Getting a refreshing drink of bubble tea after school can be an instant mood-lifter. But have you ever wondered where your delicious drinks come from?
Bubble tea is immensely popular across the globe. What started out as a street food, has become a worldwide sensation enjoyed by many. However, it did not gain popularity overnight. Bubble tea originated from Taiwan back in the 1980s and was first served at a small tea stand. The owner of the tea stand started adding different fruit flavourings to her tea and her creation became a huge hit. Tapioca pearls were later introduced by Liu Han Chieh, a small tea house owner. He started adding pearls into some of the favourite drinks on his menu. These pearls were made from tapioca starch from an extract of the South American cassava plant.
#Fun fact: its addictive texture is known as the QQ texture!
In the beginning, bubble tea was primarily made with creamer. Fewer toppings were offered, and the flavours, made with syrup, were limited. Therefore, bubble tea was also a lot cheaper at a low price of under S$2.
Seeing the positive response from consumers, other tea store owners began mixing and coming out with trendy looking drinks, attracting the eye of the public, especially the younger generation. Store owners started promoting their drinks on different social media platforms to reach a wider audience. They also encouraged consumers to post selfies with their drinks on their social media accounts as a way of advertising for their store. With social media gaining more popularity at that time, it is no surprise that the demand for bubble tea also started to soar!
Bubble tea first made its place in Singapore when Bubble Tea Garden opened its doors at Marina Square in 1992. Back then, the beverage was a favourite among Chinese-speaking students who probably already knew about the origins of the drink from Chun Shui Tang tea house in Taiwan. It was initially served in cocktail glasses and it was necessary for consumers to dine in to enjoy their beverages. However, it did not grow popular instantly.
It is said that the bubble tea craze came in three waves:
1992 – 2003: At this point Each – A – Cup had 51 outlets
2007 – 2013: Big bubble tea brands like KOI and Gong Cha entered the market
2018 – now: Bubble tea is gaining more popularity in Singapore due to social media, resulting in the rise of new brands.
To date, there are approximately 62 different brands of bubble tea all across Singapore. In Tampines alone, there are already 14 different brands! Such brands include KOI, GongCha, R&B Tea, THE ALLEY, and many more!
Undoubtedly, Bubble tea has become a popular household drink in Singapore. When the circuit breaker was first introduced, some queued for 2 hours just to get themselves a cup of bubble tea to satisfy their cravings. Singaporeans enjoy bubble tea to the extent that they would not mind paying a high price for their favourite cup of bubble tea.
“(It) depends on the store, if it’s like HeyTea then I wouldn’t mind spending like $10 on their Grape Cheezo, but (the) average I spend is around $5 per cup, I won’t pay more than $10,” said Denise Oh, a student from Temasek Polytechnic.
As bubble tea became more popular, many companies came up with more variations of it. Some even went to the extent of including cheese in their drinks. However, the most successful variation would be the brown sugar bubble tea.
“I really like brown sugar milk tea because I have a sweet tooth and there’s the taste of brown sugar when I bite into the pearls,” said Summer Tan, another bubble tea enthusiast.
Tiger Sugar was the company behind the all so famous brown sugar milk tea, further increasing the bubble tea craze. Seeing the crazy demand for brown sugar beverages, many bubble tea chains started implementing brown sugar in their drinks, coming up with different variations of it.
Some must try variations include: Brown Sugar Boba Milk with Cream Mousse,
Brown Sugar boba with Milo and even a Brown Sugar Boba ice cream!
Bubble tea continues to be a phenomenon today. Unlike other trends, instead of becoming less popular as time passes, bubble tea continues to reach out to a wider audience. Many new bubble tea chains can be seen making their appearances in Singapore.
So the next time you drink your bubble tea, take a moment to appreciate where it came from!
By Ng Kai Li, Terlyn & Shanmuga Prathaa
