Boba, Bubble Tea, Pearl Tea... It's all good.

Aside from shaved ice, another iconic Taiwanese dessert that is known worldwide is Boba, aka Bubble Tea, aka Pearl Tea.

Milk Tea with chewy tapioca. It's something you can have at any time of the day. And it's something you want to have at all times of the day.

Every tea house or tea chain has their own formula for the milk tea and for the texture of the tapioca. I look for a deep black tea, yet smooth and milky taste that's not at all bitter and just slightly sweet. As for the tapioca, I look for bouncy, chewy bites that's not mushy nor too tough or rubbery.

For something like boba, you can totally have a search for the perfect cup. In Taipei, you can happily find many nominees.

Here are a couple that are total contenders from Chun Shui Tang and 50 Lan.
(Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.)

The slideshow here runs on Flash. If you can't see it here, check out my Flickr album: Boba