Bubble tea is a Taiwanese tea drink, most often black or green milk tea with tapioca pearls, and two tea rooms claim to have invented it in the 1980s.

Two Taiwanese tea rooms, Hanlin Tea Room in Tainan and Chun Shui Tang in Taichung, claim to have invented bubble tea, in 1986 and in 1987 or 1988 respectively. In 2009 they began legal proceedings against each other, and in 2019 a Taiwanese court ruled that bubble tea is not patentable. The ruling did not credit either party with the invention. The most common bubble tea is made with tapioca pearls, and the two most popular kinds are pearl black milk tea and pearl green milk tea.

Where to eat Bubble milk tea in Taipei

The editor picks for Bubble milk tea in Taipei are still in research. Meanwhile, see the Taipei signature-dishes index or the Taipei food guide.

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Make it at home

Serves 230 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 100g dry black tapioca pearls
  • 60g brown sugar
  • 20g black tea leaves (Ceylon or Assam)
  • 500ml hot water
  • 200ml whole milk (or condensed milk for richer)
  • 30g caster sugar (adjustable)
  • Ice cubes, to serve

Method

  1. Bring 1 litre water to a boil. Add tapioca pearls, stir, boil 20 minutes uncovered.
  2. Turn off heat, cover, rest 15 minutes more. Drain.
  3. Soak pearls in brown sugar (add 60ml water to dissolve) for 10 minutes; they will turn glossy and black.
  4. Brew tea leaves in 500ml hot water for 5 minutes. Strain.
  5. Whisk caster sugar into hot tea until dissolved. Cool to room temperature.
  6. Layer: pearls, then ice, then chilled milk in one tall glass.
  7. Top with sweetened tea. Stir with a fat straw and drink immediately.

Editor tip. Pearls don't keep; eat within 4 hours of cooking. The brown sugar soak is what makes them glossy and chewy rather than starchy.

Common allergens: Milk.