Tapioca pearls, also known as tapioca balls, are edible translucent spheres produced from tapioca, a starch made from the cassava root. They originated as a cheaper alternative to sago in Southeast Asian cuisine. When used as an ingredient in bubble tea, they are most commonly referred to as pearls or boba.
TLDR: Boba tea has an average of 50 mg of caffeine per cup. Typically you can expect 20 to 80 mg per drink, depending on the type of tea.
Bubble teas made with herbal tea are entirely caffeine free as they are not made from tea leaves. Fruit Bubble Tea flavours consist exactly of what it says on the tin; tea and fruit syrup! Fruit bubble teas do therefore contain caffeine, but at a much lower quantity than the typical black Assam tea.
The short answer is yes. Bubble tea has caffeine. Let's break it down a bit. The ingredients in your typical bubble tea drink includes tea (tea bag or loose leaf), dairy or creamer, a sweetener, and tapioca pearls.
Apart from caffeine, boba tea contains simple carbohydrate sugar that the body breaks down and converts to energy. This means boba tea can provide temporary energy to keep you boosted all day.
But if you love drinking bubble tea, you are actually addicted to its sugar. Did you know? Sugar is as addictive as cocaine! However, it is widely used as a 'legal drug' worldwide, as it causes addiction in the brain.
Boba is high in sugar
Sugar-sweetened beverages like bubble tea have been linked to several adverse health effects, including heart disease, obesity, liver problems, and type 2 diabetes ( 8 ).
How Much Caffeine Is In Bubble Tea? Depending on what tea is used to make it and how large a cup you order, it may have up to 170 mg of caffeine. Most have a lot less though and they are generally under 100 for regular sized cups.
Bubble tea is safe for consumption if enjoyed in moderation, so an occasional cup is fine for kids and teens. To make it even healthier, parents can make bubble tea at home (and control what goes in it) with decaffeinated tea, homemade or store-bought tapioca pearls, their choice of milk, and their choice of sweetener.
What's in boba? Well, it may or may not contain, depending on the specific flavor, ingredients such as tea, fruit, coffee, dairy, and a variety of toppings from tapioca pearls to aloe vera.
Bubble tea (also known as pearl milk tea, bubble milk tea, tapioca milk tea, boba tea, or boba; Chinese: 珍珠奶茶; pinyin: zhēnzhū nǎichá, 波霸奶茶; bōbà nǎichá) is a tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s.
Taro boba tea does not have caffeine when made with plain taro milk, because taro root itself doesn't contain any caffeine. But, a true taro milk tea that's made with green tea or jasmine tea does have caffeine.
There's nothing to worry about the caffeine content in a cup of taro bubble tea. Every 16-ounce serving delivers a minimum of 25 milligrams of caffeine. The max usually measures about 48 mg, but this can vary based on the type of tea you use in it.
Unfortunately, boba itself provides very few health benefits, though its calories and carbohydrates can provide you with a boost in energy. In most cases, boba tea contains high levels of sugar, which is linked to long-term health conditions like diabetes and obesity.
Boba pearls are made of tapioca starch that comes from the cassava root, so compassionate customers can rest easy knowing that gelatin is not used in the making of these tiny balls of deliciousness.
Results of this study showed that coffee and milk tea drinks contained rather high caffeine content, children are advised not to drink them and to maintain a balanced and varied diet. Pregnant and lactating women should avoid excessive caffeine intake.
But what exactly is boba? The boba (aka the tiny, chewy black balls at the bottom of the drink) is made from tapioca, which is a gluten-free starch extracted from the root of a cassava plant. The actual drink is made from a tea base mixed with milk and flavoring.
There are no rules to decaf bubble tea
You can get these from any Asian supermarket, or they are also readily available online. They need to be lightly boiled for 5 minutes to get that perfect slightly chewy texture – sometimes known as 'QQ'.
Sure, it has caffeine (sometimes), but the sugar content and empty calories make it a poor replacement for coffee or plain old tea. Bottom line: Feel free to enjoy boba tea in moderation, but definitely keep in mind that it does not meet the health criteria for a healthy, daily pick-me-up.
Boost your immune system.
One of the crucial health benefits of bubble tea is to enhance your immune system. The drink contains a wide range of antioxidants that blocks any oxidative stress accumulation. Besides, there are fresh fruits such as mango and strawberry, which is good for you.
But there are a few reasons to enjoy this sweetened beverage in moderation. Drinking too much of it may increase your chances of developing diet-related diseases and leave you constipated. "One to two cups a day should be fine, but you shouldn't consume anything in excess," advised Dr. Kushnir.
Bubble tea balls are easily digestible for most people
Since tapioca comes from the starch-based cassava root, it's mainly filled with carbohydrates, according to Healthline. Starches like cassava function similarly to fiber in the body, and healthy people can digest them with no problems, Dr. de Latour said.
These pearls are otherwise known as the characteristic “bubbles” that make up your favourite bubbly beverage, bubble tea. So, in other words, tapioca is what gives your boba bubbles their signature sweetness and distinct flavour that we all know and love!