Is Boba Halal? (Bubble Tea)
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Boba tea, is a milk and tea drink that has tapioca pearls in it. Boba or bubble tea have grown in popularity in recent years. With bubble tea shops popping up on every corner, it’s natural to wonder if boba is halal or haram. Is boba halal? Let’s find out.
Is Boba Halal?
Yes, boba tea is halal. Almost all the ingredients used to make bubble tea are halal and permissible in Islam. The vast majority of boba around the world is halal and contain no animal or haram ingredients. Tea, without a doubt, is halal to consume. Being that it is halal, you’ll have no worry about whether you should be consuming this or not.
When looking at the full list of boba ingredients, there is nothing that raises concerns. In fact, it proves that boba tea is naturally and halal-friendly.
For something to be halal, it has to be made using a process and ingredients that are halal.
Generally, bubble tea is made of up a tea base, milk or creamer, sweetener and tapioca pearls (boba pearls).
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Here are the ingredients most commonly used in making bubble tea:
Tea: Obviously bubble tea is made with tea and tea is naturally halal. With very few exceptions, tea is not something you have to worry about its halal status.
Milk: Milk is naturally halal, and many boba tea shops let you customise your milk selection.
Syrups: Flavored syrups are commonly used to sweeten boba teas. A gluten-free simple syrup of white sugar and water is commonly used. When you get into the processed syrups, you may find ingredients like malt (barley) which is also halal.
Tapioca Balls: The black tapioca balls found inside any bubble tea drink are halal-friendly. They are typically made from tapioca starch, which comes from the cassava root and is a vegetable.
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Fruit: All fresh fruits are halal by nature.
Ice: Plain ice has is halal.
As you can see, ordinary bubble tea has no haram-containing components. Yes, this indicates bubble tea is halal-friendly.
Is Popping Boba Halal?
Yes, popping boba is halal. Popping boba, also known as Popping Pearls, is a type of “boba” used in bubble tea. Unlike traditional boba, which is made from tapioca, popping boba is made through a spherification process using sodium alginate and either calcium chloride or calcium lactate.
When you squeeze a popping boba, the surface is slick and gel-like, with juice inside that bursts. Boba is commonly made with water, sugar, fruit juice, or other flavors, as well as the components required for spherification.
It’s used in smoothies, slushies, and as a topping for frozen yogurt, as well as in bubble tea to replace regular boba. It is halal because it is made entirely of plant materials.
Some of the most popular flavours of popping boba are mango, strawberry, green tea, honey melon, pomegranate, blueberry, and kiwi.
Why Boba Tea Is Halal?
Shaykh Muhammad al-‘Uthaymeen said: the basic principle concerning all foods and drinks is that they are permissible unless there is evidence to show that they are forbidden, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“He it is Who created for you all that is on earth. Then He rose over (Istawa) towards the heaven and made them seven heavens and He is the All-Knower of everything”
Surah al-Baqarah 29
And because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “What I keep quiet about is permissible”.
If we do not know that this thing is haraam, either from a clear statement [in the Qur’aan or Sunnah] to that effect or because it comes under a general shar’i prohibition, or by proper analogy that dictates that it is haraam, then it is halaal.
This is the basic principle concerning food, drink, clothing and customs.
Conclusion
If you enjoy boba and bubble tea, we hope this article has helped you decide whether or not this is a halal beverage to include in your diet. Boba is naturally halal-friendly, and most bubble teas are also considered halal.
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