Boba bliss: How bubble tea became the most popular drink of 2023

Whether you call it bubble tea, boba tea, or pearl tea, the chewy tapioca pearls are the main reason behind the hype around this drink.

While first-timers may have divided opinions after trying the beverage or biting into the tapioca, bubble tea is generally a much-loved beverage among Gen Z.

Today, boba tea comes with different toppings and innovative flavors, giving the classic recipe a modern twist that also resonates with Gen Z's taste preferences.

Origin of Bubble Tea

Boba tea's story of origin unfolds in Taiwan during the 1980s. The drink was introduced when Lin Hsiu Hui, a product manager at a tea shop, dropped her sugared tapioca dessert into her tea. It tasted so delicious that the tea recipe was included in the shop’s menu. The beverage gained immense success and fame and soon, other tea shops started adding tapioca pearls to their teas.

Understanding Tapioca

The boba pearls are made from cassava starch, a root vegetable native to South America. These tapioca pearls do not have a particular taste of their own, but when steeped in sugar syrup, they take on a sweet taste. Some boba drinks also contain popping boba which when bitten, release a burst of sweet flavours.

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Unveiling Bubble Tea

The tea is known as 'boba' because the term is Taiwanese slang for breasts. So what exactly is boba tea? It is a chilled milk tea containing large tapioca pearls that are sipped through a wide straw. They are also available with a fruit-flavoured juice, slushy, or smoothie base.

Gen Z's Influence

Gen Z has brought boba to the forefront of beverage innovation and now it’s just a part of their lives. According to a survey conducted by the food ordering app Grubhub, bubble tea was the 17th most popular food item among Gen Zers in 2020.

Interestingly, Bubble tea has also become popular on social media, with the hashtag #bubbletea having over 2.2 million posts on Instagram as of March 2023. The average consumption of bubble tea is six cups per person every month.

Boba's Surge and Global Appeal

Data published by Expert Market Research shows that the size of the global bubble tea market reached $2.79 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach a value of around $4.29 billion by 2028.

The number of boba shops across the globe has seen a major hike. The Asia-Pacific Bubble Tea market is the biggest and keeps growing. Even in India, major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru have several bubble tea cafes that offer delectable flavours and combinations.

Health Considerations

According to experts, boba tea should not be consumed on a regular basis as these tapioca pearls are made of starch and are actually harder to digest. The amount of sugar you drink along with your boba tea can pose potential risks too. Consuming high levels of sugar has been linked to serious health complications like obesity, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline and cancer.

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