Milk tea has become an extremely popular drink around the world in recent years. Also known as bubble tea or boba tea, milk tea is a tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan in the 1980s. It consists of tea (usually black tea, green tea, or oolong tea), milk, and chewy tapioca balls called boba or pearls. While traditional milk tea is mixed by shaking the drink in a cocktail shaker, many bubble tea shops now use machines to blend the ingredients together.
So should you shake milk tea yourself at home or in a cafe? There are some pros and cons to consider when deciding whether or not to shake milk tea by hand.
Pros of Shaking Milk Tea
Here are some of the potential benefits of shaking milk tea:
- Mixes ingredients together – Shaking vigorously blends the tea, milk, boba, and any other ingredients so they are evenly distributed.
- Produces froth – The shaking motion aerates the milk, creating a foamy frothy layer on top.
- Brings out flavors – Agitating the ingredients releases more of the aroma and flavors, resulting in a more intense taste.
- Fun and engaging – Adding showmanship and interaction by shaking table-side can enhance the drinking experience.
- Traditional technique – Shaking by hand is how traditional boba shops originally prepared the drink.
So shaking milk tea can blend everything together well, give it a nice frothy top layer, intensify the flavors, and provide an enjoyable show if making it in front of customers. It’s also staying true to the traditional origins of the drink.
Cons of Shaking Milk Tea
However, there are also some downsides to shaking milk tea:
- Labor intensive – It takes time and effort to properly shake each drink by hand, which can be tiring for the person making numerous drinks.
- Inconsistent results – The amount of shaking and frothiness may vary between different preparations and shake-makers.
- Can over-froth – Too much aggressive shaking can make the drink overly frothy.
- Spilling risk – Shaking by hand runs the risk of spilling or splattering the drink if not done carefully.
- Difficult for bulk orders – Shaking many drinks during a rush can slow down fulfillment of large orders.
The manual effort and variation in the end product when shaking by hand can be negatives to consider. Over-frothing, spilling, and slowing down service for big orders are also potential pitfalls.
Alternatives to Shaking Milk Tea
Instead of shaking milk tea, many modern bubble tea shops use machines and methods like:
- Electric shakers – Automated electric cocktail shakers can vigorously mix drinks consistently.
- Blenders – Commercial blenders quickly blend all the ingredients together into a smooth drink.
- Mixing machines – Specialty bubble tea mixing machines combine ingredients and add toppings.
- Pre-made mixes – Using pre-made powdered mixes allows quickly stirring together drinks.
- Frothers – Foam frothers can be used to top pre-made drinks with frothy milk foam.
Machines allow efficiently producing consistent results and avoiding spills or splatters. But the tradeoff is losing the human handcrafted nature and showmanship of shaking by hand.
Considerations by Milk Tea Type
Whether to shake or use machines may also depend on the specific type of milk tea:
| Milk Tea Type | Shake? |
|---|---|
| Classic milk tea | Should be shaken to properly blend and aerate |
| Fruit milk tea | Shaking can crush delicate fruit pieces |
| Creamy milk tea | Better to use blender or mixer to emulsify cream |
| Iced milk tea | Shaker or blender to evenly distribute ice |
More delicate drinks with fruit or cream may be better made with a blender or mixing machine than vigorous shaking.
Conclusion
Shaking milk tea by hand has some advantages like blending ingredients, creating froth, and showmanship. However, it also has drawbacks like being labor intensive, inconsistent, and risky for spilling. Using electric shakers, blenders, mixing machines, and frothers allow efficient production of consistent milk tea drinks while avoiding spill risks. Ultimately, the choice depends on the specific drink, customs of the tea shop, and preference for handcrafting versus automation.
Both traditional hand shaking and modern machine mixing can produce delicious milk tea. As long as the ingredients are high quality and balanced well, milk tea can be enjoyed whether shaken by hand or blended by machine.