Bubble Tea? Before I came to China, my girlfriend Shirin would always go on about having this drink daily, specifically the ‘Milk Tea with Boba.’ The name alone sounded highly intriguing to me and so on my first day moving out to Macau of course I had to try it. All I can say is I have one word to describe it…Amazing.
What is Bubble Tea?
So firstly let me explain what bubble tea is. The drink begins with a serving of either black or green tea to which a sweet syrup or honey is added. To this, milk, coffee, fruit juice or syrup or is usually mixed in as a base with tapioca pearls (‘boba’) or flavoured jellies as optional extras turning the drink into more of a meal on the move. There seems to be hundreds of variations available from chocolate milk teas, to passion fruit green tea with basil seeds, each to their own. Ice cubes are then thrown in to the mix, it is shaken with a very quick blast on a mixer, then poured into a cup and sealed with one of the coolest machines I have ever seen. This machine means that your tea is completely spill free until you are ready to drink it, then you pierce the lid like an old school ‘Calypso’ drink and enjoy your drink. I am already hooked. In my first week I have tried:
- Milk Tea with Boba
- Hazelnut Milk Tea
- Peach Green Tea with Peach Jellies
- Black Tea
- Green (or Golden) Tea
- Hokkaido Chocolate Milk Tea
As to whether these are a healthy option, I would say definitely not. With the milk powders, syrups and tapioca pearls being all high in sugars and calories they are clearly not a great thing to be having daily if you aren’t active, however as a post workout shake then yeah, you have earn’t it so enjoy. If you are wanting lower calorie options then I would stick to the plain teas or the fruit flavoured tea and ask if they can leave out adding the syrup, it shouldn’t be a problem (especially if you become regulars like us).
As to where to buy your bubble tea in Macau, due to one being on the corner of our apartment block I am becoming a loyal fan of ‘COME BUY’ so I can highly recommend this brand for now.
A picture of the available flavours at our local Come Buy!
Macau To Keep Fit 