If you’re a religious follower of veganism, perhaps you’re already accustomed to asking virtually everything that you eat if it’s vegan or not. And while this may irk or startle someone, the reason behind it is triggered by your loyalty to the ideology and the practice itself.
However, nothing is more irksome than being stuck in a place or an indecision whether the one you are about to take is vegan or vegan-ish. This uncertainty is present with the question that frequently visits most vegan forums nowadays - is bubble tea vegan?
Our discussion today will solely focus on attempting to answer that query (or at least shed light on it!). We’ll try to describe first what bubble tea is and later on, we’ll see if this checks out on the ground rules of veganism.
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So, What Is A Bubble Tea?
When I first came across with the term “bubble tea,” I immediately thought that the tea must have some “bubbles” in them. To much of my surprise, it did not. Thankfully though, these bubbles are just a fancier name for the pearls that they include in the milk tea or pearl milk tea.
Your prized bubble tea has two main ingredients: the tea (or essentially the milk tea itself) and the bubbles, of course. These bubbles or pearls may vary depending on its availability in your location. Strictly, these bubbles are what they call now as “tapioca pearls.” Today, most consumers would go after for other alternatives such as puddings, chewy gum, or even seeds. But just to digress here, did you know that bubble teas originated from Taiwan? I’ve always associated this tea with Japan for some reason.
Meanwhile, it is known that shops would often use different kinds of teas in their bubble tea. The black milk tea is the deemed as the most used one.
This is made with the regular black tea. You may have also come across with roast milk tea — the one that is done of course with a roasted black tea.
Via teavana.com
Among the other liquids that can be mixed with bubble tea are the flavored black teas, the flavored or the non-flavored green teas, the slushies, the smoothies, and the flavored milk. The flavored milk is essentially the one without the tea.
Via recipes4us.co.uk
You bubble teas are most often dished as cold beverages. It can be presented with ice or blended ice or both. On the other hand, bubble tea can be served as a heated drink too.
As such, they can either be served as frothy milk tea, the one that is shaken, or a regular milk tea that is served with ice.
Bubble teas are also dished up either as a traditional or a more traditional type of tea flavor. The traditional ones are usually those with sweeter and creamier flavor while the more traditional ones are leaner and has that kick of a straight-up tea.
Veganism Defined
Veganism is defined as both the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products especially in your choice of food and a philosophy that dictates the rejection of the commodity status of animals. If you either follow this diet or philosophy then you might as well call yourself a VEE-gen. Meanwhile, “dietary vegans” does not only refrain from consuming animal products but also eggs, dairy products, along with other animal-derived substances.
Via foodandnutrition.org
There is also the practice “ethical veganism” in which the follower often applies to not only follow a vegan diet but propagate the philosophy behind it. As such, this belief is involved in their lives, opposing the use of an animal for any purpose whatsoever. And then there is environmental veganism in which the animal products are avoided on the premise that when they are harvested or are subjected to industrial farming, they become damaging and unsustainable environmentally.
A vegan diet usually consists of soy, plant milk, cheese, mayo, and the egg “replacements.” It does not include beef, pork, poultry, fowl, game, seafood, dairy, and any other animal products.And as we have defined bubble tea and veganism respectively, we can at least now have a response to that query earlier: Is bubble tea vegan?
Is Bubble Tea Vegan?
The answer is yes and no. It all boils down to the ingredients that these tea shops would use. There are shops that serve bubble tea that is dairy-free while others would prefer serving ones with dairy in them. On the other hand, there are just those shops that serve a real tapioca without gelatin and such. As it goes, veganism in bubble tea varies from place to place.
The key to this is to ask questions or read the labels on their menus, just like a normal vegan would. There is no shame there; you just want to be loyal to your practice or belief after all.
Did you find the article helpful in your search for this perennial question that is still debated today? If you think I may have missed on something crucial in our discussion, please feel free to sound them in the comment section below. Until then, enjoy your vegan bubble tea!
