In the streets of Tokyo, you will certainly run into girls carying a big closed glass in plastic surmounted by a straw. Inside of it, a colorfull and think drink and brown little bubbles at the bottom. And then, a question cross your mind. What it is ? Is it good ? And above all... Where can you get one ?!? Only one question you said ? Well, in the right order: this is a Bubble Tea or Boba Tea, a beverage made with milk and which comes from Taiwan with some Tapioca bublles inside; yes, it is good, and no, you do not need to cross all Tokyo to find it as many shops sell it.
The translucent glass lets us realize that this surprising drink can be of many impressive colors... From pink to orange, going through green, white or brown. In your mounth, it seems to be strawberry, mango, matcha (or green tea), coconut, chocolate or even coffee... while this beverage can be made from milk, tea or mixed fruits. About the little brown bubbles, at the bottom of the glass, which give to this drink all its originalitu, they are tapioca bubbles. Their texture is smooth and their taste soft but quite bitter, which can be a little weird as the beverage is really sweet.
Sweet Pearls'Bubble Tea
Bubble Tea is available in many little bars or stands, and most of them are located in the districts where young people stay, as Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya... or Takadanobaba, where I tasted it in a little shop which is between the eponymous station and Waseda University: Sweet Pearls. This little shop, whose colorfull sign reminds us that it is more adapted for girls and couples, lets us buy Bubble Tea not only to drink them in it but also to take them away. There are also some meals (mostly colorfull ramens) but I have not tried them yet, as the prices seemed a little big compare to the size of the meals (between 650 et 750¥ for one bowl).
Haunted by the idea of tasting this beverage that many people had tried to introduce to me before, I entered into this shop at the end of the afternoon, a sunday, with a friend of mine. The room was pretty empty. We both ordered a Bubble Tea (with some difficulties, as the menu is only available in katakanas (japanese)) but our two drinks did not look like each other at all: My friend's one was cold cocoa with Tapioca bubble and mine's was hot matcha with tapioca bubbles too. Indead, it is possible to choose, not only the flavour of your drink but also the heat of it and the presence of tapioca bubbles... but, without these bubbles, it is not bubble tea anymore, isn't it ? Both drinks cost 300¥ and were made with flavoured milk. I do not think that the shop had drinks made with fruits or only tea, but I cannot assure so.
Sweet Pearls'menu
Once we paid our drinks, we settled ourselves at the very collorful back of the shop, to wait our glasses. There are two little round tables made from iron, as on a beach, and others little places against the wall. Even if it can be weird at the beginning, you will quickly find out that it is really considered as normal to go alone to restaurants in Japan. The capacity must be around 10 people but I have never seen it full while I live very close to it and see it almost everyday.
Our drinks arrived very quickly and we began our tasting. First sip, first surprise. To drink milk flavoured Bubble tea is almost like drinking sweet hot milk. My matcha drink was really sweet while the cacao's one was a little more bitter. The liquid was green, tasty. And these little bubbles were... Mmm... The straw is wide enough to suck one up: so you put your straw at the bottom of your glass and, cautiously... you take a glup, this time. Second surprise. It is soft, kind of sweet but bitter than the beverage. It is difficult to explain exactly the consistance of it. If you know Japanese habits, it looks like bubble of mochi. If you do not, then... I would say it seems to be a piece of bread after being plundged during a long period of time into a soup.
Well. The description est a little difficult to make and the beverage is better than it seems when you read this comment, I assure you. It is really sweet. Maybe to much, by the way... It can become a little nauseating at this end and do not think of the amount of calories that it contains. I must be as high as the one of Coffee Shops like Starbucks. But as the number of sodas is really reduced in Japan and as tea is the only beverage you will drink during all your stay appart from water, you can try the surprising drink ! V(^_^)V
Marièke Poulat
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