Have you noticed that something new is hitting tea houses and coffee shops across the U.S.? It's bubble tea.
I came across this special tea drink three year ago. I was instantly attracted by the unique ingredient of Bubble Tea—the tapioca pearl. When you sip the tea with a fat straw, with the cool tea you get the chewy tapioca pearls. So, you are treated with an ice-drink and jumbo chewy pearls at the same time. The tapioca pearl is about the size of pearls or small marbles. They have a texture like gummy candy (soft and chewy) but not sweet at all. (I don't like too sweet taste with my tea). It's definitely a unique and fun experience.
If you haven't tried it yet, go for it this summer!
What is Bubble tea? The name in Mandarin Chinese is zhen zhu nai cha which means tapioca pearl drink. The tapioca starch pearls floating in the tea, which looks like bubbles; this may be why it came to be known as "Bubble Tea."
Bubble Tea originated from Taiwan in the late 1980's. But now it has moved beyond its popularity in the predominately Asian suburbs and become attractive across the United States. Washingtonians are accepting this drink as a fashion too. I ran into a lot of young Americans who are pouring into Tan Ren tea house in Rockville to get their Bubble Tea treats last summer.
At Robert Frost Middle School international night, Bubble tea was very hot too. Although the Chinese volunteers made huge pail of Bubble tea for everyone on May 22, it was almost gone in twenty minutes, and there were a lot of disappointed faces that night. All the middle school kids loved the chewy taste of tapioca pearl and they all enjoyed playing fishing the pearl balls from the tea with the wide fat straw.
The hot summer is coming. Cool ice Bubble tea can be made at home for you or your family or for your summer get-together.
For a quick and simple treat, you can get everything you need from one trip to New Asia Market in Rockville (10028 Darnestown Rd, Rockville, MD 20850, or call 301-762-0938).
You can get tapioca pearls, ready-to-serve low-fat milk red-tea and/or sweetener. All you need is to boil tapioca pearls per instruction on the bag, and then mix pearls with milk red tea and ice with a good shake. Don't forget to serve your bubble tea with a huge fat straw! The fat straw is needed so that the chewy tapioca pearls can be sucked up with the bubble tea drink.
If you want to go for a more healthy approach, you can substitute milk and cream with low-fat milk, skim milk or non dairy creamer. You can use green tea, red tea or water for the powder drinks. Or use plain red or green flavored tea with no milk which would cut out any calories from fat. You can also blend your drink with tapioca pearls, ice and fresh fruit make a bubble smoothie. The only limit to this drink is your own imaginations.
New Asia Market is a client of the Chinese-language Epoch Times.
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