Taipei, for all it’s splendour and tall buildings is easily the worst city in Taiwan to visit. I based myself in Shinying and indeed it was in lonely, unattached Shinying where I first sample Tapioca Tea. The city of Shinying in Taiwan will always rank highly with me as it was here where I was revived and rejuvenated. From day one in Shinying, I found myself drinking Tapioca Tea by day (and beers at night).Why did I become obsessed with Tapioca Tea in Shinying?
What is Tapioca Tea?
It’s a cold milky tea with bit of what I call “tapioca” nestled at the bottom. It is normally bought in Asia – Taiwan and Hong Kong are particularly fond of this. It is most often drank through a straw in a sealed plastic cup and the tapioca is commonly left at the bottom. It is normally served from street vendors and specialized tea shops throughout Taiwan and Hong Kong and there are parts of China and Macau who also serve it.
What flavours can you get?
Tapioca Tea has spread its wings into many different flavours. Don’t be surprised to find vendors selling over 20 different types. Having tried a few of them, my top three are the original one (milky tea and Tapioca), strawberry (which is more like milkshake than tea sometimes) and mint (I’m a sucker for anything green) however the range of offerings is seemingly endless…
Jonny Blair is a self confessed traveling nomad who founded and blogs at Don’t Stop Living. He sees every day as an adventure. Since leaving behind his home town of Bangor in Northern Ireland ten years ago he has traveled to all seven continents, working his way through various jobs and funding it all with hard work and an appetite for travel. Don’t Stop Living, a lifestyle of travel’ contains over 1,000 stories and tips from his journeys round the globe. He wants to show others how easy it is to travel the world, give them some ideas and encourage them to do the same but most of all he aims to constantly live a lifestyle of travel. He is currently based in Hong Kong and on Twitter @jonnyblair.
