Imagine dashing towards the lobby as soon as the bell rings, signaling the end of ninth period. You know there will be a large crowd gathered around the boba sale after school, and you want to make sure you get your hands on one of these highly sought-after refreshments that would both quench your thirst and satisfy your sweet addiction. You have been looking forward to this moment the whole day, and your heart pounds with anticipation. However, as you approach your destination, your face falls as you see the swarm of students ahead. You realize there would be no bubble tea for you today. Again.
You may have heard of Gong Cha, Kung Fu Tea, and Mr. Wish. You may even have these stores in your neighborhood. They are just a few of a myriad of bubble tea shops that have flooded the beverage market in recent years. They feature endless variations of bubble tea with different drink bases and toppings to satisfy every craving. It’s hard to imagine that all these colorful and tasty treats evolved from a simple, original recipe from Taiwan.
Bubble tea, also known as boba, has become a cultural sensation around the world. The term boba came from the shape of the tapioca, an integral ingredient of the drink. While it is not known who or which tea house in Taiwan first invented bubble tea, there is general consensus on the original recipe of this favorite drink. The first bubble tea consisted only of black tea, condensed milk, syrup, and tapioca balls, also known as pearls. The two tea houses that are thought to have first come up with this combination are Chun Shui Tang and Hanlin Tea Room. The founder of the former was said to have experimented with adding tapioca as toppings to enhance his drink offerings. The owner of the latter discovered these pearls when he witnessed a grandmother at a local market adding these starch balls to her confections.
As bubble tea gained popularity in Taiwan, it spread quickly to neighboring countries such as China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Later on, it arrived in the Americas and Europe with Taiwanese immigrants who brought their cultural traditions with them. It was first introduced in the United States by Taiwanese restaurants in California. Soon after, it rapidly diffused throughout the country, with numerous bubble tea shops popping up in towns and cities, which quickly built a large following.
In our own community, boba also has a huge fan base. It is often featured in Great Neck South High’s club fundraisers. “We have not really done a sale without boba as a product,” said Isabella Jiang, Model Congress treasurer. Cravings for bubble tea, however, do exhibit seasonal variations. It is especially sought after during the warmer months.
While bubble tea may have started out as a simple creation, it has grown to encompass a wide variety of flavors and toppings. Herbal jelly, almond jelly, popping bubbles, red bean, and egg pudding are just some of the toppings you may have noticed in people’s boba drinks. Furthermore, flavors such as brown sugar, taro, and matcha are among some of the most popular orders. Sophomore Madison Wong particularly enjoys the brown sugar variety since “it’s really sweet. I love eating sugar or drinking sugar!”
Boba has also inspired other desserts, such as ice cream, popsicles, and mochi. However, these new additions do not seem to top the attraction for the original bubble tea. “They’re not bad tasting per se, but it’s not like the first thing I reach for,” notes Isabella, who prefers the authenticity of the original product.
While bubble tea has become widely popular in the U.S., , not all believe that Americanized boba flavors are better. Even though they often incorporate fruity or exotic flavors such as ube, there seems to be less focus on the quality of the essential ingredients. For instance, in Taiwan, store owners prepare their own tapioca in their kitchens to be freshly served. In contrast, most US shops import tapioca from Taiwan, which can take around three months to arrive! By then, the tapioca has lost most of its sponginess, flavor, and shape. Stores such as Tea Pulse and Molly Tea are trying to revive traditional Asian flavors by focusing more on authentic tea bases and reducing the milk and topping components. Isabella adds, “That’s more interesting to me [because] they’re more willing to innovate with their drinks” and “keep up with the trends from [Asia].”
Boba has come a long way from its simple roots as a homemade drink composed of black tea, a dash of milk, and some tapioca pearls. In the decades since its creation, it has spread all over the world, offering innumerable combinations of flavors and toppings. It would be interesting to see how boba will continue to evolve and delight fans with new and delicious selections. As Madison shares, “I thought that the boba looked really cool, the tapioca pearls looked really nice, and then it tasted really sweet. I remember it was like, wow!”
