What is Wintermelon Milk Tea? – A Refreshing and Sweet Beverage
Wintermelon milk tea, although refreshing, isn’t made with snowballs, icicles, or anything else you might associate with the winter season! Invented in Taiwan, bubble tea cafes worldwide have endeavoured to stay true to the tastes, traditions, and preferences of their native homeland.
Alongside other popular bubble tea flavors and ingredients, wintermelon is a unique and classic flavour that can be seen peddled throughout the streets of its native Asia.
With Baroness Bubble Tea now established in Canada, we’re so excited to introduce and share this popular drink with bubble tea lovers looking for something that’s subtly sweet yet completely refreshing!
Want to learn more about wintermelon milk tea, the benefits that winter melon has, and how Baroness Bubble Tea makes the best wintermelon milk tea in Canada?
Let’s learn more together!
What is Wintermelon?
Winter melon, scientifically known as Benincasa hispida or as the wax gourd, is a type of gourd that has its origins in Southeast Asia. Winter melon needs a warm, temperate climate in order to thrive, and despite its frosty name, it does not tolerate frost at all!
Commonly grown during the summer and autumn months, the source for this melon’s seasonal name comes from its long shelf life. When stored properly, wintermelon can be stored for up to four months and was commonly eaten during the cooler months of winter when other vegetables and fruit were scarce.
Another reason for wintermelon’s cool name comes from its appearance. When immature and unripe, the fruit’s surface is covered with fine, fuzzy hairs that resemble snow. Once it begins to ripe, the hairs are lost, and it gains a shiny, waxy sheen, which helps preserve the fruit for long periods. The flesh contained inside is also white as snow, providing further support for its unique name!
Even though it has a vegetal appearance, winter melon is, like its name suggests, a melon! This fruit is a member of the gourd family where melons, pumpkins, and zucchinis are all members. Wintermelon is commonly used as an ingredient in soups, stir-fries, and of course, bubble tea!
Health Benefits of Wintermelon and Wintermelon Milk Tea
Wintermelon isn’t just used to make winter melon milk tea; it’s also abundant in nutrients and has many health benefits!
Wintermelon is Nutrient and Antioxidant Rich
Like its cousin, the cucumber, a wintermelon is comprised of 95% water but is rich in fibre, vitamin C, and flavonoids and carotenes, two antioxidants that help protect your body against cell damage and disease. Wintermelon also contains iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and other essential minerals and vitamins.
It Can Help Digestion
Wintermelon is rich in fibre, low in carbs, and has high water content. This combination not only promotes digestion but could also help you lose weight!
Could you lose weight by drinking wintermelon milk tea? We can’t say for certain, but the high amount of soluble fibre it has can make you feel full!
Prevents Ulcers and Reduces Inflammation
Wintermelon has a long history in traditional Chinese medicine and has been used to treat various illnesses and ailments for centuries. While not all its supposed benefits are supported by science, many of its benefits are.
Wintermelon has been found to reduce stomach ulcers, reduce inflammation, and potentially protect against some kinds of bacteria and fungi.
What Does Wintermelon Milk Bubble Tea Taste Like?
Wintermelon by itself has a very mild and somewhat bland flavour when the fruit is still unripe. The taste is similar to that of cucumber – refreshing and vegetal, with a slight grass-like flavour.
When aged, wintermelon loses some of its taste and becomes slightly bland but still retains its refreshing properties. The exact flavour of ripe wintermelon is hard to describe, but many enjoy its mild, subtle sweetness.
Many in Southeast Asia and Taiwan often drink winter melon tea in the hot summer months to cool themselves down. Combining wintermelon juice with water and sugar, it’s an instantly refreshing drink that’s natural and healthier than sugar-packed sodas!
How does Baroness Bubble Tea Make it Special?
At Baroness Bubble Tea, we strive to create drinks that aren’t just worth sharing but help tell a story, too. Wintermelon is a healthy ingredient that’s beloved by many, and to do it justice, we have to give it the same amount of love that its fans around the world have for it.
We use vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free oat milk instead of regular milk for its health benefits, superior flavour, and texture.
We want as many people as possible to enjoy our bubble tea, so we oat milk instead of regular milk for its health benefits, superior flavour, and texture.
Oat milk is dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan-friendly, meaning it can be enjoyed by everyone regardless of dietary restrictions. The result is not just a drink that everyone can enjoy, but one that has a robust, well-rounded flavour that can’t be found at any other bubble tea house!
With oat milk as our base, we add premium black tea and our wintermelon syrup and fruit. Black tea has many health benefits, and its bold flavour contrasts perfectly with our fresh ingredients and array of house-made toppings.
Brown sugar tapioca pearls made fresh every morning are added to top off the drink to finish off our wintermelon milk tea. Smoky, caramelized, and chewy, they provide the perfect amount of sweetness to make wintermelon milk tea even better!
Our wintermelon milk tea is refreshing and sweet, with relaxed, subtle flavours that are sure to please!
We encourage you to come visit Baroness Bubble Tea at 2790 W Broadway, Vancouver to try wintermelon milk tea for yourself! Let us know what you think of our blog and receive 10% off your order!
We can’t wait to see you!
*Blog related discount cannot be combined with any other sale, promotion, discount, code, coupon and/or offers.