Boba Tea also known like Bubble Tea

Bubble tea, also internationally known as the Pearl Milk Tea or Boba is a drink on the basis of sweetened green or blacktea , often with milk and fruit syrup added, and like a milk shake is prepared. The special feature of this drink, with the drinking straw is drunk, is to added colored balls of tapioca , or other starch , and the Popping Boba , beads of alginate with a liquid filling that burst when bitten.

History and distribution

Bubble tea was the mid-1980s in the Republic of China (Taiwan) invented, at least two teahouses claim authorship for himself. The original foam drink still contained no tapioca pearls, but only fruit syrup or puree and was sold by street vendors, especially to school children. Some time later, the Tapiokakugeln were added. It is said to have become popular only after a report of the Japanese television about the drink. In the 1990s bubble tea became a trendy drink in Asia and California , where the trend spread across the United States. In Asia, the United States and Australia, there are teahouse chains that exclusively sell bubble tea in different variants. There are now also in Germany and Austria bubble tea. In the inner cities, the number of bubble tea cafes rose sharply. Concept and interiors are very similar, the latter is often decorated in orange and green. They are partly in franchising operation.

It is mainly in Taiwan and China , and Southeast Asia very popular, but now also in the United States and in Australia . 2009 bubble tea was first in Germany offered. 2010 was followed by stores in Austria and 2012 shops in Switzerland . 2012 also sold McDonald's Bubble Tea in its stores in Germany and Austria.

Flavors

Meanwhile there is the drink in many flavors in Taiwan are often sweet condensed milk and honey added. The traditional Tapiokakugeln be cooked for about 25 minutes, until they have a similar gum have consistency. As the starch is tasteless, the finished pellets are immersed in a sugar solution. You will then be sucked through a straw. In newer versions of bubble tea are Popping Boba added jelly beads of alginate (seaweed thickness) with a filling of flavored sugar syrup.
Bubble Tea is usually served cold with ice, but there are also variants and warm for some time a Bubble Coffee.

Health aspects

Bubble Tea is by nutrition experts because of its high sugar content, criticized by some of the soft drink equivalent. According to Stiftung Warentest contained various bubble tea drinks about as much sugar and caffeine as the soft drink Coke . Furthermore, it was in all the products tested, azo dyes and artificial flavors found in each extent permitted. The calorie content of bubble tea is different depending on the preparation. Pediatricians warn that young children swallow the diameter 5 to 8 mm small beads, thereby suffocating and may require appropriate warnings on the mugs. 
Scientists from the Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, RWTH Aachen alleged to journalists the Rheinische Post in 2012 to have been found in bubble tea end cancer causing chemicals hazardous to health. A corresponding article led to wide media coverage in Germany. The Consumer Protection of North Rhine-Westphalia was then examined 84 samples. All were free of toxins. The brand manufacturer Possmei and Tea One gave analyzes of independent institutions in order, where also no toxins were found.
Responsible for the analysis of the Aachen Institute scientist Manfred Möller, who had been quoted in the media as saying in Bubble Tea located is "a lot of dirt," claimed in 2013 that never had been made ​​statements about the possible health risks that it in the analysis have been only a test of a new instrument and distanced himself from scandalous media reports, which he described as a "smear campaign". However, affected business owners see the fault in the corresponding institution which had rashly and negligently turned to the press.