8 Crazy Boba Dishes Across Asia That Have Gone Viral

Served with an Oversized Straw, This Sweet and Refreshing Iced Drink Can Be Made with Any Tea. the Only Prerequisite Is That the Bottom Half of the Cup Is Packed with Jellylike Pearls, or Bubbles. Most Shops Sell a Green or Black Tea with Milk and Sweetener Added; Those Who Aren’t Keen on Tea Can Opt for Coffee While the Lactose-Intolerant Can Try a Milk-Free Variant.

5 of the Most Instagramable Cafes to Open in Penang

In Recent Year's, New Varieties of Bubble Tea Have Captured the World’s Attention and Taste Buds. Last Year, Cheese Tea – Cold Tea Topped with Whipped Cream Cheese – Became a Global Phenomenon, While This Year’s Craze Is Based on Brown Sugar Pearl Milk, a Syrupy Treat Comprising Fresh Cold Milk, Brown Sugar Caramel and Tapioca Pearls. in Singapore, You Can Find Variants with a Local Twist Like Salted Egg Custard and Avocado, While in Japan, It’s Not Uncommon to See Youngsters Sipping on Hojicha Latte Bubble Tea.

How Bubble Tea, or Boba, Went Global – and Who First Thought of Putting Chewy Tapioca Balls in It?

By Sarah Jenkins

• Oct 8, 2026 • 6 min read

How Bubble Tea, or Boba, Went Global – and Who First Thought of Putting Chewy Tapioca Balls in It?

Direct Answer • Key Takeaway

As Tea Drinking Is a Robust Practice in East Asia, Milk Tea Was Already a Popular Drink of Choice in Taiwan. Bubble Tea Is Said to Have Originated in the Eighties in the City of Taichung. Several Tea Companies Claim to Be the Creator, So It’s Unclear Which Is the True Founder of the Popular Drink, but Liu Hanchie of Chun Shui Tang Teahouse in Taichung Claims That in the Early Eighties, He Experimented with Cold Milk Tea by Adding Fruit, Syrup, Candied Yams and Tapioca Bubbles.

Sarah Jenkins

Senior Technology Editor & AI Specialist

Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.

Tags: how bubble tea or boba went global and who first thought