The Origins of Bubble Tea: How Taiwan’s Favorite Drink Took the World by Storm

What do a glamorous Hong Kong icon, a failed entrepreneur, and a botched military campaign have in common? They all played a role in the creation of bubble tea, one of Taiwan’s most beloved beverages that has recently made waves once again, thanks to some heated comments from actor Simu Liu.

Liu, who is of Chinese-Canadian descent, raised eyebrows during an episode of the Canadian reality show Dragons’ Den (the Canadian equivalent of Shark Tank). Two Quebec-based entrepreneurs were pitching their version of bubble tea when Liu interjected, pointing out their misunderstanding of the drink’s true nature. Liu, known for his role in Marvel’s Shang-Chi, made it clear that bubble tea wasn’t just a “sugary drink,” as the entrepreneurs described it, and took issue with their attempt to “improve” it.

But this incident is just the latest in a long line of debates surrounding the history of bubble tea. The drink’s origins have been the subject of controversy for decades, and the story behind its creation is far more complex than most people realize.

From “Foam Tea” to Bubble Tea

Bubble tea, also known as boba tea or black pearl tea, is a Taiwanese classic that became a global sensation in the 21st century. Despite the wide range of variations available today, the drink’s basic formula consists of tea, milk, and bubbles—small chewy balls that can be made from tapioca, fruit jelly, or other ingredients.

In 2024, the bubble tea industry is expected to be worth between $2.4 billion and $3.6 billion globally, and it shows no signs of slowing down. But how did this sugary, chewy drink come to dominate the world?

It actually has roots in the 1940s.

The First Steps Toward Bubble Tea

The origins of bubble tea go all the way back to the 1940s in Taiwan, during a time when the island was still under Japanese rule. In 1949, a man named Chang Fan Shu opened a tea shop after working as a mixologist in a Japanese-owned izakaya (a type of bar). Chang started using cocktail shakers to create shou yao, a kind of hand-shaken iced tea that produced a frothy, silky layer of bubbles on top. This frothy drink was known as foam tea, and it became a hit in Taiwan.

Even today, shou yao (the art of shaking tea) is an essential part of what we know as bubble tea. Without the shake, there’s no bubble tea.

This was a revolutionary idea at the time. Cold drinks were rare in Taiwan, and the concept of drinking for pleasure was still in its early stages after the war. Over the next few decades, Taiwan’s love for refreshing, cold drinks continued to grow.

As Taiwan’s economy boomed in the 1980s, more and more people began to indulge in tea and other cold beverages, spurring the rise of tea shops. Tseng Pin Tsang, a Taiwanese food historian, explains that the economic boom during this time also led to an increasing demand for both packaged tea products and independent tea shops.

The Birth of Bubble Tea

In 1986, Tu Tsong He, a Taiwanese artist and entrepreneur, decided to open a tea shop of his own. After a previous business venture—a hot pot restaurant—failed, he found himself deep in debt. Desperate for a fresh idea, Tu visited the Yamuliao wet market in Tainan, where he saw fenyuan (tapioca balls), a traditional snack he loved from childhood. He thought it would be a good idea to add these chewy tapioca balls to his tea. The white tapioca balls, when brewed in green tea, looked like pearls, so he named his creation “zhen zhu lu cha” or “pearl green tea.”

To make the tea even richer, Tu experimented by adding larger, black tapioca balls to milk tea, resulting in the famous bubble milk tea that we know today. The larger tapioca balls were so big they wouldn’t fit through the straws of the time, so Tu worked with a plastic factory to create custom straws for his tea.

Tu’s first bubble tea shop, Hanlin, opened in October of 1986. It was an immediate success, and the steady revenue helped Tu pay off his debt. Today, Hanlin has 80 locations across Taiwan and franchises in countries like the U.S., Canada, and China.

The Debate Over Who Invented Bubble Tea

While Tu is widely recognized as the man who popularized bubble tea, he wasn’t the only one claiming to have invented it. Lin Hsiu Hui, the product manager at the popular Taiwanese tea shop Chun Shui Tang, insists that she was the one who created bubble tea.

In 1988, Lin was attending a staff meeting at Chun Shui Tang when she poured some tapioca balls into her Assam tea just for fun. She ended up liking the result, and thus, bubble milk tea was born at Chun Shui Tang. Lin’s version of bubble tea was also a hit, and Chun Shui Tang remains one of Taiwan’s most famous tea shops today.

Conclusion

So, while the true origins of bubble tea may be up for debate, there’s no doubt that it has become a global phenomenon. From its humble beginnings as foam tea in the 1940s to the creation of bubble milk tea in the 1980s, Taiwan has had a significant influence on the development of this delicious drink. Today, bubble tea has taken over the world, with countless variations and flavors enjoyed by millions of people worldwide.

And as Simu Liu’s comments on “Dragons’ Den” show, bubble tea’s cultural significance is still very much alive, sparking discussions about its origins and cultural ownership. Whether you’re sipping a classic milk tea or trying out a new variation, one thing’s for sure: bubble tea is here to stay.