History of bubble tea: how boba, born of a staff competition in Taiwan, became a global phenomenon
- Created in Taichung, Taiwan in the 1980s, bubble tea is a mix of milk tea, tapioca pearls and syrup
- It spread through Asia, gaining popularity and then exploded across the United States
Vancouverite Christopher Cheung was nine when he took his first sip of bubble tea. The mango-flavoured milk tea filled with “really chewy” balls was given to him by his aunt during a family dinner; but the youngster was less than impressed.
“It was very orange looking and it was the first time I’d ever seen the black tapioca pearls. The mango tasted really fake … like artificial flavouring that you would find in confectionery,” says Cheung.
Almost two decades on, the journalist is a diehard bubble tea fan, having sampled it at almost every tea shop in the Canadian city. The 26-year-old slurps down the drink at least once a week, and even made time for a cup on his wedding day.
Bubble tea, also known as boba tea, and zhen zhu nai cha in Mandarin, is a highly caffeinated and sugary drink made from tea, milk, syrup and its instantly noticeable large black tapioca “pearls”.
Listen to the Eat Drink Asia podcast: the story of bubble tea
Subscribe or listen via Spotify or Stitcher - coming soon to iTunes
