Bubble tea is a tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s. Taiwanese immigrants brought it to the United States in the 1990s, initially in California through regions including Los Angeles County, but the drink has also spread to other countries where there is a large East Asian diaspora population.
Calamansi, also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is a citrus hybrid cultivated predominantly in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei, as well as parts of southern China and Taiwan.
Sudachi is a small, round, green citrus fruit of Japanese origin that is a specialty of Tokushima Prefecture in Japan. Harvested before it fully ripens to yellow, it is tart and not eaten as a table fruit but used to flavor sauces and marinades, desserts, and drinks in place of lemon or lime. Genetic analysis shows it to be the product of a cross between a yuzu and another citrus fruit akin to the koji and tachibana orange.
Milk tea refers to several forms of beverage found in many cultures, consisting of some combination of tea and milk. The term milk tea is used for both hot and cold drinks that can be combined with various kinds of milks and a variety of spices. This is a popular way to serve tea in many countries, and is the default type of tea in many South Asian countries. Beverages vary based on the amount of each of these key ingredients, the method of preparation, and the inclusion of other ingredients Milk tea is the default type of tea in India and Pakistan and referred to as chai.
Bingsu, sometimes written as bingsoo, is a milk-based Korean shaved ice dessert with sweet toppings that may include chopped fruit, condensed milk, fruit syrup, and red beans.
Grass jelly, also known as leaf jelly or herb jelly, is a jelly-like dessert originating in China. It is commonly consumed in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is created by using Chinese mesona and has a mild, slightly bitter taste. Grass jelly was invented by the Hakka people who historically used the food to alleviate heat stroke after long days working in the field. The dish was introduced to Southeast Asia by the Chinese diaspora. It is served chilled, with other toppings, such as fruit, or in bubble tea or other drinks. Outside Asia, it is sold in Asian supermarkets.
Shaved ice is a large family of ice-based desserts made of fine shavings of ice and sweet condiments or syrups. Usually, the syrup is added after the ice has been frozen and shaved—typically at the point of sale; however, flavoring can also be added before freezing. The dessert is consumed worldwide in various forms and ways. Shaved ice can also be mixed with large quantities of liquid to produce shaved ice drinks.
Shave ice or Hawaiian shave ice is an ice-based dessert made by shaving a block of ice and flavoring it with syrup and other sweet ingredients. On Hawai‘i Island, it is also referred to as "ice shave".
Spherification is a culinary process that employs sodium alginate and either calcium chloride or calcium glucate lactate to shape a liquid into squishy spheres which visually and texturally resemble roe. The technique was documented by Unilever in the 1950s and brought to the modernist cuisine by the creative team at El Bulli under the direction of chefs Ferran Adrià and Albert Adrià.
Tapioca Express is a Taiwanese-American fast food franchise chain specializing in bubble tea, coffee, a variety of fruit juices and slushes, and small meals and light snacks. The first store opened in Alhambra, California in 1999. As of 2018, the company is headquartered in South El Monte, California, and has locations in California, Texas, and Washington. Tapioca Express follows a franchise model and requires franchise owners to purchase supplies and ingredients only from the corporate headquarters, ensuring similar standards for all locations.
Namkhaeng sai is a Thai version of shaved ice or snow cone. It is also known as wan yen or chamba. Namkhaeng sai is simply shaved ice in a bowl, poured on top with sweet syrup and condensed milk. The word namkhaeng sai directly translated as "clear ice".
Boba ice cream bars are a frozen dessert of an ice cream bar with tapioca pearls, otherwise known as boba, throughout. The ice cream is usually made from dairy products, and can be flavored with other ingredients, such as green tea or thai tea. The boba is made out of tapioca starch, becoming gelatinous when cooked.
A tapioca pearl, also known as tapioca ball, is an edible translucent sphere produced from tapioca, a starch made from the cassava root. They originated as a cheaper alternative to sago in Southeast Asian cuisine. When used as an ingredient in bubble tea, they are most commonly referred to as pearls or boba. The starch pearls are typically five to ten millimeters in diameter. By adding different ingredients, like water, sugar, or some other type of sweetener like honey, tapioca pearls can be made to vary in color and in texture. Various forms of tapioca pearls include black, flavored, popping, mini, and clear. Tapioca pearls are commonly soaked in sugar syrup to make them sweet and chewy. In teas, they are often added for their texture, with the flavor being provided by the drink itself.
Samalamig, also known as palamig, is a collective term for various Filipino sweet chilled beverages that usually include jelly-like ingredients. They come in various flavors, and are commonly sold by street vendors as refreshments. Typical ingredients of the drinks include gulaman (agar), sago pearls, kaong, tapioca pearls, nata de coco, and coconut. They are usually anglicized as pearl coolers or pearl and jelly coolers.
CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice is a global bubble tea, or boba, drink franchise based in Taiwan. It was established in 1997 by Tommy Hung, the current chairman. CoCo has more than 5,000 locations in China, South Korea, the U.S., Canada, Mexico, France, Spain, Australia, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Mauritius, New Zealand, Peru. Its taro milk tea was recommended by Eater.com. Some Hong Kong franchise owners stirred controversy by expressing their support for the Hong Kong protesters with slogans like "Add oil, Hongkongers" on customers' receipts in 2019.
Drip Tea is a bubble tea cafe and concept store, called Drip Tea Market, in Seattle, Washington. The business operates on Capitol Hill, and sells boba and desserts, as well as clothing and sneakers.
50 Lan is a Taiwanese bubble tea chain. In 1994, Ma Shao-wei, the founder, and his sister Ma Ya-fang, started a juice and tea street stall next to their mother's fried chicken stall in Tainan, a city in southern Taiwan. They switched to focusing on selling only tea and as business improved, upgraded from a street stall to a terrace. The first 50 Lan store opened in 1997 and a second opened the next year. Over ten branches opened in Tainan after friends and relatives wanted to become franchisees.
