Bubble tea is a beverage inspired by refreshments offered at teahouses throughout Asia. Most often made with black milk tea, bubble tea or boba tea can also be made with green, red or herbal tea and features pearls of gelatinous, cooked tapioca at the bottom of each glass. The pearls range in size from a few millimeters in diameter to about the size of peas or beans, and you can suck them up with a straw.
Types
Tapioca pearls used for tea are slightly different from those used in desserts like pudding. Although the clear pearls do sometimes show up in bubble tea, the most common variety has a dark brown color, a chewier texture and a sweeter taste. The types of tea most often served with tapioca pearls are chai, black milk tea and green tea lattes.
Nutrition Information
According to Boba Tea Direct, an international supplier of tea mixes and tapioca pearls, a 14 g serving of concentrated black milk tea contains 40 calories, 1.5 g fat, 10 g carbohydrates, 8 g sugar and 1 g protein without pearls. Adding ½ cup of cooked, dark brown pearls ups the value by about 200 calories, 16 g fat, 6 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber and 7 g protein.
Ingredients
Tapioca pearls are small balls of starch that are very hard when uncooked. According to Bubble Tea Supply, the dark brown variety is made with a base of cassava flour, which comes from a starchy root vegetable. Tapioca also has added sweet potato flour and brown sugar, which contributes to its rich color. The black milk tea mixture from Boba Tea Direct contains only sugar, non-dairy creamer and black tea powder.
Alternatives
Watching your weight? If you want to cut down on the total amount of fat or calories in a cup of bubble tea, there are several ways to do so. One alternative is adding the pearls to plain, steeped black or green tea, which will cut the calories of the milk or cream usually included. You can also reduce the number of pearls in your cup, since they're calorie-rich but offer little nutritional value per serving.
Considerations
Bubble tea contains very few vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients, but drinking a large glass with a lot of pearls inside can set you back several hundred calories and more than 10 fat grams. For the best nutritional value, enjoy the tea as just an occasional indulgence and stick to MyPyramid's recommendations of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains and nonfat dairy for most of your daily calories.
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