Bubble tea, which is also known as boba or pearl tea, is a popular Asian drink that is growing increasingly popular in America. This delicious beverage was invented in Taiwan, and refers to a drink consisting of three basic elements- tea (usually black tea), milk, and boba pearls. Boba pearls are marble-sized, chewy pearls made from tapioca, which you consume with a milkshake straw.

Before I continue, I just want to make one thing clear: I LOVE bubble tea! The combination of milk tea with chewy boba pearls makes for an amazingly unique and distinct flavor experience. Most bubble tea shops offer numerous customizations to a classic cup of bubble tea (black tea, milk, and boba pearls) suit the customer’s own tastes. There are various ways to customize classic bubble tea through additions like pudding, grass jelly, popping boba, and red bean, or swapping the black tea for others like taro or thai tea. They also provide the option to control the amount of ice and sugar that is added to the drink in percentages.

For instance, if you wanted a cold but only slightly sweetened drink, you might order a tea with 70% ice and 20% sugar. Although there are several major bubble tea chains with stores open globally, one bubble tea chain in particular has a special place in my heart-50嵐 (50 Lan). Specifically, the 50 Lan that is located a ten minute walk away from my grandparents’ house in Taipei, which is where I had my very first cup of bubble tea, and is also my go-to bubble tea shop whenever my annual trip to Taipei rolls around. 

Although the number of 50 Lan establishments in America are extremely limited, there are other delicious bubble tea chain stores that are available all over America, like Coco and Kung Fu Tea, which offer this delicious drink as well (along with other drinks like matcha and various fruit teas).

As a bubble tea traditionalist, my favorite bubble tea order is milk tea (made with black tea) or plain milk with about 30% sugar and boba pearls (specifically mini boba pearls, if available). Say what you will, but I think that bubble tea is perfect with its most basic elements- just milk tea and boba.The slight sweetness of the milk tea (or plain milk) is complemented beautifully with the tiny chewy boba pearls, but this is just one possible combination of the hundreds of possible ways to customize a cup of bubble tea. I highly recommend that you try it at least once- it’s such a unique flavor experience; there’s really nothing else like it! No matter what type of tea or add-ons you decide to order in your cup of bubble tea, it makes for a treat that’s delightful in terms of both taste and texture! 

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