Bubble tea

[shain]

No bubble tea topic?! We are way behind the trends.

 

Made some with the classic black sugar boba, but added a bit of star anise. Strong tea and milk. Served hot, not too sweet.

 

 

[heidih]

We have been Boba teaing for maybe 15 or more years in L.A. . Dedicated shops. Our popular Chinese steam table place (Panda Express) had it for a while. Every Taiwanese style diner has giggling youth slurping it up. Balls to simmer yourself and specials fat straws at Chinese markets. I am not a fan though the balls are fun. I prefer the various Vietnamese Chè - more textural contrasts.

[heidih]

An older topic 

 

[MokaPot]

@shain, your bubble tea looks good. Where did your "strong tea" come from? (I'm looking for some concentrated-type black tea.) Did you prepare it or did you purchase it? Thank you!

[shain]

1 hour ago, MokaPot said:

@shain, your bubble tea looks good. Where did your "strong tea" come from? (I'm looking for some concentrated-type black tea.) Did you prepare it or did you purchase it? Thank you!

 

Thanks. Just old school loose leaf tea.

[heidih]

1 hour ago, MokaPot said:

@shain, your bubble tea looks good. Where did your "strong tea" come from? (I'm looking for some concentrated-type black tea.) Did you prepare it or did you purchase it? Thank you!

The tea products sold for Thai iced tea might be an option as well.  If you scroll down they also sell "accessories".  https://www.amazon.com/Number-One-Brand-Thai

[Katie Meadow]

When my daughter was at Berkeley High, 2002-2006, Boba tea was just becoming a thing around UC Berkeley.  She raved about it and made me try it. Once. And that was enough for me. Maybe I managed to suck up one giant gluey ball in my giant straw. 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

(With the wide availability of jumbo tapioca, you can make veg flavored/colored balls to use in off-recipe ways.    Kinda fun and unexpected.   Like room temp beet balls with crab or shrimp or calamari in a lemon/garlic vinaigrette.)  

[heidih]

2 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

(With the wide availability of jumbo tapioca, you can make veg flavored/colored balls to use in off-recipe ways.    Kinda fun and unexpected.   Like room temp beet balls with crab or shrimp or calamari in a lemon/garlic vinaigrette.)  

 

Ok so off to revive tapioca pudding   https://forums.egullet.org/topic/64815-tapioca/

 

[Sid Post]

I live in a rural part of Texas so, this sort of tea isn't available to me.

 

What's a good way to try it at home?  What would I need to buy to make it myself?  Or is this available as a canned drink like coffee from Starbucks and others?

[heidih]

Personally I'd not go to the trouble. Need to source the tapioca balls, ideally also the fat straw and then brew the milky tea. What prompts you to want to try it?.. Panda Express even had it here for a while- that died. Can you tell I am not smitten   Still big for the younger set in local Taiwanese cafes. I prefer Vietnamese Chè Thái More interesting to me.  https://www.hungryhuy.com/che-thai-recipe/

[MokaPot]

I like bubble tea and think it's worth the trouble to try it. @Sid Post, I've never seen it in canned form. You would definitely need the mochi balls. I'll look around and see what I can find that's available for order.

 

My favorite flavors of bubble tea would be Thai iced tea, matcha (green) tea, and honeydew melon. Coffee would probably also be good.

 

ETA: Actually, I think the balls are tapioca. Just searched Amazon and did see bubble tea in cans.

Edited June 5, 2021 by MokaPot
Add a sentence or two. (log)

[Sid Post]

I'm growing tired of "Starbucks" type coffee things and want to try something different.  I generally like Asian things so, Boba or Bubble tea seems like a good thing to try for a change of pace.

 

I tried some British tea which really wasn't drinkable until I added milk and it went from bad to really good.  At that point, my personal bias against milk in tea went away.

[Sid Post]

Thanks @MokaPot !

 

Random Chai tea and Chai coffee drinks never really caught my taste buds.  Not good, not bad, just not memorable.  I'm not a big Mocha drink guy either.

 

I'll probably try some Lychee drinks next time I stumble into a random Asian grocery store when I go to Dallas and maybe a few random options from in the aisle.

 

At the moment I'm into French Vanilla espresso based drinks but, my taste buds are getting burned out and are ready for something else.

Edited June 5, 2021 by Sid Post (log)

[lemniscate]

 

There's a bubble tea/tapioca ball shortage at the moment.  It's in the news.

 

I think Taro Milk Tea is the best milk tea around.  You can readily get taro(aka ube) powder online at Amazon.  Along with tapioca pearls.  I personally don't bother with the tapioca pearls, they take up room in the glass that should be filled with more milk tea.

 

Now, for a old-school milk tea jolt, I suggest Hong Kong style Coffee Tea (Yuanyang) which combines the power of black tea and strong coffee and sweetened full fat dairy.   This keeps the mahjong game going at high speed.  I was served this with waffles at a mahjong place in HK years ago.  Of course I lost at mahjong badly but I do remember that coffee tea and waffles.   I drink it iced here.  Again, tapioca pearls optional.

 

 

 

 

[Sid Post]

Thanks @lemniscate !

 

Hong Kong style Coffee Tea sounds interesting.

[heidih]

I thought the fad had peaked or passed but today's "Google doodle" is and interactive make bubble tea   https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/toi-original/google-doodle-game-celebrates-the-joys-of-bubble-tea/

[liuzhou]

Not specifically a bubble tea topic, but here are the tea shops in one s treet near my home in China. They all sell bubble tea.