Bubble tea....what actually is it and why is it so popular?

[Yankydoodledandy]

Have just past a bubble tea shop and people are literally queuing outside. Ive googled it but just dont get it 😝

i used to drink these quite often in Thailand and also banana milk tea without the bubbles. Saw one of these in my local area pop up and yes, very popular. Tried one against my better judgement and it was disgusting. They didn't even put ice into it and the price tag was ridiculous compared to 90p for the real thing in Asia.

DD 3 (18) and DS 2 (17) said that they were going to meet their friends for Bubble Tea. Huge big deal.

Asked them how it was "Ok...."

Then the next time they were meeting their mates they said they were going to Maccies......not sure that that is better to be honest but it told me all I need to know about BT.

I love bubble tea!! And so do my kids... we love chewing on the bubble balls. They are everywhere in Asia. I always ask for the no sugar added version as they are otherwise too sweet for me. In winter they sell the hot versions too!

Ds loves the dirty milk brown sugar one and I make it at home. It's very simple.

I like the honeydew melon one with fruity balls that pop in your mouth. My DD turned me on to those

I tried it for the first time at the weekend and thought it was delicious! I had a milky strawberry one with strawberry balls. It tasted like a milkshake. DD who is 4 thought it was great fun too.

Will have to try the brown sugar one next!

Omg falooda for the win!!

The milk tea is one of my favourite things.
Bubble tea can be many things:

Super-sweet fruity squash with popping boba, which are also sweet

Brown sugar tea, which is like a sweet milkshake, generally served with tapioca boba or tiny agar jelly cubes - this also has flavoured syrup in sometimes

My favourite which is a roasted milk tea (think chai latte) which I like hot, with no sugar, and with chewy tapioca boba. The tea has an intriguing toasted flavour, the hot milk element is comforting and the texture of the boba is chewy, slightly resilient and with their own slight sweetness.

@RatSlave do you happen to have a box/packet handy that you could take a photo of? We've experimented a few times with diy milk & fruit tea but not knowingly seen anything in our local Asian supermarket.

As for bubble tea, I'm quite partial to a dirty milk tea with tapioca, or a fruit one with jelly. We quite often get one if we find a shop while we're out. We've found the big chains tend to make it massively sweeter than the smaller shops though so have to remember where to ask for waaaaay less sugar 🧋

I love bubble tea! The fruity sweet ones, not the milky variety. Love the popping boba and the tapioca balls. I like apple and strawberry and lychee flavours best. Probably terrible for me, as I'm sure it has so much sugar, but I only have one approx once a year. I do have a sweet tooth though.