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ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Will Tapioca Pearl Tea Conquer Starbucks?
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:53:44 PM)
n 30 years a single Starbucks cafe in Seattle's Pike Place Market has spawned 4,700 attitude-packed locations worldwide. Its secret? Taking the Italian espresso bar and fitting it to American values by upsizing cups and downsizing chichi. How successful has that been? Starbucks has replaced McDonalds as the bladder break of choice for discriminating panhandlers and savvy cabbies.
A more evolved brew?
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But no sooner had cultural pundits and standup comics retooled their schticks for an Italian-roast future when from the mysterious east (Taiwan, to be exact) emerged an unlikely challenger.
Some call it tapioca pearl tea. Others call it bubble tea, or even boba (mama's breast) tea. The "pearl", "bubble" and "boba" refer to tapioca starch balls typically the size of the plumpest, most expensive salmon roe you've ever seen. They are usually the shade and translucence of beluga caviar but also come in an array of rainbow colors -- or are even colorless. They settle several layers deep at the bottom of an ice-cold cup of sweetened milk tea -- or any flavored beverage from lychee or mimosa to coconut. They are served in clear plastic cups with a fat 1/2-inch-diameter straw. The moment of truth is when the first sip rolls up the straw and you feel, along with the beverage, one or more pearls invading your mouth. It's an alien sensation -- and that's half the fun. The other half is chewing them while swallowing the drink.
Since 1999 cafes selling pearl tea have been mushrooming in every major Asian population center in the U.S. on the heels of hundreds of bubble tea parlors that have opened in Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia and China. The explosion of boba shops has made the Starbucks growth seem downright sober. Boba tea was first concocted around 1988 by a Taipei street vendor for sale to a local clientele of grade-school kids. The kids loved it. So did their elders. By the early 90s the craze had swept the island and spilled over into Southeast Asia. In about the time it took for Starbucks to open its 17th location, tapioca pearl tea became the beverage of choice for tens of millions in a dozen Pacific Rim nations. And their enthusiasm is very very catching.
The sheer fun of sipping a visually and sensually oddball beverage is an important part of it, but other factors may explain its legs. Tea is healthier than coffee, and milk tea is far healthier than the rich concoctions served up by Starbucks and similar establishments. Even the tapioca bubbles are a healthful component made from cassava roots which actually supply modest but significant amounts of iron and calcium. Some even consider tapioca a promoter of regular bowel movements.
Is boba tea destined to wean the world of its coffee addiction? Or is it just another crazy teen fad?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
This is a response for Former Ch-exan:
The bubble tea in San Jose is made
mostly by Chinese-Americans who
don't know much about Bubble Tea.
In Houston many of the Bubble tea
shops are owned and operated by real
Taiwanse. So, the tea you get in Houston
is very authentic compared to the
fake crap in San Jose.
I also believe that Bubble tea will
overtake the Starbucks craze, it is
just a matter of time. Who can resist
milk tea with those pretty Tapioca
balls lying on the bottom of the cup?
Also, bubble tea has more caffeine
per volume than expresso. So, you
surely get a fix from bubble tea.
I hope one day to open up a bubble
tea shop and start my own. I am currently
learning how to make it from several of
my Taiwanese friends.
Enjoy the tea, it is here to stay.
Cheers,
-MSW
M. Westerhoff
Monday, November 04, 2002 at 16:26:28 (PST)
[129.115.28.206]
Boba is like really cool... Most of my friends love it! Ü It would be sad if Starbucks started to make boba. Then all the little shops might have to close down b/c more people might go to a Starbucks. :(
boba luver in ca
Tuesday, October 29, 2002 at 14:43:22 (PST)
[66.27.204.147]
starbucks got nothing on tapioca...TAPIOCA IS THE BEST!!!hmmmm... has anyone ever tried all the flavors?
jAy
JaYzKrAzY@aol.com
Saturday, October 26, 2002 at 11:18:51 (PDT)
[172.194.17.7]
Tapioca Milk Tea w/ Pearls is a great refreshing drink like other tea around the world. The coldness of it PLUS the fun chewing bubles will make "everyone" enjoy his/her drink from the start to the last sip. The taste of sweetness is not too much, it's just "PERFECT" for our normal taste. If you'd like more sweet for our drink, just ask them to add more sweetener-they'll do it immediately and you'll have a PERFECT refreshing tea drink. The milk is not too much for you to worry of gaining weight!! Try it, you'll like it and will try it again next time!! Thanks, tea.
su in Irvine, CA
Saturday, October 26, 2002 at 09:27:48 (PDT)
[67.193.244.99]
Hey all-
I used to drink coffee before... even Starbucks mixed ice drinks... but as soon as I tasted bubble tea... =) No more Starbucks for me... ever!! The stuff is so good. If Starbucks introduces it, it will be very sad since all the cute lil shops will close down. I go to one that has a nice atmosphere to sit in, eat a bite, play cards and sip my bubble tea... The good life! Plus I think Asians specialise in this drink and they should be the ones making it since they can make it best! I'm not racist or anything, I'm not even Asian... just my opinion!
Keep on drinkin'! ^_^
((Bubble))
Wednesday, October 23, 2002 at 19:26:04 (PDT)
[216.221.34.148]
Someone mentioned that Starbucks may offer boba teas of their own in the future. Watch they get credit for it and claim bobas to be their own invention. All it has to do is give it another name. A plus would be the convenience of having a boba at your nearest Starbucks.
boba pearl
Wednesday, October 23, 2002 at 18:46:48 (PDT)
[151.199.55.31]
Boba tea is great! I hope it will help stop the rpaid and unchecked spread of Starbucks. Personally I think Starbucks is overpriced and overhyped.
AnotherBoba Fett
Monday, October 21, 2002 at 13:35:19 (PDT)
[24.87.48.192]
Boba is ok but I had mango. I think toffee would be a better choice.
albiyes
Monday, October 21, 2002 at 00:14:06 (PDT)
[68.98.93.175]
I had my first boba tea drink. It was chocolate flavored. It's the most delicious refreshing drink and not sickeningly sweet. I actually liked chewing the tapioca pearls because it brought special texture to the drink. This is just the beginning for boba tea. It's popularity will explode across the country.
i want my boba fix
Friday, October 18, 2002 at 11:39:06 (PDT)
[151.199.54.254]
I would like to open a tapioca cafe in houston because I think there is too many cafes in southside. By the way no Im not asian. Most cafes are owned by asians and I would like to change that a little.
hispanic tapioca lover
Thursday, October 17, 2002 at 19:27:58 (PDT)
[66.25.8.168]
There is no way that boba will overtake coffee, especially in America. Coffee has a rich heritage, and was already a well-established addiction for millions of people. All Starbucks had to do was make people realize how much better their coffee was than the stuff their offices were brewing to convert them.
Boba Fett
Wednesday, October 16, 2002 at 13:33:50 (PDT)
[66.171.45.6]
Yeah, I think boba tea is great, there's just something cool about chewing and sipping at the same time. Hey, does anyone know places that serve relatively cheap boba tea in Portland (oregon, not maine)
person
Saturday, October 12, 2002 at 22:03:55 (PDT)
[216.26.62.130]
Boba tea is a great beverage. I see it as a nice cool-yourself-off-on-a-hot-day kind of drink.
It's gaining so much popularity.
Boba rocks.
Boba forever
Friday, October 11, 2002 at 23:39:47 (PDT)
[68.7.123.59]
Hank Lewis:
True, all those places you mention are great, but I guess as a student, I'm still on the prowl for a great studying atmosphere as well. Mientje's in Rice Village made THE BEST mochas I've ever had, AND was small/quiet enough to read in, even when they were packed. That's hard to find elsewhere. And of course, they closed because they couldn't keep up with the new Starbucks. As a result, I ended up going to boba places(!) to study, but since they're all 25 minutes away, I can only afford to do that once a week.
Ah well, at least I'll graduate and probably be leaving Houston in May :)
boba lover in houston
Thursday, October 10, 2002 at 16:22:04 (PDT)
[65.65.182.128]
Boba Lover in H-Town:
You're probably right about Starbuck's messing up Boba if they started serving it. However, some of their blends (Christmas, Anniversary, Gazebo and Sumatra) are pretty good, though a bit pricy.
Not all of the great local coffee-houses in Houston have closed though:
Dolcé & Freddo has locations all over town
Empire Café, Brazil's and Cezanne's in the lower Westheimer area are all still open as well.
Not to mention all the Vietnamese Ca phe shops all over Westside Chinatown and Little Saigon. In fact, I think I'll go get some ca phe sua da now.
Hank Lewis
Thursday, October 10, 2002 at 05:59:32 (PDT)
[161.159.4.35]
To Hank Lewis:
I know Starbuck's doesn't serve it, but I certainly hope they DON'T add it to the menu. Since they've taken over the coffee world, my favorite coffeehouses have all closed down - they just can't compete with mass marketing. Personally, I think their coffee stinks and is way overpriced. For that reason, I hope Starbuck's NEVER enters the tapioca market!
boba lover in houston
Tuesday, October 08, 2002 at 14:13:54 (PDT)
[65.65.182.128]
boba is the next best thing and i believe it will conquer starbucks.
fresno- boba drinker
Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 23:02:33 (PDT)
[129.8.213.2]
H-Town Boba Lover:
Yes, there are already Starbuck's everywhere, but they don't sell Boba Tea... YET!!! I'm just suggesting that they may want to add it to their menu.
In the meantime, I'm going to Suzhi Teahouse at the Metropole Centre across from my neighborhood for a Strawberry Milk Bubble with extra Tapioca pearls...
Hank Lewis
Tuesday, September 17, 2002 at 06:01:42 (PDT)
[161.159.4.21]
and one in paris too
lucky_dog
Monday, September 09, 2002 at 03:53:33 (PDT)
[216.194.7.214]
there are already starbucks everywhere - i've seen them all over europe and japan.
boba lover in houston
Friday, September 06, 2002 at 12:53:28 (PDT)
[64.158.37.249]
Maybe Starbuck's will start selling Boba Tea or Boba Coffee to get a share of the market...
Hank Lewis
Tuesday, September 03, 2002 at 11:02:35 (PDT)
[161.159.4.35]
A recent article in Business Week stated that since Starbucks has saturated the American market, it is going to open foreign stores. It has already opened a store in Tokyo which has become very popular, as well as in Vienna. Within five years there will be a Starbucks in every major city in the world.
Starbucks- taking over the Earth
Tuesday, September 03, 2002 at 09:14:36 (PDT)
[206.34.216.7]
i'd love it if boba drinks conquered starbucks... but i remain sort'f doubtful that that'll happen... but we can only try our best, eh?
beno hwang
Sunday, September 01, 2002 at 22:45:24 (PDT)
Having lived in Taipei for two years, I would say that yes, pearl milk tea/boba tea will catch Americans' attention. Hopefully, this will even open up a market for the plethora of other, even more delicious fruit drinks and tea concoctions from Taiwan and all of Asia. And, hopefully, the market for boba tea will expand to the point where one doesn't have to pay Starbuck prices for a cup of the magnificent "pearls."
bryan boba
Sunday, September 01, 2002 at 20:19:44 (PDT)
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