Bubble tea, otherwise known as pearl milk tea, QQ or boba, recently has become an integral part of Los Angeles. In Southern California, it is most commonly known as bubble tea or boba, but it is popular throughout the world under many names. From The Boba Truck to the numerous boba places on Sawtelle Boulevard, LA is permeated by stores that are popping up to sell delicious milk tea and tapioca balls in all sorts of flavors and variations. It is hard to drive for any length of time in the city without running into another place to grab a cup and that characteristic extra-thick straw.
The appeal of boba comes from its unique and sweet taste and the many variations in which it comes. Boba has become so popular that there is a line all the way to the door at 10 p.m. on a Monday night in LA at popular boba shop Volcano Tea House. Even on Pepperdine’s campus, boba can be found more and more often as organizations learn to capitalize on the growing trend, selling it for fundraisers.
However, for all the popularity that boba has, not many people seem to really know what is in the tasty drink that they can’t stop buying or why it is often called bubble tea. Even fewer people seem to know where boba came from.
Bubble tea consists of a black or green tea or a coffee base. Milk is optional, as are many fruit flavors. Bubble tea often has small chewy tapioca balls, called boba, in it but these are also optional and come in different sizes. Tapioca is also not the only chewy substance that is sometimes added to bubble tea. Jelly, egg pudding and other more solid substances can also be added to the drinks. The most common bubble tea drink, however, is milk tea with boba.
While the tapioca balls that are often in milk tea are nicknamed boba, the name bubble tea does not in fact come from the tapioca balls. The name bubble tea refers to the foam that appears, containing little bubbles, when the tea is shaken.
Boba originated in the ‘80s in Taiwan. Since that time it has spread across Asia and is now popping up all over the United States. The actual originator of bubble tea is unknown, though there are many claims to the title. In Taiwan, bubble tea is as popular as coffee is here in the United States.
Moreover, it is a worldwide franchise, centered in Asia but quickly spreading across the globe. There are hundreds of bubble tea shops in California alone. While some areas of the country are still relatively boba free, there is no shortage in the LA area –– the city is boba obsessed. It is easy to find lists and lists online of the “best boba” in LA, created by people who have tried an exceptionally large amount of teas. The most well known of these aficionados is Steven Cong, a UCLA student who self-professedly is searching worldwide for the best boba, and posting his findings on his Tumblr, “#bobaholic.”
Bubble tea is becoming a part of culture here in America, as it has been for a while in Taiwan and other parts of the world. It’s a fun, almost addictive drink that is a refreshing alternative to coffee, and for many people, it is as much about the experience as it is about the tea. Drive into LA at night and visit Sawtelle Boulevard. Try Cocos or Volcano Tea House. Once you take your first sip of milk tea, you’ll be craving another.
Follow Tara Jenkins on Twitter: @jenks_tara
