Boba milk tea

Boba milk tea is also known as boba tea, black pearl tea, bubble tea, tapioca tea, boba nai cha, zhen zhu nai cha or any combination of the above. It is a very popular drink among young people.

Boba (波霸 pronun. Ball Ba, literally means the "tyrant of balls" in Mandarin) refers to the black pearl-like gummy balls made of tapioca. The balls are about 1 cm in diameter. They are added to any kind of drinks, but mostly sweeten iced milk tea. The balls are sucked through a wide straw along with the drink. They provide something to chew on between sips.

Not all boba tea are made alike. Some boba are too hard; some are too chewy; some taste too sweet; some taste too bland; some come in tea that taste aweful. Most boba tea lovers need to shop around for their favorite vendors. Long line outside the store usually serves as a hint.

Instead of eating the chewy balls, some kids like to blow the balls out from the straw to shoot at targets or at each other. The drink is not just a beverage to kids, it also provides a messy entertainment after the liquid is consumed.

The fad started out in Taiwan in the 90's. It is now spreaded all over the world through local Chinese communities. Though the drink is sold mainly in Chinese stores, not only the Chinese are hooked.

Reference: [news article from CNN]