It goes by many names: bubble tea, boba milk tea, pearl milk tea. In Chinese, 珍珠奶茶 (Zhēnzhū nǎichá)，波霸奶茶 (bō bā chá)，泡泡茶 (pào pào chá).
The satisfying chewiness of the pearls, the flavor of the tea, the iconic bubble tea straw are all elements that enhance the experience of drinking bubble tea. But how did this drink become such a quintessential symbol of Taiwanese culture?
Taiwan: The Roots of Bubble Tea
It began in Taiwan, in the early 1980s, when the founder of Chun Shui Tang teahouse, Liu Han-Chieh, came up with the idea of serving tea cold after seeing coffee served cold in Japan. Then, at a team meeting in 1988, Liu’s manager, Lin Hsiu Hui, combined feng yuan (粉圓), a Taiwanese dessert containing the tapioca pearls essential to today’s bubble teas, a into a cup of Assam tea.
In an interview, Lin said, “Everyone at the meeting loved the drink and it quickly outsold all of our other iced teas within a couple of months — even after 20 years on the menu, bubble tea makes up 80-90% of our sales and Taiwanese are proud of this home-grown drink.”
Maintaining its popularity
Bubble tea has maintained its popularity for more than two decades after its invention, thanks to the versatility of the beverage. Nowadays, the three most basic aspects of a simple bubble tea are the pearls, the sweetness, and, of course, the tea, can be changed, along with many other elements, such as the sweetness, which one can adjust from 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. Additionally, one can change the type of milk; at Boba Guys, a franchise located in New York City , one has a choice of organic, soy, or almond. One can even substitute boba pearls for grass jelly (凉粉). The possibilities are truly endless.
Consequently, its versatility enables the drink to take a multitude of innovative forms, some with viral trends such as the iconic Tiger Sugar striped bubble tea, in which a sugar syrup coats the walls of the cup and forms “tiger stripes” from outside. As bubble tea constantly evolves, its popularity ever so increases.
Making bubble tea at home
In truth, making bubble tea from scratch is a laborious process. After making it for the first time, I’ve decided it’s worth it (or at least that’s what I tell myself). It might seem difficult and a job only for professionals, but it’s worth a try. Maybe on a snow day or a weekend, give it a try.
If you wish, cook along with me as I make bubble tea for the first time 🙂
Sources:
A Brief History of Boba https://www.foodandwine.com/syndication/queen-elizabeth-twinings-tea
Bubble tea quest in Taiwan: How did it start?
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/bubble-tea-inventor/index.html
It’s Quali-tea: how Boba Became a Craze
https://journal.businesstoday.org/bt-online/2019/its-quali-tea-how-boba-became-a-craze
Bubble Tea Purveyors Continue to Grow Along with Drink’s Popularity
I Made Homemade Boba Sugar Milk Tea from Scratch
How to make Milk Tea at Home
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My video:
I got bubble tea about three times within the break because I just love it so much. I couldn’t imagine bubble tea not in my life because every time I hang out with my friends, I need to have bubble tea. Thanks for informing me of how to make it and about it’s history!