Best Drink of the Century
Brown Sugar Boba Milk drink is one of the best drinks concocted on earth.
I don’t know about you but everyone around me (from young to old) seems to be craving for bubble tea every now and then. I have colleagues who need their weekly dose of boba in order to survive the tough working week. Even those from the Merdeka generation were curious to find out what the hype over this overly sweetened drink is all about. Some eventually fell in love with it and whenever there is a bubble tea order in the office, they will be one of the first to place their order.
What’s so magical about this drink?
Many years back in the early 2000s, bubble tea was also a trendy drink which first appeared in Taiwan. The combination of black tea with milk and sticky chewy tapioca pearls was a hit with many people.
During that time, I believe that people were more into the tapioca pearls than the drink itself. The moment you add pearls into the milk tea, it turns into this cold refreshing dessert. With every sip of the milk tea, you get to chew and savour the pearls.
Boba VS Pearl
Fast forward to today, the bubble tea trend is back with various type of drink combinations and toppings. First, there was Cheese tea and now, there is Brown Sugar Boba milk. Other than pearls, there is the introduction of boba. In essence, pearls and boba are the same things except that boba is bigger than pearls. Since they are bigger, they are essentially chewier and stickier in texture.
When Brown Sugar ‘marries’ Milk
Moreover, when boba are cooked in brown sugar syrup, they become even softer and chewier. It tasted almost like jelly but more ‘bouncy’ and chewier. In addition, with every bite that you take, the fragrant taste of the caramelised brown sugar is released and it becomes such a treat when it mixes with fresh milk.
Magic happens when the warm toasty brown sugar boba interacts with cold fresh milk. Bam! As you sip on the drink, you can taste that burst of aromatic flavours that explodes in your mouth. Like any good solid coffee, there are several layers of flavours to this drink. The flavour profiles include caramel, cream, chocolate and other flavours that all marry nicely together to excite our tastebuds.
So why Millenials, in particular, are obsessed with this drink?
1. We find it simply yummy!
Do I still need to go on further about how delicious this drink is? It’s one of the best drinks invented in this decade. Thanks to ClassPass, Fitbit and commercial gyms, we are able to work off those extra carbohydrates after work.
2. Chewing those boba helps us to destress
As a millennial myself, one of the most enjoyable thing about drinking brown sugar milk is being able to chew on the boba. This chewing motion helps to exercise the jaw and release tension in our facial muscles. You might not be aware of this but somehow there are times we crave for something to chew on, like gum or candy, to keep ourselves awake and relax. So, the next time you crave for bubble tea, you could actually be craving for something to chew on. Aren’t we like babies in a way?
3. We need a pick-me-up or energiser, besides the usual coffee or tea.
When does the boba craving usually kicks in? It’s usually mid-day or in the late evening after meals. Instead of going straight for the usual coffee or tea, we would prefer something refreshing like bubble tea for that ultimate sugar rush we need to energise us. But thank goodness, the drink doesn’t taste overly sweet (even though it has a lot of sugar in it!) due to the addition of milk which balances the sweetness out.
4. It’s cheaper than Starbucks.
You can get the decent Brown Sugar Boba milk from LiHo for $3.80. A more premium type of brown sugar boba drink will costs you around $5 or so. It’s still cheaper than a cup of Hojicha Latte or frappucino from Starbucks. I mean, we millennials are also working really hard to save money for our future.
5. It looks ‘instagrammable ‘.
Sad to say, we are living in this age where we value anything that looks
They would first coat the sides of the cup with the brown sugar boba and syrup then fill the cup up with milk. Just before serving, they will add a cheese foam. Then, sprinkle a layer of brown sugar and torch it to create this caramelised sugar crust on top of the foam.
The bigger question to ponder about is, when will this bubble tea bubble burst? What comes next after Brown Sugar Boba milk? Needless to say, brown sugar boba milk is high in sugar. Why not go for less sugary bubble tea-like drinks like Herbal Mint Milk tea with grass jelly? There’s always a healthier choice.
Till then, I am still in the hunt for the best brown sugar boba milk. My favourites are RnB, LiHo and Xin Fu Tang.
