Is Bubble Tea Really Tea?
Invented in Taiwan in the 1980s, bubble tea is a sugary, creamy beverage. Countless sweet flavors and variations have emerged over the last few decades. Now, you can find shops that serve these drinks in every American city. Bubble tea is made with milk, sugar, tea and chewy tapioca pearls. Notice where tea falls in the list of ingredients.
The lesson: Love bubble tea? Treat it as an indulgence.
Is Bubble Tea Healthy?
Like a sweet latte, bubble tea is full of sugar, fat and calories. Bubble tea’s base ingredients might not sound bad on their own, but they’re often laden with sugary syrup, sweeteners and artificial flavors. Tea quickly loses its nutritional value with all of these additives. It might start with a tea base, but bubble tea isn’t a healthy way to consume tea.
Those little pearls also contain starchy carbohydrates—and we’re not talking about the nutritious, fiber-rich kind of carbs! When you factor in flavored syrups and processed ingredients, a single 16-ounce serving of bubble tea can contain a staggering 400 calories. Keeping the comparisons in the ‘indulgence’ category, that’s about the same caloric load as a large brownie or two Pop-Tarts, but packed into a single drink. Yikes!
We offer an alternative to the fruity, sweet bubble tea in our remarkable Raspberry Tart Green Tea. It’s every bit as tasty as bubble tea, but without all the calories and with none of the weigh-in-day regret.
Do you fall for the creaminess of bubble tea every time? Try our buttery, packed-with-goodness Toasted Caramel Rooibos.
What About Cheese Tea?
Another Taiwanese treat that starts with tea is Cheese Tea. Imagine a rich Gyokuro topped with an even richer layer of thick, creamy and sweet cheese. What’s in this “cheese?” It’s a whip of cream cheese, whole milk and whipping cream to achieve that buttery smooth and creamy texture.
It’s a fun trend! But trying cheese tea once is probably enough for most people’s nutritional profiles. If you’ve tried cheese tea already and you like the sweetness (but not the way it tips the scale), check out our natural, decadent dessert teas instead. Our dessert teas are packed with so many honest, rich flavors that you don’t even miss the sugar—we promise. Plus, these dessert teas just may help you curb your sugar intake and replace sugary drinks and calorie-laden mocha drinks. Your favorite jeans will thank you!
A few more of our favorite healthy, low-cal alternatives to bubble tea and cheese tea include:
Rich and chocolaty Salted Coconut Truffle Black Tea
Sweet n’ sour (and delightful) 50-50 Delight Orange Creamsicle Black Tea
Decadent and chocolaty Chocolate Cake Honeybush
Bright and velvety Blueberry Muffin Hibiscus Fruit Tea
Creamy and bold Caramel Cream Yerba Mate
Check out our blog for more info: Beat sugar cravings with Dessert Teas.
Enjoy!
