Bubble Tea - History

History

Bubble tea came into existence in Taiwan, when the beverage was created during the 1980s. Although it is not known which exact Taiwanese shop is the creator of Bubble tea, several shops are speculated to be the origin.

One possible origin is Chun Shui Tang teahouse in Taichung, where Ms. Lin Hsiu Hui (product development manager) poured sweetened tapioca balls into the tea during a meeting in 1988. The beverage was well received by the people at the meeting, leading to its inclusion on the menu, ultimately becoming the franchise's top-selling product. An alternative origin is the Hanlin teahouse in Tainan, Taiwan, owned by Tu Tsong-he. He made tea using traditional white tapioca, which has the appearance of pearls, supposedly resulting in the so-called "pearl tea". Shortly after, Hanlin changed the white tapioca balls to the black version that is seen most today. The drink became popular in most parts of East and Southeast Asia during the 1990s.

In June 2012, McDonald's McCafé locations in Germany and Austria began offering bubble tea. They offer black, green, or white tea, available with or without milk. Fruit syrups are also available, bringing the total number of possible flavor combinations to 250.