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boba
Vixx
Valkyrie: prepared!Registered User regular
Valkyrie: prepared!Registered User regular
Bubble Tea. Pearl Milk Tea. Boba.
This iconic drink originated in Taiwan and has been spreading like wildfire across the globe since the mid-2000s, reaching near-ubiquitousness in many spaces far, far from Taiwan.
Do you drink it? Are you a fan?
Did you know there's a short but pretty interesting history to this drink? Yes? No? That's okay, I'm not actually here to educate you on that, but it is an interesting history, should you care to look into it. Done traditionally, the classic, OG Pearl Milk Tea was made of black tea, condensed milk, and tapioca pearls. This drink originated as a hot drink; I remember a Taiwanese cafe in Shanghai served it in a teapot with a little bowl of pearls to the side, and you add them into your teacup as you went. And then, folks figured out that it was also very tasty (and more mass-marketable) when served cold, and then this thing just took. off.
What I really wanna know is... what's your order? What are your go-to's? Your flavours, your toppings, your sugar levels, your ice levels, even how many times you need to take to stab through the plastic film cover (if it hasn't yet been replaced by recyclable or compostable lids in your locality yet)!
See, me? I'm a purist, at least at first. If I'm at a new and unfamiliar boba place, I will always go for their Signature Pearl Milk Tea, or their Classic Bubble Milk Tea (50% sugar, 50% ice). These days, that's made with black tea, milk (or milk powder), sugar/syrup, and tapioca pearls. And if they nail the classic, I'll return to branch out and try more of the bright and colourful craziness that has evolved out of this one simple traditional drink.
Now, you've got black, green, and oolong tea. You've got fruit tea. You've got popping pearls full of juice, jellies of a range of flavours/textures/shapes, and even fresh fruit! Some combos fizz and sparkle, some come covered in cheese foam, which is actually way more delicious than it sounds. Folks have added coffee, chocolate, matcha... there are few food cultures that actually invite this level of absolutely insane innovation and craziness, which is honestly what makes bubble tea so popular. There is almost always going to be something that is your literal cup of tea.
So tell me, what are your go-to orders and why?
This iconic drink originated in Taiwan and has been spreading like wildfire across the globe since the mid-2000s, reaching near-ubiquitousness in many spaces far, far from Taiwan.
Do you drink it? Are you a fan?
Did you know there's a short but pretty interesting history to this drink? Yes? No? That's okay, I'm not actually here to educate you on that, but it is an interesting history, should you care to look into it. Done traditionally, the classic, OG Pearl Milk Tea was made of black tea, condensed milk, and tapioca pearls. This drink originated as a hot drink; I remember a Taiwanese cafe in Shanghai served it in a teapot with a little bowl of pearls to the side, and you add them into your teacup as you went. And then, folks figured out that it was also very tasty (and more mass-marketable) when served cold, and then this thing just took. off.
What I really wanna know is... what's your order? What are your go-to's? Your flavours, your toppings, your sugar levels, your ice levels, even how many times you need to take to stab through the plastic film cover (if it hasn't yet been replaced by recyclable or compostable lids in your locality yet)!
See, me? I'm a purist, at least at first. If I'm at a new and unfamiliar boba place, I will always go for their Signature Pearl Milk Tea, or their Classic Bubble Milk Tea (50% sugar, 50% ice). These days, that's made with black tea, milk (or milk powder), sugar/syrup, and tapioca pearls. And if they nail the classic, I'll return to branch out and try more of the bright and colourful craziness that has evolved out of this one simple traditional drink.
Now, you've got black, green, and oolong tea. You've got fruit tea. You've got popping pearls full of juice, jellies of a range of flavours/textures/shapes, and even fresh fruit! Some combos fizz and sparkle, some come covered in cheese foam, which is actually way more delicious than it sounds. Folks have added coffee, chocolate, matcha... there are few food cultures that actually invite this level of absolutely insane innovation and craziness, which is honestly what makes bubble tea so popular. There is almost always going to be something that is your literal cup of tea.
So tell me, what are your go-to orders and why?
Vixx on
+4
Posts
I'll usually either go for the classic pearl milk tea, thai milk tea, or brown sugar milk tea. I don't usually mess with the sugar or ice levels at all, just go with whatever the normal is, but if I'm getting the brown sugar I will add extra cream.
Steam ID - VeldrinD
I blame you
Honestly the brown sugar always needs extra cream otherwise I find it way too sweet. Needs some fat to cut through the sugar. But generally it’s almost too close to the classic for me to prefer it.
I do love a good half sugar Thai milk tea, no toppings, too.
What’re you gonna order, Uriel? Your usual? Hm? What’s your usual?
Otherwise with a straw you just get whatever the straw picked up on the way down and then at the very end it’s just all cheese foam and ice and that is honestly not very pleasant.
If you’re new to cheese foam, get it on top of a matcha milk tea to start. Or something similarly not-too-sweet but also not too complicated.
Where?!?
I don't get it very often, didn't even remember last time what I had
It might have been a chai bubble tea though, I love chai.
I usually don’t like the tapioca pearls, but they do work really well with the basic milk tea, which I get a hankerin for every now and then. I like it when places do it dirty with the caramelized brown sugar on the edges of the cup.
My wife likes the taro, or a chocolate smoothie.
Oh dang I’ve never had this but I can 10000% imagine this working
Flavor-wise, there's one store that I get a variant called Okinawan Milk Tea - so awesome. Thai milk tea that's not too sweet are also great.
http://www.audioentropy.com/
YES OMG
I was like actively raging about that for days
There’s heaps of other toppings you can get! Most of them are a jelly-like texture though (but not as chewy as tapioca). Unless you go the popping ones or the fruit.
One new place near us has fresh coconut as a topping, just in time for summer, and I need to try it soon.
Thai milk tea is amazing for the most part but all the restaurants go super authentic with it and make it crazy sweet. Boba places are the only ones afaik where I can get a semisweet one that doesn’t make my teeth wanna fall out. So I’ll sometimes just have that at half or 33% sugar with no other additions.
Coconut sounds like it would be super good in a few teas, especially something tropical or maybe a chocolate thing.
A local chain (The Teahouse) and ShareTea kinda dominate, but we tend to go to a local place with only one location near where I used to live. They’re just as good as or better than the chains and I’d rather support a small business.
I also tried Tsaocaa (Tsaocha? They use both brandings in the same store it is confusing) recently and liked it as someone whose main order is fruit tea. they use a shitload of fresh fruit in their drinks.
Also:
Almond milk tea with boba, regular sweetness and ice. Ideally, the tapioca is piping hot and the tea is ice cold.
I live in Little Tokyo so there's no lack of shops but I've been moving away from sugary drinks since I'm trying to pick my battles with the stuff and it seems like it's possible to cram way more of it into liquids. I'd rather eat three candy bars than the single can of soda it's equivalent to.
Fun anecdote now though.
I'm not sure I've even heard of cheese foam topping before but now I want it
It’s all boba, smof. All of it. That’s why it’s awesome. It’s all an evolution or a riff on the og thing and it’s cool how different regions have come up with different combos or additions!
It’s legit. It’s also newer… only saw it for the first time a few years ago. I can’t remember if this was a Japanese or Korean regional addition, but it’s SO GOOD. The savory kick from the cheese really adds another layer.
Edit: oh it looks like it was a Taiwanese development! That’s rad.