Google, on January 29, unveiled an interactive game on its homepage today which challenges users to make the perfect cup of bubble tea, as requested by “a crew of familiar Doodle characters.” Also known as boba tea or pearl milk tea, the drink from Taiwan has grown in popularity beyond its country of origin, to even find inroads in the local cafes of Thiruvananthapuram.
What is bubble tea
Bubble tea is a sweetened tea-based drink made using natural flavours, syrups that are water or cream based, black tea and tapioca pearls. The large-sized dark brown tapioca pearls are boiled, drained and sweetened, and later added to the tea. As you sip the drink through a wide straw, the tapioca pearls come up too, giving you the opportunity to ‘eat your drink’.
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However, as most unique food items, the creation of bubble tea was a delicious accident. In 2018, The Hindu had traced the drink’s origin back to 1987, when the founder of Chun Shui Tang Teahouse, Liu Han Chieh, wanted to introduce cold tea to the menu. His product development manager, Lin Hsiu Hui, dropped tapioca balls into her iced tea, for fun, and bubble tea was invented. Today, it is served in most teahouses in Taiwan.
Through its interactive game today, which features Taiwan’s indigenous Formosan Mountain Dog, Google commemorates the announcement of Bubble Tea as a new emoji on this day in 2020.
Google’s blog gives further information on this delicacy saying that the tea has its roots in traditional Taiwanese tea culture which dates back as early as the 17th century.
“As waves of Taiwanese immigrants over the past few decades brought this drink overseas, innovation on the original bubble tea continues. Shops around the world are still experimenting with new flavors, additions, and mixtures. Traditional tearooms across Asia have also joined in on the boba craze, and the trend has reached countries like Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and more,” it says.
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