Zhen Zhu Nai Cha - 珍珠奶茶

 

Introduction:

Zhen Zhu Nai Cha is a distinctly Taiwanese product that was developed in Taiwan and the business model is distinctly Taiwanese. Zhen Zhu Nai Cha is more commonly known abroad as “Bubble Tea” and, in fact, is also known variously as: 

• pearl ice tea
• black pearl ice tea
• QQ drinks
• naicha - Literally, "milk tea"
• boba naicha - Literally, "boba milk tea"
• boba drink
• pearl tea

Traditional Zhen Zhu Nai Cha consists of sweetened ice tea and milk into which is placed small, black balls of tapioca (the ‘zhen zhu’ of Zhen Zhu Nai Cha - literally translated as ‘pearl’).  Tapioca in its raw form is called cassava root.  Cassava is a bushy plant producing tubes that are dried and mixed with brown sugar to make the batter.  Often, this basic recipe of sugar, tea, milk and tapioca balls is varied by use of a number of different fruit flavourings.

 

The drinks are usually served in large, transparent plastic containers with an extra-wide straw, enabling the drinkers to suck up the Zhen Zhu balls.

 

History of Zhen Zhu Nai Cha

 

There are several versions of how Zhen Zhu Nai Cha was invented.  The most commonly accepted story begins in the early 1980s in Taichung, Taiwan.

 

Tea stands, which had long stood outside public elementary schools, attempted to sell refreshing tea to students after a long, hard day at school.  Soon, a vendor tried to differentiate his product by offering cold tea.  This quickly caught on and all stands started offering both hot and cold tea.  Next, one concession owner became popular with her tea when she started adding different fruit flavouring to her tea. Because of the sweet and cool taste, children loved it. Other stands heard about the "unique" and popular tea, so they started to add flavouring to their teas. When adding flavour, the tea and flavouring needed to be shaken well for a good all around taste.  This forms bubbles in the drink, which is one of the reasons Zhen Zhu Nai Cha is also known as “Bubble Tea”.

 

In 1983, a Taichung resident and tea shop owner, Liu Han-Chieh, while experimenting with cold milk tea, added tapioca balls.  This became very popular with children who enjoyed not only the taste but also blowing the tapioca balls out through the straw at targets or each other.  These balls then became considered to be the “bubbles” in Bubble Tea.

 

The drink’s popularity grew within Taichung and then Taiwan but didn’t receive any international recognition until publicity from a Japanese television show in the early 1980s made businessmen take notice and it then rapidly became popular throughout Asia.

 

 

 

Photographic series about how to make Zhen Zhu Nai Cha (珍珠奶茶):

 

   

First: Taking an empty bottle

Second: Opening a bottle with milk powder

Third: Putting in the powder

 

  

Fourth: Adding hot tea

Fifth: Mixing tea with the powder

Sixth: Checking the mixture

  

Seventh: Checking the pearls

Eighth: Adding the pearls

Ninth: Adding more hot tea

 

  

Tenth: Adding ice cubes

Eleventh: Putting the ZZNC into the bottling machine

Twelfth: The machine “burns” a plastic top on the mug

 

 

Thirteenth: The customer handles over the money

Fourteenth: The customer enjoys his drink!