Bubble Tea

Bubble Tea, also known as pearl milk tea, boba-milk tea or yung-marc, is a Taiwanese tea-based drink invented in Taichung in the 1980s. Most bubble tea recipes contain a tea base mixed / shaken with fruit or milk, to which chewy tapioca balls and / or fruit jellies are often added.

The "bubble" refers to the foam created by shaking the tea, which itself is called "pàomò" tea, meaning "frothy/foamy" tea. Another explanation for the name comes from the larger variety of tapioca balls often added to the drink, which are nicknamed "bōbà," which is slang for "large breasts," and sounds much like "bubble"—thus the term "boba tea" and "bubble tea" have become somewhat synonymous in America; however in Taiwan there is a big distinction. These balls are also variantly called "fěnyuán" or pearls, especially when the balls are smaller ("boba" refers to the larger size). Ice-blended versions are usually mixed with fruit or syrup, resulting in a slushy consistency.

There are many variants of the drinks and many kinds of ingredients may be added with the most popular bubble drinks: bubble milk tea with tapioca and bubble milk green tea with tapioca.