The “bubble” refers to the foam created atop the drink when the tea, milk, sugar and tapioca pearls are shaken together with ice. Before hitting the US, bubble tea was an after-school delight ...

Tapioca pearls may be the classic bubble tea topping, but the flavor and texture combinations are seemingly limitless. Here are the absolute best boba toppings.

Start by boiling tapioca pearls in a pot of water until they float, then continue cooking for 15-30 minutes before letting them steep off the heat, covered, for another 20-30 minutes.

Despite this TikToker's misadventure, the pearls found in bubble tea are intended to be eaten. Boba pearls are made of tapioca, a starchy liquid harvested from the root of the cassava plant, which ...

After analyzing the tapioca balls which make up the ‘bubbles’ in the drink, researchers from the University Hospital Aachen, for instance, found that the pearls contained polychlorinated ...

Murphy, Meg. "Old Tires and Shoe Soles Said to Be Being Used in Bubble Tea Tapioca Pearls." Sora News 24. 28 October 2015. Shanghaiist. "Oh Hey, Now Bubble Tea Is Full of Toxic Additives." 5 May 2018.

SHAPIRO: Bubble tea originated in Taiwan in the 1980s. It first came to the U.S. through Asian American communities, but now tea shops and boba fans are everywhere. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BOBALIFE") ...

Bubble tea — tea shaken with milk, ice and sugar, often served with large tapioca pearls called boba — first emigrated from Taiwan to the Bay Area in the mid-1990s. At first, you could only ...