Harmless trendy drink or dangerous calorie bomb? That’s behind the hype

It’s colorful and bright and fits perfectly into today’s youth culture between TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat: Bubble Tea. The drink, which originated in Taiwan, celebrated a particularly rapid arrival in Europe, especially at the beginning of the last decade. But just as quickly as new bubble tea shops opened almost everywhere, they also disappeared again – Rumors about harmful ingredients, plastic and health risks made the rounds. But now the drink from Asia is back.

What is bubble tea anyway? Well, as the name suggests, it is mainly about the “bubbles”, that is, colorful, pearl-like jelly balls that are added to the drink. These contain special types of syrups that can be chewed in the mouth when consumed. The tea itself consists largely of green and black tea. But fruit juices, cream or milk are also mixed in from time to time. It goes even further: because the drink is offered both hot and cold.

Carcinogenic substances? That’s what the experts say

Although it has long been very widespread in Asia and is regularly consumed with meals there, the hype first came to us in 2010. The drink was very popular at the time, but it quickly fell into disrepute due to rumors about harmful ingredients. Shortly before the pandemic, the turning point: Bubble tea celebrated its comeback and is more popular than ever. One more reason that researchers take a closer look at the drink.

Like the portal Mimikama mentioned, the allegations regarding the harmful ingredients have meanwhile been unequivocally refuted. Even Deutschlandfunk writes that on closer examination of the ingredients, no carcinogenic substances were found. Nevertheless, both agree that the drink should still be enjoyed with caution, because the drink is above all one thing: s.

Although none of the investigations direct dangerous ingredients were found, it was found that a large part of the drink consists of sugar and sweeteners. The smacher acesulfame was also found, although this was often not specified.

Sugar, sugar, sugar and sweetener on top

So why you shouldn’t overdo it with bubble teas is the enormous number of calories that the “drink” brings with it. These move quickly between 300 and 500 calories and thus replace a complete meal. People who are overweight or who have a history of stress should therefore do without it. Nevertheless, with a generally balanced diet, it should not be a concern to drink a bubble tea from time to time. Of the Consumer protection nevertheless warns that children consume Asian tea. Because with a sugar content of 180 grams per liter, a risk of addiction cannot be ruled out.

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