Bubble tea is popular with tea drinkers and those with a sweet tooth alike. It tends to gain a lot of attention for its colorful appearance. However, bubble tea didn’t just pop up out of nowhere. It has been gaining popularity with a global audience for decades.

What Is Bubble Tea?

Bubble or boba tea is a beverage made with tea, milk, and sugar, then mixed with chewy, black tapioca balls. The sweet, caffeinated beverage is part tea and part dessert. It’s served in a clear cup so you can see the tapioca and tea’s hue, along with a large, colorful straw. A wide array of flavors are available, from mango to matcha.

Origins

Bubble tea originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s. Chun Shiu Tang in Taichung first started serving iced milk tea as a variant of iced coffee. Then Lin Hsiu Hui, the product development manager, had the idea to add fen yuan, a tapioca pudding, to the tea. The tapioca balls are the so-called “bubbles” or “boba.”

Hanlin Teahouse in Tainan also claims to be the original birthplace of bubble tea. Their founder included white tapioca balls in his drink, which led to the term “pearl tea.” The tea house still serves the white version to this day.

The beverage gained popularity with young people throughout Taiwan, and eventually made its way through the rest of East Asia in the 1990s. It gained more of a worldwide fan base when boba tea stands started popping up in the U.S. in the 2000s and has been steadily growing ever since.

If you’re interested in trying bubble tea, head to Wave Tea in Honolulu, HI. The tea shop offers a wide array of specialty beverages, including boba, milk, matcha, and fruit-flavored teas. With more than a decade of industry experience, the team of trained tea mixologists uses fresh, natural ingredients in their beverages. The shop also offers a private parking lot and free Wi-Fi so you can enjoy a comfortable visit. Call (808) 591-8668 to ask about menu options and specials.