Tapioca Shakes a.k.a. bubble tea

While roaming this planet, one gets to know the differences between each nation, peoples and civilization. There are a million of identifiable differences, either minute or very profound, but in their multitude, all are diverse and wonderful, in the eyes of those seeking knowledge, or merely new experiences. Well, this is introduction may be too much, but it definitely comes in contrast with our new globalised society, where elements of one culture are infused into others ; with food and drinks being normally the first and easiest to adopt. New in Medellín, Colombia, there is a rather small shop selling "Tapioca Shakes" what is very well known in the East as "Bubble Tea". More info and pictures on Tapioca Shakes ID can be found here and here.

"What is bubble tea ?", you may ask. Well, If you visit Taiwan or Hong Kong you can't help but notice the unique bubble teashops on every corner. Bubble Tea to Taiwan is what coffee or soda is to the U.S. And just like in Taiwan, Bubble Tea shops are popping up all over the world, reaching even Colombia.        

Bubble Tea originated in Taiwan in the early 1980's at a small tea stand. Elementary school children would look forward to buying a cup of refreshing tea after a long, hard day of work and play. Tea stands were set up in front of the schools and would compete for business with the best selling tea. One stand owner became popular with its tea when started adding different fruit flavoring to the tea. When adding flavor, the tea and flavoring needed to be shaken well for a good all around taste. This formed bubbles in the drink, which came to be known as "Bubble Tea." Later in the 80s tapioca pearls were introduced. Most of the time tapioca pearls were served in cold infused tea. After the tea and flavor were shaken well, it topped tapioca pearls that were sitting on the bottom of a clear cup. The tapioca pearls also looked like bubbles, thus also became to known as "Bubble Tea." Bubbles floated on the top your drink and bottom of your drink. [1] For more background info, see also here.

Bubble tea is also known as boba drink, pearl tea drink, boba ice tea, boba, boba nai cha, zhen zhou nai cha, pearl milk tea, pearl ice tea, black pearl tea, tapioca ball drink, BBT, PT, pearl shake, QQ (which means chewy in Chinese) and possible many others.

Bubble tea drinks are a healthy tea, infused by a flavoring that results into a cool, refreshing, and sweet drink with tapioca pearls sitting on the bottom of a clear cup. Sometimes the drink is made with fresh fruits, milk, and crushed ice to create a healthy milk shake. You can also find drinks that are made of powdered flavoring, creamer, water, and crushed ice. Tapioca pearls are black, but can sometimes be found to be white or transparent. Depending on the ingredients of the pearl, the color varies. The white and translucent pearls can be made of caramel, starch and chamomile root extract. The black pearls are made from sweet potato, cassava root and brown sugar, which add the black color.

The consistency of tapioca pearls are somewhere between jell-o and chewing gum (like gummy bears). They are the size of a marble. A clear cup with black balls on the bottom can easily identify bubble Tea drinks. The fat straw is needed so that the tapioca pearls can be sucked up with the drink and eaten. Bubble tea essentially comprises of 4 ingredients [2] :

Flavor :  Flavored powder, flavored syrup, fruit purees or fresh fruit

Creamer :  Powder creamer, half-n-half, full milk or other creamer

Sweetener :  Sugar, simple sugar syrup, fructose or honey

Liquid :  Water, tea or milk

The tapioca pearls, that turn the bubble tea into a Tapioca Shake, add a new element to the bubble tea beverage. Tapioca is distinctive, chewy and ultimately addicting. For an added twist, coconut meat can be added for a new flavor dimension.

[1] Ref. http://www.bubbleteasupply.com/?page=what.html

[2] Ref. http://www.bubbleteasupply.com/index.php?page=components.html