The sign in front of Dao's Tai Pan's Restaurant in Tucson says "Boba is here." Of course, boba tea is nothing new and neither is the sign — it's been hanging in front of the Vietnamese eatery for seven years. Yet, boba tea, or bubble tea, is still a relative unknown compared to other high-end beverages like the Starbucks caramel macchiato or the Jamba Juice orange mango passion juice.
Bubble tea comes in many flavors: strawberry, green apple, mango, lychee, Thai tea, coffee — the list goes on and on. Drink it in the mornings as a pick-me-up or in the evenings as an after-dinner treat. The texture isn't for everyone — the oversize tapioca balls that rest at the bottom of the glass add a chewiness that rubs some people the wrong way.
But if you like sweet beverages and trying new things, you might give bubble tea a sip.
What is bubble tea?
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• It originated in Taiwan in the mid-1980s.
• It's tea that's sweetened, flavored and shaken until frothy.
• Sometimes milk, cream or a powdered nondairy creamer is added.
• Tapioca "pearls" are a common addition as well.
• The name refers to the frothy bubbles on the top of the beverage, not the tapioca.
• It's also called boba tea or pearl milk tea.
Bubble tea is expensive
$4.10 — cost of bubble tea with tapioca at Asian Sandwich Deli.
$3.70 — cost of a hot grande caramel macchiato at Starbucks.
$3.15 — cost of a 16-ounce orange mango passion juice at Jamba Juice.
All prices before tax.
Bubble tea in a can!
The 17th Street Market, 840 E. 17th St, sells Mong Lee Shang-brand mung-bean flavor and strawberry flavor pearl soybean drink with tapioca balls (89 cents), and Chin Chin-brand pearl milk tea (79 cents). The tapioca pearls in the canned drinks aren't as large as the pearls you'll get at most Vietnamese restaurants, but the drinks are still sweet and tasty.
How to make Thai tea bubble tea
If you don't have enough money for a Starbucks coffee, you might brew your own coffee at home. If you want to save money on juice, you might want to skip Jamba Juice in favor of squeezing your own lemons. But if you want to make your own bubble tea, where do you start?
Cac Dao, who owns Dao's Tai Pan's, gave us some tips on how to make bubble tea at home. Just follow these easy steps.
• Boil the tapioca "boba" in water for 10-20 minutes, until the pearls are soft and tacky. The ratio of boba to water should be 1 to 4. You can buy boba at the 17th Street Market, 840 E. 17th St. A 2.2-pound bag costs $3.79.
• Drain the boba.
• Make a sugar solution by boiling 1 cup of sugar in 1 cup of water. Place boba and sugar solution in a freezer bag and soak overnight in the refrigerator. Cooked boba will last 2-3 days in the fridge.
• Brew a pot of Thai tea and allow it to cool. You can buy Thai tea at G & L Import Export Corporation, 4828 E. 22nd St.
• Pour Thai tea over boba and ice. Add half-and-half. Serve with oversize straw. You can buy a package of 50 straws for 99 cents at 17th Street Market.
Where to buy bubble tea
•Asian Sandwich Deli, 1710 E. Speedway. 326-3354.
•Dao's Tai Pan's, 446 N. Wilmot Road. 722-0055.
• Ha Long Bay,6304 E. Broadway. 571-1338.
• Miss Saigon, 1072 N. Campbell Ave. 320-9511.
• Miss Saigon Bar & Grill, 4650 W. Ina Road. 572-6560
