Bubble Tea Nutrition

Bubble tea was invented in Taiwan in the 1980s. Several varieties of the tea are now popular in Asian as well as Western countries. The ingredients of the tea are mixed by shaking the tea which creates foam on its top. This procedure gave it the name 'bubble tea'. The ingredients of the tea severely affect its nutritional value.

Ingredients and Varieties of Bubble Tea

Bubble tea mainly contains a tea base which can be made from black tea, green tea or pearl milk tea. The tea base and the ingredients may vary from place to place. Bubble tea can be described as a tea base with fruit or fruit syrup and/or milk. It simply is a shaken or whipped drink. Bubble tea with pearls is nothing but the original Taiwanese shaken or whipped tea with tapioca pearls. The tapioca balls or pears are known as 'boba'. Cooked tapioca pearls are added to the tea at the end. It is essentially a sweetly flavored tea. Its ice blended versions are also quite popular. Some varieties contain pearls made of jelly. Some prefer fruit flavored teas while some love milk teas. A hybrid variety, 'fruit milk tea' is also available. Some varieties contain pure, crushed fruit smoothies with pearls while some contain ice cream shakes. Dairy milk/cream or milk substitutes are used to prepare milk teas. Some people enjoy bubble tea with honey, agave, stevia or aspartame.

The original bubble tea was just a whipped mixture of hot Taiwanese black tea and condensed milk. It contained a little syrup or honey along with a few tapioca pearls. But these days, hundreds of varieties of bubble tea are available as per demand. Cold bubble tea is more popular than the hot one. The original black tea was first replaced by the jasmine-infused green tea. Small tapioca pearls were replaced by big pearls. Colored pearls were then introduced. The color changed according to the fruit. More fruit flavors were introduced, for example, peach or plum flavoring. Now, even coffee is used to make the base of this beverage! A mixture of half black tea and half coffee is also used as the base, for example, in yuanyang from Hong Kong.

The tea comes with fruit and non-fruit flavors. Honeydew, strawberry, jack-fruit, green apple, avocado, passion fruit, mango, lemon, grape, lichee, peach, cantaloupe, banana, coconut, kiwi, watermelon, pineapple, almond, taro, chocolate, coffee, caramel, mocha, barley, sesame, pudding, ginger, lavender, rose, and violet are the most sought after flavors of bubble tea. Different flavors of jellies are used when jelly cubes, stars or strips replace tapioca balls. At some places, aloe, egg pudding, sago, and taro balls are also added to the tea instead of tapioca balls.

Bubble Tea Nutrition Facts

Since there exist numerous varieties of bubble tea, the nutritional data would vary according to the type of the tea. Plain bubble tea contains about 160 calories. When you add milk to it, the calorie count goes up to 230 calories. Moreover, one ounce of tapioca pearls provides 100 calories and if you add 2 to 3 ounces of pearls per cup, then the tea becomes a high calorie drink. The hidden calories in bubble tea make it a drink to avoid for those who are thinking of losing weight. Read more on bubble tea calories. Although the tea contains less caffeine than coffee, some people may experience restlessness, irritability and sleep disturbances, after drinking the tea.

Actually, a 14 g serving of concentrated black milk tea without pearls contain 40 calories, 1.5 g fat, 10 g carbohydrates, 8 g sugar and 1 g protein. But when you add half cup of cooked, dark brown pearls to it, its nutritional value changes substantially. It becomes a high calorie drink that contains 200 calories, 16 g fat, 6 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber and 7 g protein.

Most bubble tea varieties are packed with sugar. An average bubble tea with milk and pearls contains 340 calories. One cup of bubble tea can make you cross the limit of daily sugar intake. Tapioca pearls are rich in starch which in excess can prove to be harmful. They promote weight gain.

You must have now understood why bubble tea should not be consumed as a beverage to quench your thirst. It should rather be considered as a meal or a dessert. Its fruity flavor can be tempting; but you need to stay away from it, taking into consideration its calories and sugar content.