bubble tea

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What is bubble tea?

Bubble tea at Zephyr Tea House Cafe in Richmond, BC

Bubble tea at Zephyr Tea House Cafe in Richmond, BC.

Yesterday I wrote about having lunch with Mijune at the Zephyr Tea House Café, this Taiwanese-style bubble tea place in Richmond. Several people wrote me and asked: What the hell is bubble tea?

Good question.

Here’s what a place called the Bubble Tea Café says: “Bubble tea is a drink made from a blend of tea and natural flavors served over sweet and chewy pearls. These pearls are also known as ‘bobas’ and are made from tapioca starch and taste faintly like caramel-flavored Jell-O.”

I don’t know. That doesn’t sound too appetizing, does it? Tapioca starch that tastes like caramel-flavored Jell-O? Yuck.

Wikipedia says bubble tea is “a Taiwanese tea drink that originated from tea shops in Taichung, Taiwan during the 1980s. Drink recipes may vary, but most bubble teas contain a tea base mixed with fruit (or fruit syrup) and/or milk. Ice-blended versions of the drinks, similar to slushies, are also available, usually in fruit flavors.”

Mijune says there’s a real dilemma in finding the best bubble tea places in Richmond (and there are dozens and dozens of them). At places like Zephyr Tea House Café, the drinks are made with house brewed black and green teas, “but they have a very limited amount of fresh milk and fresh fruit flavors. It’s such a double standard.”

Yet she acknowledges that at true Asian places powdered milk and powdered fruit flavors are “expected and normal. And some drinks just work better and at times even taste better with the artificial powders.”

But you never know until you try them. To read more about her thoughts on bubble teas (and the Zephyr Tea House Café) check out her blog here.

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At Zephyr, Mijune orders for two

Zephyr Tea House, Richmond, BC

The food awaits my arrival at Zephyr Tea House Cafe. Photo by David Lansing.

I might have mentioned that Mijune doesn’t bother to listen to me when it comes to deciding where to go eat or even what to order. I could take this one of two ways: outrage or with a shrug. I prefer the latter.

Yesterday she told me to meet her at Zephyr Tea House Café for lunch. Which was fine with me since it’s just down the street from my hotel. She also tells me to be there promptly at 12:30. “Don’t be late!”

So exactly at 12:32, I walk into Zephyr. And there’s Mijune sitting at a table with at least half a dozen dishes in front of her.

“You’re late,” she says. “I ordered without you.”

As if she was going to let me order in the first place.

Zephyr is like this hip Taiwanese bubble tea place. Bubble tea places are to Taiwan what Starbucks is to Seattle.

I don’t think Zephyr is really known as a lunch place. It’s more like the place you go to late at night when you’ve got the munchies (they’re one of the rare places in Richmond that stay open until 1am on weekends).

So what did Mijune order for us? The Taiwanese-style popcorn chicken, of course, and the braised pork on rice, prawns with pineapple, shredded pork with bamboo shoots, and a Taiwanese sausage with noodle soup.

You know, just a couple of dishes to stave off the hunger pains.

The popcorn chicken was kind of addicting, but I hated myself for liking it since it reminded me of a slightly-less spicy version of KFC’s popcorn chicken (which is also addictive if some of the worst processed junk food out there). The other dishes were okay. Not great, but okay.

What was more interesting to me were the drink choices. There were like over 30 bubble teas and another 30 frappes. Mijune watched me agonize over the menu. Matcha green tea frappe or almond milk bubble tea? Green mango mint? Lychee peach?

“Bring him the matcha ice cream frappe,” Mijune told the waitress.

When I gave her the stink eye she said, “What? It’s the house specialty. You’ll love it.”

And I did.
Zephyr Tea House Cafe (??) on Urbanspoon

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