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]
Addition: Practical Guide to Cooking and Keeping Tapioca Pearls for Bubble Tea Excerpted from a longer article: "The Nature of Tapioca Pearls" Reference: [1] Copyright (c) Bruce&Clark Bubble Tea 2001
So now, what's beyond the name? Well, tapioca pearls are made mostly from tapioca starch, processed from the bitter-cassava plant, sometimes called manioca or yuca in some parts of the world. The bitter-cassava plant is native to South America and was introduced into Asia sometime during the 19th century where it was quickly adopted as a staple food in many different cultures (perhaps explaining why Asians seem to be more favourably disposed to tapioca). The bitter-cassava plant -- and the starch it produces -- has been an all-purpose, all around useful plant. When not being made into tapioca pearls, it is used for other industrial purposes, such as textiles and other manufacturing.
Because the nature of tapioca pearls is starch, there are certain things that happen to tapioca pearls and, as a consequence, certain guidelines that we have to follow when dealing with tapioca pearls. We won't really deal with the hard science involved in cooking tapioca pearls, as that would not be very useful for us (that would also be for chemists and our food technicians to handle). We'll deal with practical issues that are involved when making these texture components for bubble tea.
Practical Guide to Tapioca Pearls
First, tapioca pearls are unusually sensitive to changes in heat and humidity around them.
It is normal for tapioca pearls to sweat inside its bag when it has been exposed to temperature changes. As long as there is no mold on the tapioca pearls, they are still good. The shelf life of raw tapioca pearls tend to be shorter than semi-cooked tapioca pearls, about 6 months versus 8 months.
Second, tapioca pearls have to be well-cooked to maintain its soft and chewy texture longer.
Even though the cooking time for tapioca pearls is actually 20 minutes (plus another 20 minutes for sitting), we usually suggest cooking them a little bit longer than 20 minutes. For the raw tapioca pearls, cook them for about 45 minutes (then let sit for another 20 minutes); for the semi-cooked tapioca pearls, cook them for approximately 30 minutes (then let sit for another 20 minutes).
The way one can tell whether they've been cooked enough is to bite into one tapioca pearl. When the pearl gives no resistance and is soft to the center, then it is done. When the pearl still retains some starch in the center, then it needs to be cooked for more time. For recipe, please click here.
Third, after cooking, when placed in water, tapioca pearls will turn hard and then finally become too soft and mushy. This is the nature of starch.
The way to slow down the process is by cooking the tapioca pearls well (see #2 point) -- but the process is inevitable, and there is no way we can reverse this process. Nature of starch.
Fourth, because bubble teas are usually served cold and tapioca pearls are added to a cold drink, it happens that tapioca pearls turn hard in the drink quite fast.
Cooking the tapioca pearls well will help a bit, as well as not leaving the tapioca pearls sitting out too long after cooking. If serving tapioca pearls for a commercial purpose, we do not recommend keeping the tapioca pearls overnight. Generally, the tapioca pearls are only good for the day. We also recommend cooking them in small batches, only enough for about 4 to 6 hours, as this is when the tapioca pearls will be at their optimum condition.
Fifth, it is important that the cooked tapioca pearls be well-kept.
Once tapioca pearls have finished cooking, they should be put in a sugar syrup solution and stirred every hour to prevent lumping. Again, lumping is part of the nature of starch, and there is no way we can fight this natural tendency. For the sugar syrup solution, it will be better if a little honey is added to the mixture. Honey will form a coating around the tapioca pearls and protect them better.
Sixth, it is imperative that the tapioca pearls be of the highest quality possible.
Lower quality tapioca pearls are cheaper, but in the long run, a bubble teashop will end up paying more eventually in lost sales and revenues.
[General Reference: Bruce&Clark Bubble Tea http://www.bruceandclark.com]
![[Home]](wikipedia.png)