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T Tea

Pictures by Chaimi Design

Pearls & Tea Transformation Before mentioned pearls are all traditional pearls, of
which the major ingredients are relatively natural (made
Traditional Pearls → Instant Pearls → Freshly Made from tapioca or starch). However, pearls will be easily bro-
or Natural Ingredients ken when being boiled if the degree of liquid and time are
Taiwanese were familiar with pearls even before the not accurately controlled. What’s more, traditional pearls
appearance of pearl milk tea. Pearls are often made from will harden if temperature drops. As a result, eat them as
starch or tapioca and at first were all white. The black early as possible, or add ice cubes before drinking the tea.
pearls we see today contain caramel or black tea to enhance Boiled pearls can only be eaten within 2 to 4 hours. Conse-
sweetness. A famous snack in Taiwan Shilin Night Market quently, upstream manufacturers invented instant pearls by
called “Frog Eggs” is actually boiled pearls with sweet adding chemical ingredients in order to lengthen their shelf
water or creamer. It’s called “Frog Eggs” because the life, reduce cost and make them more customer-friendly, for
center of boiled pearls is a little white, which makes pearls the sake of rapid development of tea houses.
look like frog eggs.In 1991, inspired by Tangyuan’s fillings, In recent years, with the rise of awareness of healthy
someone put red bean paste into pearls. This has later become eating, customers have become inclined to choose natural
a famous snack in Yilan, Taiwan called “Filled Pearls”. Its food. For example, recently famous brand Tigersugar adopt-
stewing and boiling is complex, and people often have it with ed local ingredients and started boiling pearls with freshly
Tofu pudding or shaved ice. made black sugar. Another brand “Wan Zuo Shi Cha” allows

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