We all know that a cup of bubble tea a day makes the sad go away. Bubble Tea is the most comforting drink especially in the hot sunny weather in tropical countries and to whoever is in London now experiencing the scariest time of the year DA HEATWAVE! (*while sipping off my bubble tea*)

Bubble Milk Tea (source: Pixabay royalty-free images)

Bubble Tea Facts

To all the bubble tea lovers out there, do you think you know enough about bubble tea? If you think you do, take up our challenge and answer our questions that follow!

When did bubble tea exist?

It was said that the first cup of bubble tea was made in the 1980s.

Maybe in conjunction with 'Back to the Future'? Sounds like a good combination for 80s cinema...

 

Who invented bubble tea?

Sometimes I wonder who selected the Nobel prize winners? Because it just doesn’t make sense that our all-time favourite bubble tea inventor did not get one :(

There are 3 competing stories about the invention of bubble tea.

One of the claimants of the invention is Hanlin Tea Room from Tainan, Taiwan. They insisted that their founder, Tu Tsung-Ho spotted white tapioca balls on sale in Tainan’s Yamuliao market in 1986 and inspired by that, he bought some tapioca home, made them into balls and added some milk tea in, making it the recipe of the so-called ‘Pearl Milk Tea’ then.

The other claimant of the invention is Chun Shui Tang. Their version of the story is that their 20-year-old female employee, Lin Hsiu-Hui invented bubble tea after experimenting in the store one day by mixing her favourite childhood snacks (the tapioca balls), iced milk tea and some lemon black tea back in 1987. Chun Shui Tang claimed that the first cup of bubble milk tea is that produced by Lin.

The two companies have then disputed against one another, bringing up lawsuits to claim the invention of bubble tea, though both of them did not gain the trademarks and hence why the blooming of bubble tea shops nowadays.

The third variation of the story dates back to the British empire era. It was said that bubble tea was first sold in Taiwanese night markets when some Taiwanese night market vendors combined the Malaysian cendol and the famous tapioca ball endorsed by the Empress Dowager Cixi at that time.

Malaysian Cendol (source: Pixabay royalty-free images)

I guess this is why the inventor didn’t win a Nobel prize then. They never know who is the true inventor. That must be it!

P.S. Both Hanlin Tea Room and Chun Tsui Tang are still operating in Taiwan today! If you are in doubt about which version is true (like me), why not just try both when you are in Taiwan, then you can tell all your mates that you definitely tasted bubble tea from the original bubble tea inventor! Actually, to be on the even safer side, try all of them in the Taiwan night markets too then...sounds like the perfect recipe to diabetes...

 

Why is it called Bubble Tea?

There are a lot of variations to the name of a bubble tea including ‘Pearl Milk Tea’, ‘Boba Tea’, ‘Q Tea’ and ‘Tapioca Tea’, but why bubble tea?

Most of us think that ‘bubble’ refers to the bubble-like pearl or boba but in fact, bubble refers to the foam on top of the drink. The first variation of bubble tea is even made without the tapioca pearl!

Did you know that Boba is made of a vegetable root?

Boba or tapioca pearl is actually made of the root of a kind of vegetable called Cassava. Cassava root can be toxic when eaten raw but it was detoxified in the process of transforming into our boba or tapioca pearl.

Cassava root (source: Pixabay royalty-free images)

 

Boba was originally white?

Cassava root boba is naturally white but sometimes due to ecstatic reasons it was made black in the process by adding brown sugar (and possibly dangerous food dyes, hence the health scandals).

The Ultimate Bubble Tea Plushie that doesn’t make you fat!

Back to the main points here, I am introducing the ultimate bubble tea that doesn't make you fat, the BOBA Plushie Collection!

First in our collection, we have the classic Bubble Milk Tea with Boba Plushie. Our Bubble Milk Tea with Boba Plushie comes in three variations, white, brown and brown with closed eyes, all available in 3 different sizes, 25cm, 35cm and 50cm. We all love the classic because the classic is always DA BEST!

Bubble Milk Tea with Boba Plushie from Cute Plushie Friends

 

Second in our BOBA Collection, we have the Cute Fruity Bubble Tea Plushie. Fruity Bubble Tea is the most underrated bubble tea. Comment below and tell us your favourite Fruity Bubble Tea that you think is underrated (always a fan for Taro Milk Tea - yummy!). Unfortunately, we only serve three flavours in our shop - Strawberry, Green Apple and Pineapple. Though you can get a large cup of it - up to 70cm!

Cute Fruity Bubble Tea Plushie from Cute Plushie Friends

 

 

Third on the list, is the most realistic bubble tea in a cylindrical cup, our Cute Cylindrical Bubble Milk Tea Plushie. For all those single lads out there that just cannot replace bubble tea for your girlfriend, this is DA BEST option for yall! You can even get a blanket with our Cute Cylindrical Bubble Milk Tea Plushie and get all comfortable in your living room, just the two of you.

Cute Cylindrical Bubble Milk Tea Plushie from Cute Plushie Friends

 

Finally, last in our collection, the Cute Cartoon Bubble Milk Tea Plushie! I promise you that we will soon publish our Bubble Milk Tea Cartoon comic because we all love comics and we all love bubble tea, just all our beloved things together! Our Cute Cartoon Bubble Milk Tea Plushie also comes in 3 sizes (25cm, 35cm and 50cm) with eyes opened or eyes closed. DA classic and DA cutie!

Cute Cartoon Bubble Milk Tea Plushie from Cute Plushie Friends

What are you waiting for? Grab a BOBA companion from our BOBA Collection today!