bubble tea

noun

: a sweet drink of Taiwanese origin that in its basic form consists of tea mixed typically with milk or fruit syrup and small balls of tapioca

Cross the street and enter Ten Ren Tea … for a cup of bubble tea. An Asian drink made of tea and tapioca, it can be served hot or cold.

—Tamara Best, New York Sunday Times, 22 Nov. 2009

Bubble tea originated in Taiwan and in the past decade has become a favorite Chinese treat. Imagine a spoonful of pea-sized round tapioca "pearls" mixed with tea, milk, or juice in many delicious combinations.

—Ellen Freudenheim, Queens: What To Do, Where To Go (And How Not To Get Lost) In New York's Undiscovered Borough, 2006

Word History

First Known Use

1993, in the meaning defined above

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