Originating in the 1980s, the story of boba starts in the tiny traditional tea shops of Taiwan. These shops used to sell cold tea, a popular beverage back then, which later got an additional ingredient added — the boba pearls. These instantly became a hit and soon spread across the globe.
Popularly known as zhēnzhū nǎichá in Taiwanese, which translates to ‘pearl milk tea,’ boba is made mainly from tapioca starch and sugar. These tasty treats are now popular around the world and have multiple flavours to go with the drink of your choice.
Who started it?
Bubble tea as we know it today originated nearly four decades ago. Two tea houses, Chun Shui Tang in Taichung and Hanlin Tea Room in Tainan, claim to have invented the drink in 1986.
While it is impossible to confirm either story with certainty, the two tea shops were once involved in a ten-year lawsuit over a fierce ownership dispute. The court ultimately decided in 2019 that the inventor of bubble tea is irrelevant because it is not a patented product.
Multiple stories
While bobas have been embraced as a Taiwanese creation, the battle of who actually invented it continues. The Chun Shui Tang tea room in Taichung claims they made the drink after experimenting with the same randomly during a meeting. Since the drink became a hit in the meeting, it was decided that the same would be added onto their menu in the late 1980s. It is also said that the founder was inspired by cold coffee and decided to create cold tea as well.
The other claim comes from their competitor, the Hanlin Tea Room in Tainan. According to them, the owner of the place was inspired by the white tapioca balls in sugar that were being sold in a local market. He then used these in tea to create the pearl tea. Even though the stories are still not proven, it is fascinating to know the history behind these cute little drinks that we all adore and run behind.
Did you know?
In Taiwan, bubble tea has evolved from a simple beverage to a timeless symbol of the country’s culinary and cultural heritage. In 2020, Taiwan officially declared April 30 as National Bubble Tea Day. The picture of bubble tea was also suggested as a substitute cover design for Taiwan’s passport that same year.
Staff rolling the dough for making the fresh tapioca bubbles at a bubble tea shop in Tainan, Taiwan.
| Photo Credit:
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Forms of boba
Another form of the same, called ‘popping boba,’ is also available. Unlike traditional boba, which is chewy, these are spherical balls with a thin jelly skin filled with a flavoured liquid. When bitten into, the skins burst, releasing the flavour. This skin is made from a process called spherification, often using sodium alginate and a calcium solution, while the liquid is typically fruit juice or syrup of various flavours. Popping boba is typically used in bubble teas or slushies (the non-milk version uses the same more).
How to make boba!
Let’s learn how to make this fun Asian drink with tapioca.
Ingredients
1 cup tapioca starch (aka tapioca flour)
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup water
Steps
Boil half a cup of water and brown sugar each. Stir in ¼ cup of tapioca starch until thick, then add ¾ cup of starch and knead into the dough. Adjust with starch or hot water as needed. Roll the dough into a small ball (boba size) and dust it with a little starch to prevent sticking.
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, add boba, and stir gently. Boil for 20–30 minutes until soft and chewy, turn off the heat, and let sit for 15–20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
In a small pan, simmer half a cup of water and brown sugar until slightly thick and add the cooked boba while simmering for another 5–10 minutes.
Take a cup of milk tea or any other flavoured drink you like and add the boba with the syrup. Stir together and taste.
niranjana.ps@thehindu.co.in
Published – July 04, 2025 02:11 pm IST
