Bubble tea, or boba tea, is a drink from Taiwan that is best known for its chewy tapioca pearls, or boba. In this article, we will do a deep dive into the origins and history of the drink and its meteoric rise to global popularity.
The History of the Ingredients
In the 16th century, cassava root came to Asia through the Columbian Exchange with Portuguese and Spanish traders, who planted it in their colonies in the Philippines, Indonesia, and other places in Southeast Asia. The starch was extracted from the root and was made into tapioca flour. It was introduced to the Chinese through the Hokkien people and was made into tapioca pearls, nicknamed “frog eggs” and put into shaved ice.
On the other side of things, in 2737 BC, a servant accidentally created an infusion out of water with tree leaves accidentally swept in, and herbalist Shen Nung drank it, making the first tea and tea drinker. Fast forward to the 17th century, milk and sugar has been added to tea by Dutch colonizers in Taiwan, making milk tea. This has grown into variants of milk tea, such as Hong Kong Milk Tea, Thai Milk Tea, and tea with other tea brews, such as green tea, oolong tea, and assam tea.
The Beginning of Bubble Tea
The true origins of bubble tea was disputed between various Taiwanese companies. In fact, there was a lawsuit between two companies for the true credit of “creator of bubble tea! One popular tale credits a Taiwanese tea house called Chun Shui Tang. The company’s product development manager, Liu Han-Chieh, in 1988, decided to dump tapioca balls in her tea during a meeting and encouraged others to try it. It was very well received by other staff members and was put on the menu. It has been the best selling drink ever since. The drink had ever-rising popularity and spread to other Asian countries such as Mainland China, Japan, Vietnam and Singapore. But there was one country we know and love where bubble tea’s infectious popularity spread–the United States of America.
The decade after, Taiwanese immigrants came to parts of California and opened restaurants there. They started to introduce bubble tea for their restaurants. It can be traced back to a food court in Arcadia and a restaurant called Fantasia Coffee and Tea. Chains like HappyLemon Quickly, and Tapioca Express emerged in the late 90s and 2000s in California. It also spread to the Northeast and Southwest with chains like Boba Tea Company from Albuquerque and Kung Fu Tea from Flushing (yay!), New York.
Boba Basics
Now, although you just read about it, some may not know what boba is. So, I’ll run you through the basics!
There are many popular bubble tea chains such as the aforementioned HappyLemon and Kung Fu Tea. Some others are Xing Fu Tang from Taiwan, known for their house-made boba, Coco Fresh Tea and Juice, known for their widespread global popularity, and surprisingly, even Starbucks sold boba for a limited time. But remember, not all bubble tea stores are created equal.
If you’re a newbie to bubble tea, you might not know how to order. Here’s a list of three helpful steps!
Drink Type. Some boba stores offer numerous types of drinks, so be sure to choose the one you desire, whether it be milky or fruity. It varies for each store! Some types include Bubble Milk Tea, Mango Green Tea, and Taro Milk Tea.
Toppings. The toppings at each store vary, but most definitely have tapioca pearls, or boba. This also includes jellies (grass jelly, lychee jelly, etc.), custard pudding, milk foam, popping boba and more! You can order more than 1 topping.
Sugar and Ice Levels. Most stores offer levels of sugar and ice. Levels include Half (50%), Less (75%), Regular (100%), and More (120%).
I hope this was helpful or you learned something new about bubble tea! Thanks for reading!
