then, strain the tea.
- Boil water in a saucepan and add the tapioca pearls. Stir the pearls and wait for them to float to the top. Cook them for another 5 minutes. Remove the pearls from hot water and immediately rinse them. Transfer the pearls into a bowl and mix it with a few tablespoons of sweetener.
- Pour the cooked tapioca pearls into a glass. Next, pour tea into it. Add milk and sweetener to your desire. Stir the tea and taste it. Add more milk or sweetener to your taste.
Flavors of Boba Tea
With the variety of permutations and combinations available to make boba tea, there is an equal number of boba tea flavors available too, which are loved by millions throughout the world. The variety of flavors mainly come from the usage of flavoring agents, either in the form of syrup or powder.
We, at TeaSwan, have curated a list of popular Boba Tea Flavors just for you. There are flavors you would be extremely surprised existed for tea. For people loving fruity and natural flavors, our picks are Jackfruit, Kiwi, Passion Fruit, Plum and Cantaloupe. Also, there exists the basic flavor of Coconut, Watermelon, Lychee and peach too.
And not to worry, because for those who do not like fruity flavors, there is an equal number of non-fruity flavors of Boba Tea available, like the Ginger, Barley, Caramel, Chocolate, Lavender and the Mocha.
Best Boba Tea Flavors
With all these variations available in flavors, it can be really hard to choose. Thus, to help you out, here are our recommendations for some of the most loved and acclaimed Boba Tea flavors worldwide.
Brown sugar flavorThe most classic and popular choice of Boba Tea lovers. To make this flavorful tea, brown-sugar flavored tapioca pearls and brown sugar is soaked in brown sugar. It is also called the Tigger milk tea.
Mango flavor
For mango lovers, this flavor is a treat. It is juicy, sweet and often made purely with the fruit puree itself, with no tea added.
Hojicha green tea flavor
This is one of the healthy options available among the Boba Tea flavors, Hojicha is a variety of roasted green tea that has a unique toasty and strong flavor.
Honeydew flavor
This is one of the most popular flavors of boba tea that falls under the fruity category. It is made either with pure honeydew puree obtained from fresh melon or honeydew puree and green tea.
Taro flavor
Very similar to a potato, taro is a type of sweet starchy root. It has a natural vanilla-like flavor and is purple in color. Either taro powder, taro puree, or taro chunks are used to make the Taro milk tea.
Jasmine flavor
One of the most popular floral boba tea flavors among many others is the jasmine flavored boba tea, usually made of Jasmine green tea. With a mild aroma of Jasmine, it is quite healthy to consume.
Coffee flavor
If you are a coffee lover but still want to try out this interesting-sounding tea, then this flavor is for you! This coffee milk tea has the flavor of coffee, in addition to the authentic taste of tea. Isn’t that a very interesting combination?
Red bean flavor
Not a flavor you have heard very often, but sounds interesting right? A flavor you should definitely try if you are a fan of Asian sweets. The Red bean paste tastes sweet and is made from adzuki beans. It thus gives a naturally sweet flavor to the tea.
Unique Flavors and Toppings
“Boba” or “Pearls” are also of various types like sweet potato balls, taro balls, popping boba, or jelly. On top of that, there are various additions, toppings, or mix-ins that are ordered along with the tea. Some of the popular ones that you might want to try - Fresh Fruit, Red Bean, Cookie Crumbs (preferably Oreo or similar cookie), Ice Cream and the Cheese Cream.
A few flavors of Boba tea you should definitely try if you can get your hands on them are the Kashmiri chai milk tea, Butterfly pea flower milk tea, Avocado milk tea and Peppermint milk tea.
Final Words
This Taiwanese beverage with its age-old flavor and recipe has been successful in tingling every generation's taste buds, along with evolving itself with the addition of new flavors. Thus, one should definitely give the Bubble tea a try and see for themselves the reason behind its everlasting popularity.
We are always looking forward to new ideas. So let us know if you are aware of any more flavors of Boba Tea or maybe a recipe we missed out.