Bubble Tea in Hamburg

At the moment, there's not only in Hamburg and across the whole federal state but also worldwide a huge hype around the trendy drink bubble tea. It's actually been around for a while, having already been a trend in Germany back around 2010.

What exactly is it? Which country does the drink come from and how is it made? Are there even any myths surrounding bubble tea? Why is it trending again right now, and where can you try it?

In this article, we'll discuss all these questions and even share a really simple basic recipe with you, which of course works just as well outside the city on the Elbe with its roughly 1.9 million residents!

What is bubble tea?

This tea-based drink actually originates from Taiwan. Classically, it's made from chewy cooked tapioca pearls, fruit syrup, milk and freshly brewed green or black tea.

The variations of bubble tea, which can be served hot or cold, are endless. There really are countless variations of the drink.

Incidentally, the name bubble tea doesn't come from the sweet little pearls, as you might assume. By now, bubble tea shops can be found everywhere, even in small towns. So everyone can find one of the often strikingly colourful stalls near them, such as JusTea Bubble Tea in the city on the Elbe. Originally, the tea was shaken together with ice cubes and milk until a foam formed, and it's the air bubbles in that foam that the name bubble tea refers to.

Truths and fakes

There are many myths surrounding bubble tea.

The most popular myth claims it was invented by accident when a tea shop owner dropped a tap into his tea and the tapioca pearls rose to the surface. While this isn't true, it's still a nice story.

It's also often claimed that bubble tea contains fish or frog eggs, but of course that isn't true either. What the bubbles are actually made of - and whether they're vegan - we'll clarify further below.

Particularly in Germany, you'll have come across the claim for years that drinking bubble tea is dangerous - that the drink is toxic, unhealthy or carcinogenic, and that its sale isn't even allowed in Germany. This was triggered by a paper from RWTH Aachen University in 2012, which claimed carcinogenic toxins had been found in tapioca pearls. As a result, almost all bubble tea shops disappeared within a year, as the shock among fans was so great.

The Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Office in Karlsruhe then carried out various tests, and none of the samples contained any hazardous substances. It turned out that the supposed paper from the Aachen university wasn't actually a proper study at all, yet it was published anyway, and thanks to the press, headlines were made from it - 'Chemists find traces of poison in bubble tea' was just one of them. Today, you don't hear anything at all about the Aachen study any more.

Either way, you could still call bubble tea unhealthy. Because it contains so much sugar, it's said to be particularly appealing to children. Depending on the composition, a litre of bubble tea contains between 100 and 180 grams of sugar. Mixed with sweet syrup, starchy pearls and fatty milk, bubble tea is pure liquid calories, easily rivalling cola.

Bubble tea in Hamburg – the topping in the cup

The pearls in bubble tea are usually tapioca pearls. Soft, colourful balls that taste fruity and are at least as big as peas, though often even bigger. The tapioca starch is extracted from the cassava root, which actually comes from Brazil.

Also popular are boba pearls, also known as popping bobas. They're used in bubble tea in exactly the same way and enjoy similar popularity to tapioca pearls.

At many bubble tea shops, such as Flowers' Whisper, you can also have jellies added to your bubble tea. Steeped in fruit syrup, these uniform cubes have a jelly-like to gummy consistency. The jelly is made from carrageenan, which is extracted from red algae. Consuming carrageenan is considered completely harmless.

Usually translucent, all three types only become colourful during further processing. Traditionally made tapioca pearls, for example, are boiled in maple syrup until it becomes viscous and caramelises, giving the pearls their dark colour.

If certain steps are slightly modified, the pearls can also come out in bright colours such as green, orange or red. To achieve fruity flavours, for instance, the desired flavourings are added to the pearls during cooking.

Tapioka pearls in particular should be soaked in fruit syrup for at least half an hour before eating. This intensifies the flavour, as the pearls have enough time to absorb the aromas of the fruit syrup.

The finished product is then stored in airtight containers until it's used.

Vegan - or not?

The question of whether bubble tea is vegan concerns a lot of people, as there doesn't seem to be a general answer.

The answer is quickly found: it entirely depends on whether cow's milk is used or not. Oat or almond milk simply makes it vegan.

Untreated tapioca pearls are vegan, but it depends on the dyes used. For example, the red dye carmine (E120) isn't vegan. So if you're ever unsure, just ask at a bubble tea shop of your choice.

Our little recipe for bubble tea

Making chilled bubble tea isn't rocket science. Our recipe is done in no time - all you need is: - 125 ml water for the tea (black or green tea)

• 250 ml milk or a milk alternative

• 100 ml cold water

• 25 g bubble tea pearls, available at relevant Asian supermarkets

• a few ice cubes

• sweetener to taste, such as maple syrup, honey or syrup

Here's how to make your trendy drink: first of all, brew a very strong tea with 125 ml water.

Simply let the tea steep for a few minutes longer than usual. Then let the tea cool down or chill it straight away. Thoroughly mix the cold tea with water, ice cubes and milk - for the desired bubble effect, you can shake the mixture if possible. Finally, add the prepared pearls. Feel free to sweeten your drink further to taste.

You can also make bubble tea pearls yourself using tapioca flour and flavour them with fruit syrup or fresh fruit as you like. Sometimes you can also buy bubble tea pearl powder in many different flavours, which you can of course use as well.

Trends from Asia in Hamburg

Around 2010, bubble tea was already THE trendy drink, though this popularity was short-lived.

Today, enthusiasm for bubble tea is bigger than ever - but why exactly?

The question is quickly answered: social media platforms such as TikTok or Instagram, as well as the huge influence of Korean culture (K-pop and anime), are fuelling the bubble tea hype. Bubble tea is currently also hugely popular in Australia and America.

Bubble tea in Hamburg - a conclusion

Even though bubble tea might not be everyone's cup of tea, everyone still knows a shop near them. You simply can't avoid it. Perhaps you didn't even know about this trendy drink in the federal state before, and our article has now sparked your interest.