bubble tea in calgary

We generally see bubble tea in Calgary as depicted in the top photo, but check out how it comes to a table in Asia. Yuuuuummmmy! I mentioned on fb that I have become a bubble teaer of late. In my search to replace food with liquid meals, I have rediscovered bubble tea. It has been popular around here for quite a few years, but I have not been interested until now.

What I have found is that I am becoming obsessed with bubble tea. The way some people crave cappuccinos, that is the relationship I am developing with these bubble teas. I think about them all the time. While I sleep, work, and play.

This is what I have found so far: Bubble tea is supposed to consist of yam-based tapioca pearls, tea, ice, and cream, much like the more authentic picture here. The problem is that around here, they make bubble tea for westerners. So some people skimp on the tapioca, and make what is basically a slurpee of powdered fruit-flavoured sugar, and ice, which they pour over sweetened pearls.

In my bubble tea quest, I have found some great places and some terrible places to get bubble tea in this city. The worst place by far is Buddah's Veggie restaurant on Macleod. The pearls have a strange hard consistency and the drink itself is watery and overly sweet. I didn't drink it, even though it was $4.25. The Bow River Vietnamese Restaurant is close to work on Heritage and Elbow, and the food there is great. The bubble tea is tasty. They put lots of big, soft pearls in it, soaked in maple syrup (yum), and the drink, while made from flavoured powder, is blended beautifully for a refreshing, icey, satisfying flavour. The thai Pho place on Macleod and 42nd across from the World Health where I work out has fairly abysmal bubble tea. They don't know how to do the pearls propery and they stick together. Although they do have the jelly option. While jelly is delicious, it gets stuck, even in the giant bubble tea straws.

China Town has multiple places with really great bubble tea, served in massive to-go cups. The one problem is that WHO WANTS TO DRIVE DOWNTOWN just to get bubble tea? $15 in parking? No, thanks.

So, my solution so far is The Calgary Farmer's Market. There is a Vietnamese booth there that makes amazing bubble tea in all sorts of varieties. They have the powdered stuff, they have the iced tea and iced coffee variations, but the menu item that I like best are their REAL FRUIT bubble teas. They come in a variety of flavours, including lychee, mango, watermelon, avacado, and others. They use TONS of soft and delicately sweetened pearls, and you can order extra for just 50 cents, should you be a pearl fanatic, like me. And of course, they use real fruit and green tea instead of flavoured powder for $5.25. That's just $1.00 more than most places charge for the powdered drink!

I love them. Love them. I have been known to order two at a time. Every time I go I try a different flavour, so I can see them using the real fruit. The only problem? The damn market is only open Thursday - Sunday, so Monday - Wednesday you have to go find inferior bubble tea elsewhere.

I must face the fact that, like most things, bubble tea would likely be best made in my own kitchen. Any day now I am off to superstore to buy tapioca. My students assure me that it is the only way to go, and they usually know what they're talking about.