Pearl Milk Tea A Slimmer's Nightmare

As the summer heat continues, consumption of refreshing drinks is on the up, something that holds especially true for local speciality 'zhenzhu naicha', or pearl milk tea.

With the increased consumption of pearl tea come worries about weight gain.

According to a CNA report, a study by Taipei Medical University Hospital shows that a 0.7 liter glass of full-sugar pearl milk tea contains 393 calories, equal to the amount of calories in one and a half bowls of rice, with one bowl containing 280 calories.

Taipei Medical University Hospital nutritionist Chen Chiao-ming (陳巧明) said that drinking a 0.7l-liter glass of pearl milk tea a day for 20 days in a row could result in a weight gain of 1kg.

"To burn off a glass of pearl milk tea, with its nearly 400 calories, one would have to jog for at least one-and-a-half hours," Chen added. 

Other popular thirst-quenchers are also high in calories: one 0.7l -liter glass of "pudding milk tea" contains 325 calories, while a "black tea latte" contains 320 calories and a glass of green or black pearl tea contains 276 calories.

The study also suggests that drinks made from fruit juices do not necessarily lower the calorie intake, as drinking a 0.7l liter glass of papaya or avocado milk contains 295 and 296 calories respectively.

Chen went on to say that people who are fond of drinking iced beverages, but do not want to put on weight, should instead choose to drink low-calorie green or black tea and eat coconut flesh, which is rich in fiber.

Bubble Tea Tapioca Pearls May Contain Cancer-Causing Chemicals

Bad news for fans of the colorful novelty drink called tapioca tea, or boba tea: The sugary specialty beverage, generally milk-based and filled with chewy balls of tapioca, may also include cancer-causing chemicals known aspolychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, the Daily News reports.

German researchers from the University Hospital Aachen have reportedly found traces of the carcinogenic chemical in tapioca ball samples. The tapioca was taken from an unnamed chain in northwest Germany and originated in Taiwan, according to the Daily News.

"[What we found] includes in particular styrene, acetophenone, and brominated substances that shouldn't be in food at all," scientist Manfred Möller, of the Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine at the University Hospital Aachen, told German newspaper The Local, notes the AFP.

According to the EPA, PCBs belong to a broad family of man-made organic chemicals manufactured between 1929 and 1979. The chemicals still exist in the environment despite their U.S. manufacturing ban. Ranging in toxicity, PCBs have been shown to cause cancer, as well as a variety of other adverse health effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system and endocrine system, the government site continues.

Bubble tea has gained widespread popularity in recent years across Europe, and Germany in particular, after already converting young people across North America. German McDonald's have even begun selling the dessert beverage as part of its recently revamped McCafe menu, the Independent reports.

The cancer concerns were compounded by another public health warning, released earlier in August by the country's German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment. German authorities warned that the beverage's hallmark gummy balls, may pose a choking risk.

"Especially with children aged up to four years, there is a risk of foreign objects accidentally entering the lungs," said Dr. Andreas Hensel in a press release on the Institute's website. "And that is precisely what can happen when the bubbles are sucked up through a straw."

Source: Huffington Post 

How To Make Bubble Milk Tea At Home

Do you love bubble tea? Personally, I can't walk past a bubble tea shop without suddenly craving one of their sweet ice-cold beverages dotted with chewy boba tapioca pearls. It's the most thirst-quenching snack I can think of! Fortunately for my addiction, bubble tea is super easy to make at home.

What You Need

Ingredients

1/4 cup dried boba tapioca pearls per serving (NOT quick-cooking boba)
1-2 tea bags per serving, any kind
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
Milk, almond milk, or sweetened condensed milk
Fruit juice or nectar (optional)

Equipment

Saucepan
Bowl for holding the cooked boba
Measuring cups

Instructions

1. Cook the Boba: Measure 2 cups of water for every 1/4 cup of boba being prepared into a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the boba and stir gently until they begin floating to the top of the water. 

Turn the heat to medium and cook the boba for 12-15 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, cover, and let the pearls sit for another 12-15 minutes.

2. Prepare Sugar Syrup for the Boba: While the boba are cooking, make a simple sugar syrup to sweeten and preserve them once cooked. Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil over high heat on the stove or in the microwave. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup sugar until dissolved. Set aside to cool.

3. Prepare a Strong Cup of Tea: This can be done either while the boba are cooking or ahead of time. Allow enough time for the tea to cool completely before making the boba. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add the tea bag. Use one tea bag for regular-strength bubble tea or two for a stronger tea flavor. Remove the tea bag after 15 minutes and chill the tea.

4. Finish the Boba: Once the boba have finished cooking, drain them from the water and transfer them to a small bowl or container. Pour the sugar syrup over top until the boba are submerged. Let sit until the boba are room temperature, at least 15 minutes, or refrigerate until ready to use. Boba are best if used within a few hours of cooking, but will keep refrigerated for several days. The boba will gradually harden and become crunchy as they sit.

5. Make the Bubble Tea: Pour the prepared tea into a tall glass and add the boba. Add milk for a creamy bubble tea, juice for a fruity tea, or leave plain and add a little extra water. Sweeten to taste with the simple syrup from soaking the boba.

Additional Notes

• Very Chilled Bubble Tea: For an extra-chilly bubble tea, combine all the tea, milk, and/or juice, but not the boba in a cocktail shaker. Add a few ice cubes and shake for 20 seconds. Pour into a tall glass and add the boba.

• Shortcut Boba: If you want immediate gratification, just cook your boba until they are tender, 5 to 10 minutes, and use them as soon as they're cool. This kind of boba don't keep for very long (turning rock hard in a few hours), but are delicious if eaten right away.

• Saving Leftover Boba and Making Boba for Later: Boba are best if used within a few hours of cooking, but will keep refrigerated with simple syrup for several days. The boba will gradually harden and become crunchy as they sit.

The Origin Of Bubble Milk Tea

If you visit Taiwan or Hong Kong you can't help but notice the unique bubble milk tea shops on every corner. Bubble milk tea to Taiwan is what ‘teh tarik’ is to Malaysia. One would think bubble milk tea is the national drink by its popularity.

Bubble Milk Tea originated in Taiwan in the early 1980's at a small tea stand

Elementary school children would look forward to buying a cup of refreshing tea after a long, hard day of work and play. Tea stands were set up in front of the schools and would compete for business with the best selling tea. One concession owner became popular with her tea when she started adding different fruit flavouring to her tea. Because of the sweet and cool taste, children loved the taste. Soon, other concessions heard about the "unique" and popular tea, so they started to add flavouring to their teas. When adding flavour, the tea and flavouring needed to be shaken well for a good all around taste. This formed bubbles in the drink, which came to be known as "Bubble Tea."

In 1983 Liu Han Chieh introduced Taiwan to tapioca pearls. The new fad was to add tapioca pearls into a favourite drink. Most of the time tapioca pearls were served in cold infused tea. After the tea and flavour were shaken well, it topped tapioca pearls that were sitting on the bottom of a clear cup. The tapioca pearls also looked like bubbles, thus also became to known as "Bubble Tea." Bubbles floated on the top your drink and bottom of your drink.

Different names of Bubble Milk Tea

Bubble tea is also known as boba drink, pearl tea drink, boba ice tea, boba, boba nai cha, zhen zhou nai cha, pearl milk tea, pearl ice tea, black pearl tea, tapioca ball drink, BBT, PT, pearl shake, QQ (which means chewy in Chinese) and possible many others.

Bubble drinks are usually cool, refreshing, and a sweet drink with tapioca pearls sitting on the bottom of a clear cup. Sometimes the drink is made with fresh fruits, milk, and crushed ice to create a healthy milk shake. You can also find drinks that are made of powdered flavouring, creamer, water, and crushed ice. And if you like it like the Asians do, the cool drink usually includes a healthy tea, infused by a flavouring.

Tapioca pearls are black, but can sometimes be found to be white or transparent. Depending on the ingredients of the pearl, the colour varies. I've been told that the white and translucent pearls are made of caramel, starch and chamomile root extract. The black pearl includes sweet potato, cassava root and brown sugar, which add the black colour. The consistency of tapioca pearls are somewhere between jell-o and chewing gum. They are the size of a marble.

A clear cup with black balls on the bottom can easily identify bubble Tea drinks. Another obvious trait is a huge fat straw. The fat straw is needed so that the tapioca pearls can be sucked up with the drink and eaten. Bubble Tea's appearance definitely makes it unique.One thing is for certain. Bubble Tea is not a fad. It's a trend. This drink is addictive. If you've had a good one before then you know what we're talking about.