Bubble tea is widely believed to have originated in Taiwan. Bubble tea, also known as boba tea, has multiple origins stories.
Hand-shaken Tea
After working as a mixologist in a bar in Taiwan under Japanese rule during WWII, in 1949 Chang Fan Shu opened a tea shop selling unique shou yao (hand-shaken) tea made with cocktail shakers. He created a tea that was shaken in a martini mixer to create a foamy surface. This tea was called shou yao and served cold, but it was a luxury item that most Taiwanese people couldn’t afford until the 1980s economic boom.
Chun Shui Tang
In the 1980s, Liu Han-Chieh, the founder of Chun Shui Tang tea room in Taichung, began serving cold tea after seeing how the Japanese served cold coffee. The idea was popular, and the company’s product development manager, Lin Hsiu Hui, is said to have invented bubble tea in 1988 when she added tapioca balls to her tea during a meeting. The drink was well-received and added to the menu.
Hanlin Tea Room
Another claim to inventing bubble tea comes from Hanlin Tea Room in Tainan. In 1986, Tu Zonghe, the owner of the tea room, added tapioca balls, or fen yuan, to green tea after noticing them at a local market. Tapioca balls are a traditional Taiwanese snack that Zonghe remembered from his childhood.
