What is Bubble Tea?

Bubble Tea is a unique and refreshing beverage that is revolutionising the way we drink tea. After first finding popularity in 1980s Taiwan, Bubble Tea is on its way to becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Sometimes known as Boba Tea, Pearl Milk Tea or Zhēn Zhū Nǎi Chá, it is served with a thick straw so you can chew on the delicious tapioca pearls that rest at the bottom of the dome-shaped cup. Bubble Tea gets its name from the blending and shaking process, allowing the floating bubbles to form at the top of the drink.  

HISTORY OF BUBBLE TEA

While the exact origins of Bubble Tea has retained a certain mystery over the years, it is commonly agreed that it was first invented in Taiwan. In 1988, in the Chun Shui Tang teahouse in Taichung, owned by teashop alchemist Liu Han Chieh, his product development manager, Ms. Lin Hsiu Hui, experimented by dropping tapioca balls into her Assam iced tea before drinking it. They knew instantly they may have struck gold as all the staff members fell in love with the drink. Before long, their new invention was outselling every other iced tea on their menu.

The rapid growth in export of food from around the world meant that it wasn’t long until Bubble Tea became accessible for Asian communities in countries such as Canada and America. Despite at first being dismissed as a short-term novelty drink, it has long since proven its longevity. Bubble Tea can now be found all over the world, as it shakes up the beverage market and just like the bubbles, rises to the very top.