What the hell is bubble tea?
On a bus journey in London, passing Chinatown, I spotted groups of young people queuing outside a café. There was nothing unusual in that, except the sign on the café declared it sold bubble tea. Intrigued, I wondered what bubble tea was? I then decided to look into this further. I’m a big fan of your typical builders tea and went through a passing phase when I was younger, drinking herbal tea such as rosehip, camomile, and peppermint. On the odd occasion, I still drink them, but overall, I prefer your ordinary brew. Looking into this phenomenon, I found it originated in the 1980s in Taiwan with hotly debated inventors. The drink consists of black tea, milk, sugar, and the famous bubbles, which are tapioca pearls. Wow, what a combination! This seems to be something different. I was excited and decided I must try this ASAP! So after work a few weeks ago, accompanied by my dog, we set off to Chinatown to try our first bubble tea (actually, my dog prefers coffee). Besides, it was a lovely summer evening, and crowds gathered in and around Chinatown. We headed to Chatime and entered excitedly.
from big brands to small bubble tea it’s everywhere!
There was a buzz about the place, with many customers. Obviously, it was popular, and after a short queue, it was my turn to order, except I had no idea what to order. I told the cashier I’d never had one before, and what would she suggest? She asked me whether I preferred milk or fruit? I knew immediately I would like the milk. She then suggested the brown sugar classic. I went with her suggestion, not really knowing any better, though at £5.40, it certainly wasn’t cheap! We waited in anticipation before, finally, my order was ready. Taking the tea, we headed to Leicester Square where I could sit down and enjoy. The drink came with a paper straw (usual these days), and on piercing the plastic lid; there was a huge splodge! Not exactly what I was hoping for! Despite this first hiccup, I tasted the tea and found it to be very good. The flavour of the strong tea mixed with the milk and sugar was excellent, but the best bit was the tapioca bubbles, or rather, balls if I’m honest. Unfortunately there was non left for my dog. Maybe next time? Finally, I’ve taken part in the bubble tea trend (what a relief!). Even Costa has dipped its toe in the bubble tea arena. Having enjoyed the Chatime tea, locally I found Mooboo and indulged in the Mooboo classic this week. Again I went with the milk option, but at £4.39, I’ll be saving this for a treat! It’s even more expensive than a latte! I just have to remember next time to save some for my poor dog…