Navi Milk Tea | Start off your day with a glass of Bubble Tea!
1. What is boba tea?
Bubble tea starts with a tea base that's combined with milk or fruit flavoring and then poured over dark pearls. The gluten-free pearls—the boba—are made of tapioca starch, which is then combined in an industrial mixer "with brown sugar syrup, water, potassium sorbate and guar gum, to produce a damp, caramel-colored powder," according to the New York Times. The result is a mostly flavorless, chewy black bubble. The pearls that end up in your drink can come in many sizes, though they're usually accompanied by a straw with an opening thick enough to suck 'em all up.
2. What are the different types you can get?
You can get both sweet and savory boba, if you'd like. The base of your drink can be green tea, black tea, milk tea, fruity tea, coffee, a slushie, or a smoothie, to start. Most commonly, people go with milk teas (tea combined with either powdered or fresh milk and sometimes a sugary syrup) or a fruit-flavored beverage (options range from lemon to lychee to taro).
3. What are the balls in Boba Tea?
Tapioca balls (boba) are the prevailing chewy spheres in bubble tea, but a wide range of other options can be used to add similar texture to the drink. These are usually black due to the brown sugar mixed in with the tapioca.
4. Why is bubble tea so addictive?
Toppings, such as chewy tapioca balls, popping boba, fruit jelly, grass jelly, agar jelly, and puddings are often added. Boba is not addictive but boba tea or bubble tea is addictive due to caffeine present in tea leaves. Boba tea contains real fruits which make them healthy and very rich in antioxidants.
5. Why is bubble tea so popular?
Bubble tea is so popular because it's a relatively familiar drink that is served in a cup with a straw, and has a delicious combination of milk tea, sugar and texture – thanks to the chewy tapioca balls. Its relatively cheap price point also makes it accessible for everyone to try at least once.
