Milk tea, boba milk tea, and pearl milk tea are all names used to described the same thing. In San Francisco, this drink is famous, especially amongst Asian-Americans. Becoming a craving for some, a routine for others, and a treat for many. Because so many people drink it, it should be good to get some facts down on it!
Let’s start with some history, a subject that people probably like more than math and are usually interested when it’s about something they love. I'd assumed most people would probably be interested in the history of boba. Moving on—the concept of milk tea with boba began in Taiwan in the 1980s, at least that’s the most accepted story. During a meeting of a teahouse (Chun Shui Tang teahouse to be exact), a female employee/product manager dumped her desserts of sweetened tapioca pudding into her iced tea. This was the beginning and first stepping stone into the
the Origins
stone into the development of the drink known as boba milk tea. “The drink was very well-received by the people at the meeting and was later included into the menu.” This piece of line can be found on wikipedia but it follows the story that is told all around of the origin of milk tea. Before this incident came, there was the creation of iced tea (which also plays a role in the modern boba milk tea). The founder of the same teahouse was very interested in how the Japanese served cold coffee and wanted to apply this concept to serving tea. Props to this teahouse! The origin of the name “bubble” and “pearl” have different origins. Some people say that the “bubble” would have originated from the tapioca, others not but the “pearl” part of the name definitely originated from the tapioca. In several areas of China, milk tea with tapioca is called 珍珠奶茶. The “珍珠” part literally translates into “pearl” and 奶茶 into milk tea. On the other hand, the origin of “bubble” milk tea or rather it’s root version, “bubble” tea is due to its preparatory method. The tea was made in a cocktail shaker, and having lots of bubbles/foam in it led to its nickname. Honestly, I believe this theory to be more accurate but that’s just my own opinion.
The Naming