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The Untold Truth Of Bubble Tea

If there's any food that has gained an iconic, legendary status amongst Gen-Zers and younger millennials, it's bubble tea. Go visit any college town or young city neighborhood, and you're almost guaranteed to pass by a bubble tea place or two ... or three. It's tea, yes, but with a twist. This isn't grandma's cup of green tea in lieu of coffee in the morning. Instead, it's a mix between a drink and a dessert, an ideal midday pick-me-up. It has lots of different names but is mostly known by the monikers "bubble tea" or "boba," the latter of which is also used to describe the little balls at the bottom of your cup specifically (it's confusing, we know).

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Featured

 Chronicles of a Bubble-Tea Addict

Boba and I spent our adolescence as scrappy, enterprising immigrants at America’s periphery. For a new generation, it’s a ubiquitous, Instagram-friendly mark of Asian identity.

 Does Bubble Tea Have Any Health Benefits?

Given that boba tea is a combination of sweet milk tea and a favorite Taiwanese dessert, it would be a stretch to call the beverage a health drink. For this reason, nutrition experts generally recommend drinking boba in moderation — as a treat, not as your everyday pick-me-up. Hope that didn’t burst anyone’s bubble.

Articles of Interest

Beyond the Boba: Why Bubble Tea Is Still Stirring Up the Beverage World

From a humble Taiwanese beverage to a global obsession, bubble tea continues to be a favourite refreshment among consumers. Its offerings seem limitless: from interesting new flavours and unexpected pairings to bubble tea flavour-inspired snacks, novel iterations of the popular drink are constantly changing up the menu.

Bubble Tea Is Actually Pretty Bad for You—Here’s Why

Like coffee, bubble tea’s ingredients might not be so bad on their own, but when they’re loaded with sweetener and artificial flavor, they lose their nutritional value fast. “The most nutritious part of bubble tea is the tea itself,” says Hillary Cecere, RD, who is based in Red Bank, New Jersey. “But bubble tea is not a healthy way to get the benefits of tea.”

Bubble Tea Is Back — With A Vengeance

Whether you call it "boba" or "bubble" tea, the Taiwanese beverage that allows you to chew your drink is back with a vengeance. It first got its start in the 1980s, after an inventor thought to pour tapioca pearls into a glass of iced, sweet tea. Though Asian communities have been drinking boba tea in the United States for many years, the texturally exciting drink is finally reaching a wider audience. And boba isn't just back — it's playing ambassador to a whole host of other foods and trends.

Bubble tea is expensive, sugary and, as my kids have discovered, causing tween warfare

‘Enthusiasm for bubble tea eclipses all other recent soft-drink crazes, driven as it is by children and their ability to say the same thing over and over until they get what they want.’

Bubble Tea Myths Debunked

Bubble tea, or boba tea, has become a beloved global phenomenon. But like any popular treat, it hasn’t escaped its share of myths and misconceptions. Whether you’re a long-time boba lover or a curious first-timer, it’s time to set the record straight.

Bubble Tea Origin: Debating the Origins of a Global Sensation

Some people believe that bubble tea was invented in the 1980s in Taiwan, while others claim that it originated in the United States. The most widely accepted story is that bubble tea was created in Taiwan in the 1980s by a tea shop owner who wanted to add a new twist to traditional tea drinks. She added chewy tapioca balls to her tea, which became a popular sensation and spread throughout Taiwan and beyond.

Bubble tea’s dark side: from lead contamination to kidney stones

They’ve become as ubiquitous on British high streets as coffee shops – bubble tea outlets offering their Instagram-worthy drinks in countless flavour combinations. The Taiwanese beverage, a blend of black tea, milk, sugar and chewy tapioca pearls, has gained global popularity since its origins in the 1980s. But recent findings suggest this trendy drink may warrant closer scrutiny. A Consumer Reports investigation revealed high lead levels in some bubble tea products in the US, echoing previous concerns about cassava-based foods. (No equivalent UK testing has been published.) The tapioca pearls – those signature “bubbles” – are made from cassava starch, and the root vegetable readily absorbs lead and other heavy metals from soil as it grows.

Is Boba Tea Really Bad for You?

This milky beverage has weathered a few controversies. What's the truth?

Is Boba the New Matcha? Bubble Tea Grows Up

“Boba is Taiwanese slang for ‘boobs,’” says San Francisco–based Boba Guys cofounder Andrew Chau with a laugh. Chau and friend Bin Chen are perhaps credited with jump-starting the better boba trend currently sweeping parts of the country. “When I told my mom that Bin and I named our company Boba Guys,” he continues, “she said, ‘Why did you come up with such an awful name?’ She still hates the name.”

Is Bubble Tea Actually Healthy? Here’s What Dietitians Think About Boba

Boba—also known as bubble tea or pearl milk tea—is a drink made from tea, milk, sweeteners, and tapioca pearls. While it's perfectly okay to enjoy boba in moderation, this tea is often packed with sugar, calories, and additives that could raise health concerns if you drink too much.

Lessons in Cultural Authenticity and Branding: A Look at the Bubble Tea Controversy

When Bobba, a startup producing packaged bubble tea, appeared on “Dragon’s Den,” the Canadian version of “Shark Tank,” important questions arose. Simu Liu, a potential investor, questioned how Bobba’s owners approached bubble tea’s cultural significance. In short, they didn’t. Liu, best known for his role in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and as a “Ken” in Barbie, asked the Bobba team why their product seemed disconnected from its Taiwanese heritage.

The story behind bubble tea, Taiwan’s iconic drink

Typically a combination of milky tea and chewy tapioca ‘pearls’, the beverage also known as boba tea is so beloved it was the subject of a years-long legal battle.

We Tested Bubble Tea for Lead. Here's What We Found.

The boba pearls in the drink are made from cassava, a known source of the heavy metal

What Is Boba?

Boba is super popular. Seriously. There are about four bubble tea places within a five-block radius of where I'm writing this. But many people don't know what the chewy bubbles at the bottom of their drinks are, let alone what the entire drink itself is. Don't worry, though: You're about to find out!

What Is Boba? Here's Everything to Know About the Colorful Tea

While tapioca pearls aren't found naturally in nature, they are derived from the tapioca root plant (sometimes known as cassava, or yuca.) To make the bubbles, tapioca pearls are mixed with boiling water and kneaded until they reach the right consistency. You can also buy pre-made tapioca peals in most Asian grocery stores.

When Food Is More Than Food: 'Bubble Tea Addict' Writer Jiayang Fan

At this point, you can get versions that may or may not actually be tea and may or may not actually have tapioca bubbles. But if you are lucky enough to live in a place that sells it, you know it is a versatile treat. It can be a drink. It can be a snack or dessert. It can accompany an inexpensive date

Why the Roots of Boba Tea Are More Important Than Ever

Whether you call it bubble, boba, or pearl tea, the Taiwanese origins of the popularized tapioca drink are essential to every sip.