Talk:bubble tea

Etymology error?

We say that the "bubbles" are the pearls of tapioca. Other sources (e.g. [1]) say that the term refers to the froth that forms on the drink, and not the pearls. Who is right? Equinox ◑ 23:19, 18 February 2021 (UTC)

As a Taiwanese. I think the word bubble (milk) tea originally refers to 泡沫奶茶/紅茶, 'frothed milk tea/black tea'. A kind of drink that was quite popular in Taiwan 20 years ago. The froth is formed in cocktail-shakers, which is a process you can still find nowadays in boba tea making. It is like the prototype of modern boba tea, just no boba in it.

Many old brands/shops/vendors are named after bubble tea, because they Originally sold 泡沫紅茶 (and many of them still do), but then shifted to selling boba tea 珍珠奶茶 after it got popular. Later the brands were introduced to US people with Taiwanese immigrants, where the names of the two beverages were confused. 118.160.203.84 02:15, 24 April 2024 (UTC)