Bubble Tea?
The name “Bubble Tea” conjures up images of tea mixed with soap. You would then blow air through your straw and hey you get …. Bubbled Tea!
Well, so much for that guess.
Bubble Tea is actually a fairly recent phenomenon with its most recent history being attributed to its Taiwanese inventor Liu Han-Chieh in 1983. But Bubble Tea or known in Chinese as “Pao-Pao Cha” has its roots deeper than that. In fact you can say that the history of Bubble Tea has gone one full circle.
Let’s start with the history of tea itself.
Tea is said to have been discovered in 2737 BC by a legendary Chinese emperor whose hot water pot was accidentally infused with a plant. The emperor found the end product to be soothing and calming to the mind. And from then on, tea enjoyment started and Far East countries like China and Japan have made tea drinking an important part of their culture.
Tea drinking spread to the West and it was said that the French started the practice of adding milk to tea in the late 17th century. Probable reason for adding milk? To cool the tea beverage to avoid cracking the expensive porcelain.
Iced tea may seem obvious to many today but the “invention” was attributed to an American in the early 20th century during a hot day. In order to sell his tea on such a hot day, this entrepreneur added ice. Voila! Iced tea. How brilliant!
Fast forward to 1980s when Mr. Liu mixed heated tapioca starch and caramel to a thick paste. The paste was then run through moist sieves to form black pellets of different sizes. These chewy pellets are what we call tapioca pearls, which are added to iced milk tea. This concoction is then shaken and then served in a cocktail glass. An extra large straw is supplied with the drink for you to suck out the tapioca pearls.
Don’t you think that the Bubble Tea is an international drink that has gone full circle from Asia to the West and back?
You can find Bubble Tea in Kafe Easyway.
