The Milky, Murky Origins of Bubble Tea

[@papa_gowon]

TSMC (tapioca starch manufacturing company) invented bubble tea in 1987 and continue to be on the leading edge to this day.

[@Eminence_in_shadow]

Dominating markets since 1987

[@ChineseKiwi]

winning comment. And tapioca pearls even had COVID related supply chain issues too!

[@lyallfurphy]

🤣🤣🤣

[@SegaSaturnSubs]

They just keep on giving; the new 4nm pearls just have this amazing mouthfeel!

[@lokemmslokemms4294]

sounds like Asianometry alright

[@ARreymago]

I love how you mix the history with industrial processes and import logistics, to educate and entertain as a story. Never knew they came from Yuca plant, maybe my parents would try boba tea again if they knew

[@Mordecrox]

Yeah on this one hoping I get something like that "produced in argentina processed in thailand sold in us" thing, how tapioca starch is abundant but we import the pearls from SEA

[@williamboisdenghien2849]

I love how my appreciation of the book why nations fail coupled with a major in history made me appreciate the link between both to a point that is difficult to explain in a short amount of time. Basically innovation coupled with democratic institutions enabled social progress and redistributive systems. To the contrary authoritiarian government would probably fight innovations that would threathen existing monopolies and would not be adopted.

[@lancetonsow]

Several points, from my memory, could be totally wrong due to my own bias, confusion and/or misunderstanding: 1. The word "boba" was of Hong Kong origin. Too crude to come out from the main stream Chinese culture in Taiwan back then. 2. The "boba" as we know today, are actually the large version of the pearl balls, which were traditionally less than 1/2 in size. This wording is pretty easy to understand as it is what the word "boba" literally means. 3. The name of the drink in Taiwan, gradually transformed from "pearl milk tea", to "boba milk tea" as the traditional small size peal balls become less and less popular. 4. Several years before the pearl milk tea came to be, for what I know, it was initially the hand-shake beverage that became popular, especially the iced tea drinks. Due to the hand-shaking, those drink would always have a layer of bubbles floating on top. The most iconic and famous type of them, was the "bubble black tea". that's where the word "bubble tea" from. ironically, the "pearl milk tea" doesn't produce much bubble after shaking, and kind of deprived the meaning of the "bubble" in the "bubble tea" today. 5. Back then, nobody mixed solid stuff into the tea drink. Even milk tea weren't quire a thing. In my memory, the milk and pearl combo kind of came together. Also, they never really used 'milk' as milk is relatively expensive and hard to store, while doesn't taste creamy enough. They'd use coffee mate in specific. 5. the traditional pearl balls in Taiwan, were normally eaten with syrup, or soft tofu curd. 6. the mini sago became popular by the end of 80s or beginning or 90s, I have never seem them added into pearl milk tea back then. They pretty much just go with coconut milk, nothing else. 7. Given that the "pearl milk tea" was certainly evolved from the "bubble black tea", it's not impossible that the two teahouses, or even some other bubble black teahouse, developed this idea concurrently

[@davidt1831]

Adding some more points to your points, also from my memory. 1. As mentioned above, 泡沫紅/緑茶 (lit. translation 'bubble black/green tea') was the earlier fad that predated the 珍珠奶茶 (lit. translation 'pearl milk tea') by a couple years. 'Bubble black/green tea' became popular in the early 1980s while 'pearl milk tea' came into prominence in the late 1980s. 2. There is a 'drink' call 粉圓冰 (lit. translation 'powder ball ice') that is came about even earlier. 'Powder ball ice' is shaved ice in a bowl with cooked powder ball and black sugar syrup. Some vendors packaged it instead in a plastic bag with straw for ease of carry and consumption. I have wondered if the inspiration for 'pearl milk tea' came from here. 3. 'Powder ball' were originally made from sweet potato flour, but mostly switched to tapioca flour for cost, making it pretty much the same thing as 'pearl'. I think that 'pearl milk tea' is a name upgrade for 'powder ball milk tea'.

[@li_tsz_fung]

Boba was hk origined? I remember growing up in Hong Kong and Pearl Milk tea always means the big Pearl variant, until around 2015 I saw a store name it Boba and I thought it's so funny. I also couldn't believe it and people tell me it's just how they always call it in Taiwan, Pearl is the small one, and boba is the big one

[@xXxSkyViperxXx]

"boba" is originally cantonese anyways that people just took the mandarin pinyin writing from. in the philippines, nobody calls it boba still. the popular term to call it is still milk tea or bubble tea or bubble milk tea. the drink utilizing chewy pearls is unsurprising to people since theres always been cold drinks with hard chewy toppings inside for centuries, like grass jelly, sago pearls, and such. the spanish record always utilized romanized hokkien terms to call them and the street vendors were often roving chinese peddlers, such as the likes that sold hot tofu curd in cups, people now call taho itself also from hokkien.

[@MrGreghome]

@@li_tsz_fung I thought boba basically meant big tittied goth girl in cantonese until the scourge that is bubble tea that started around 10 years ago

[@samuelchiou5204]

@@MrGreghomeI believe you are right. For Taiwanese, Boba was learned from Amy Yip’s movies back to 1990s, means big tits in Cantonese.

[@yohannessulistyo4025]

Bubble tea craze spread shortly across Asia in late 1990s. They are marketed as "tea", yet the taste is more like sugary milk drinks. Then I tried actual bubble tea in Taiwan, it is a whole entirely different level for people who actually cared a bit more about "tea". A dimension that often lacks in typical Australian, Indonesian, or let alone, Singaporean and Malaysian bubble tea seller is simply freshness and thus the aroma, smell, and scent of the tea itself. Usually, the tea is heavily subdued by the sheer strength of the artificial creamer or low quality milk to the point that it is just "flavoured milk" rather than "milk tea". Plus, it is super cheap ubiquituous drink in Taiwan streets, one decent cup costing USD 1.50 - which is like 20-30% cheaper than the ones found in Indonesia, but with far better quality. It almost never died in Taiwan, I think because of how they maintain the quality standards especially with the tea, but it is kind of "on and off" trend elsewhere, especially in Southeast Asia, due to how they stick with viral trends, fads, and FOMO social media marketing to promote something they never really care to preserve or quality to maintain.

[@sk-sm9sh]

What saddens me is that sometimes I see Taiwanese chains open up in Europe and at first they have nice tea paired with bubbles. But then they realize that Europeans like to order it with so much sugar that by this time you can no longer feel the taste of tea and so soon they drop fancy teas from menu and replace it with cheapest tea they can get and infinite number of strong artificial flavours of coursed paired with tons of sugar and this way it makes much better business in Europe. In Taiwan on other hand such tea houses don't survive as people like to order low or no sugar and are seeking decent flavour from tea.

[@wheresmyeyebrow1608]

As an Australian it's crazy how it went from 1 store in my neighbourhood, then to 2, then to 4, and now in my area alone there's probably 12 different Boba Tea stores Apparently some have been closing down cause the competition is just so tight - it's amazing to see this all happen in real time

[@johnstirling6597]

You know its a thing when the shops start popping up in the local Aussi shopping centers.

[@awijaya2116]

I love the non-tech stories on this channel, adds a lot of personality to it

[@mrfarts5176]

I will never subscribe or follow his news letter.

[@AKK5I]

​@@mrfarts5176aight

[@100c0c]

​@@mrfarts5176why

[@freddy4603]

​@@mrfarts5176but it has stewed in your brain long enough for you to write this comment. The ad did its job well.

[@mrfarts5176]

@@freddy4603 Did I say it wasn't a good video?

[@AllocatorsAsia]

my prayers have been answered, Bubble Tea Breakdown lesssgoooooo

[@aryehyehudahajzenberg9503]

I have to tell you that for me it was a total surprise to know that cassava can be that toxic ! As a Brazilian, I ate tons of cassava my whole life and never knew it could be that toxic. I have to tell you that you are on your witts today: comparing the toxicity of cassava with youtube, throwing pieces of wisdom that everybody likes.... I really enjoy your videos !

[@ericraymond3734]

The origin story for milk in British tea I've heard is that early tea imports had a very harsh flavor - they were valued for their stimulant effect but milk had to be added to make the drink more palatable.

[@absalomdraconis]

​@armamentarmedarm1699 : I suspect that you have entirely the wrong century.

[@rosegreensummer]

working - almost slave - 19th c class lived on caffeine & sugar, couldn't coook (many families to one room or homeless) or afford food

[@htaukkyanmyo4437]

Cyanide compounds in vegetation can easily be hydrolyzed and neutralized by boiling in water. Many bamboo shoots, one of my favorites, can have some cyanide which again can be neutralized by boiling.

[@LucyGoosyMcLean]

As a member of the KZbin Comment Section, I agree with you about the KZbin Comment Section

[@AlecMuller]

Wow! My Taiwanese college friend introduced me to bubble tea in 1998 in southern California. I had no idea how new it was at the time.

[@lukerees281]

Love the sass you've been adding. Makes for an even more entertaining video!

[@jarjarbinks3193]

Tapioca pearls have been quite popular in India for a long time. There are many dishes made from it. One of them is a hot dessert made from tapioca pearls and milk. The story I have heard is that Tapioca pearls became popular when the import of sago pearls from SE Asia became difficult during WW2. Cassava is cultivated in South India and there are many different foods made from Cassava roots. Most of India's Tapioca pearl makers are also from the Southern part of India. Chips made from Cassava roots are also quite popular in some parts of South India.

[@jhanninnen]

We have a popular desert here in Brazil called Sagu, it uses Tapioca with wine, first time that I tried Buba it reminded me of sagu...

[@davidprice875]

I had sago and tapioca milk puddings here in the UK when I was a kid in the 1960's - at school we called it frog spawn. I suspect the real inventor was someone who accidently added one of those to tea instead of plain milk :)

[@redheads604]

ahh.. yes "boba" as in 波霸奶茶 or big booba milk tea lol. This is the OG name. It's now referred as 珍珠奶茶 or pearl milk tea

[@AlanvYYolinC]

1:24 section of the video is not accurate. The Taiwanese Hokkien word for the chewy texture in question is khiū (tone 7, mid flat tone), whereas the "wavy, curvy" word is khiû (tone 5, rising tone). The two words are unrelated, only that they sound extremely similar (same sound, but different tone). FYI, the proper pronunciation of "khiū" is actually almost identical to how you would say the letter Q, except say it as if you're a robot with a mid-flat voice.

[@Moonstone-Redux]

My intuition says that it is supposed to be analogous to 嚼 (literally just means to chew) but I don't know enough Hokkien to confirm it. Closest I speak is Cantonese.

[@AlanvYYolinC]

@@Moonstone-Redux ​ No, not 嚼. I used Hokkien 白話字 (Pe̍h-ōe-jī) "khiū" on purpose because scholars have not agreed which Han character may serve as the “historical root” of this vernacular word (this word is not unique in this situation). That said, multiple early vernacular Hokkien dictionaries already have entries for "khiū" to mean some food that is soft yet bouncy. If one must find a Han character for "khiū", look up "軟靭 - 臺灣話的語源與理據（劉建仁著）" for a nice writeup.

[@fool7491]

To add some points to this video: First, brown sugar milk with pearl has been around for a long time. I suspect it came out earlier than pearl tea itself, but without proof. If that's the case, then the pearl tea could easily be invented by many guys independently. Second, in my memory, the normal size pearl today was boba in early 2000. It's only when everyone was providing this pearl size that a bigger boba size came out . I think if you go to 50 Lan today, they still call minimize pearl "pearl" instead of mini.

[@absalomdraconis]

Even in America, tapioca pearls of the smaller size long predate the boba tea craze: I recall them specifically being used for puddings, in which use they date back to at least the 50s in the US. I suspect that the same approximate size was "standard" for tapioca starch worldwide, until boba tea created a purpose for a different size.

[@PainterVierax]

@@absalomdraconis same in Europe, translucent tapioca are quite old and used in pastry and soups.

[@cazschiller]

Love your recent talk with tech potato. I'm glad you're leaning into your humour and I'm keen on these topics. Can't believe you work two jobs and research this at night. Keep it up, much love and respect for your work

[@darentseng2637]

The inventor of instant noodles is the Japanese Taiwanese Wu Baifu (Nissin Momofuku Ando). Since ancient times, pasta in southern Taiwan has been fried into noodles, which is the origin of the invention of instant noodles. This can be considered another one of the contributions of Taiwanese people to the world.

[@jyy9624]

I lived in the Philippines and they drink the sago pearls in a molasses like syrup drink instead of tea (they also use the same liquid base for soft tofu dessert, very popular there) Sago balls have a crumbly texture unlike tapioca, and I much prefer the mouthfeel texture. I do think there is a difference in taste, with sago having notes of coconut, but most people would likely not notice. But even in the Philippines these days they use the lower price pearls.

[@xXxSkyViperxXx]

it goes way back in the philippines. even during spanish colonial times, there are illustrations of roving chinese street peddlers selling sago and tofu drinks. the spaniards called them chanchaulero, the root itself being from hokkien 田草 (chhân-chháu, “grass jelly”). although tagalog has also called the drink as "gulaman" for centuries, but the tofu pudding drink "taho" also comes from hokkien 豆腐 (tāu-hū, “tofu; bean curd”)

[@jyy9624]

@@xXxSkyViperxXx yes sago is the staple of Papuans and popular with their neighbors like PI, so sago pearls and molasses are basically native items. Taho is obviously Chinese, probably Fijian. Mabuhay

[@jyy9624]

@@xXxSkyViperxXx sounds smarter edited - you can read well

[@dreamyrhodes]

"Boba" is a slang term for tiddies in the whole internet

[@RT-qd8yl]

Open bobs and vergene

[@vivenna]

In Japan bubble tea was again a gigantic craze before Covid, with hundreds of places and dozens of brands popping up everywhere. It went as far as Japanese teenagers coming up with a new verb to express drinking bubble tea (tapiru, tapi from tapioca as it’s mostly called tapioka tea). During Covid sadly most places closed and only the bigger hubs retain stores of mostly the big chains. Front runner seems to be Gong Cha. I do miss some of the quirkier brands and the ready availability of stores everywhere, but then again I did notice a certain weight gain from having a few too many… lol

[@ComboBreakerHD]

Fascinating that in Taiwan you shouldn't use the word boba as it means big breasts. In America you shouldn't ask for balls in your tea.

[@lanzer22]

The term Boba actually originated from Hong Kong. At the time a famous porn star had the Nick name “boba”, literal meaning “ball dominance”, which ended up being a slang for big breasts. The slang very soon made its way to Taiwan as HK entertainment was very influential in Asia at the time.

[@rp-hr1qs]

In the Philippines, a soy drink with dark sugar syrup called Taho is sold with sago. Taho's etymology is said to have come from tau hu, the hokkien for tofu and at first was commonly sold by chinese vendors.

[@xXxSkyViperxXx]

there is also a strawberry flavored version of that sold in baguio in the philippines

[@Banom7a]

in Malaysia, it is called tau fu fa and can be consumed hot and cold

[@xXxSkyViperxXx]

@@Banom7a is that cantonese

[@ahiok1975]

Tāu-hū/tāu-hue豆腐/豆花

[@xenxx1192]

In thatiland we also call tofu as tau hu, which is weird because most chinese that come to thailand speak teochew, may be because teochew and hokkien dialect/language are similar

[@gumpyoldbugger6944]

I was dating a Tiawanese lady back in '94 while living in Vancouver BC and she introduced me to bubble tea back then, never really took to it although I love both tea and tapioca pudding. Bubble tea shops were well established in the lower mainland of BC by the mid 1990's.

[@imbw267]

3:55 [Cassava] roots have hydrogen cyanide in them, which makes them only slightly less toxic than Twitter or the KZbin comments section.

[@vianabdullah2837]

I went to the allegedly first bubble tea place in Taiwan. The one thing that it has above other bubbles teas is that the balls are so small so that you don't have to chew them a lot to not get stuck in your throat.

[@ethanklivans403]

2:25 could have mentioned Amy Yip

[@Brunoscaramuzzi]

In Brazil we call Tapioca Pearl just Sago. I never knew that sago is a palm. I always thought that sago was the name of tapioca pearl.😅

[@d00mch1ld]

Great, it’s 7am and now I want bubble tea…

[@GBP15]

Be careful not to choke to death when you "drink" solid "pearls" of Bubble Tea.

[@MostlyPennyCat]

Funny thing is, here in Portsmouth, England, we have loads of bubble tea places now! So it makes its way all the way settings the world, from England to Taiwan, to America and back to England. One place, run by a Chinese girl who's lovely, is obsessed with perfecting Japanese ramen and Taiwanese bubble tea. She even had a Michelin starred sushi chef reside for a while to serve and teach in the kitchen. And she spent months in Japan researching at different ramen houses trying to learn how to duplicate their je ne sais quoi. Turns out you can't, as it's all down to the stock which is all down to: 1) The local pig population, which depends on 2) The local pig diet, which depends on 3) The local feed stock, which depends on 4) The local soil and 5) The local farming practises and 6) The local chemical usage and everything depends on 7) The local water quality So it's impossible to replicate and far too expensive to import, say, stock concentrates to sell in a poor city like Portsmouth. So the only replication she can do is just do exactly as they do, make the best stock she can with the best ingredients to hand. Which is, of course, exactly what the Japanese do. So in a way she succeeded. It's called -Tokyo Corner- _Kyoto Ramen_ (seems they refurbished and rebranded after COVID) in Portsmouth, England and I highly recommend it.

[@fostercats1115]

Great to see the increasing range of topics covered by your channel. Simply love all of them. Thanks.

[@dcklein85]

In Brasil we have a dessert called sagu, that is made from tapioca pearls, much smaller, and with a wine sauce. It's probably from the 50's.

[@ricardokowalski1579]

From a latin american point of view, these videos into asian culture are greatly appreciated. 👍

[@absbi0000]

Need a part 2, by far one of your best videos

[@aryehyehudahajzenberg9503]

I liked the idea of making a video about food ! For someone who is so technical and expert in different hi-techs talking about food is interesting.... Breaks the ice a little of so much hi-tech all the time..... Great video as usual, keep up the excellent work and may God bless you always !

[@scottchiang7616]

Amy Yip, the HK actress active in the 80-90's, came to mind when you mentioned Boba.

[@nottera]

For me in northeastern Brazil tapioca was a very regional food, it's really funny to know that those bubbles are made of it, I would never guess! In Pernambuco specially we take a lot of pride in our native cuisine.

[@Chris-ut6eq]

So no TSMC of bubble tea, no Taiwan Bubble Tea Corporation(TBTC)?

[@jaimeortega4940]

Sorry the guy's story as "inventor of bubble tea" doesn't add up as much as hers. Now that little lady claimed she was adding things to her tea in 84' prior to being manager. Well guess what? Co-workers, relatives and other people around her would have noticed this. They may have partaken in this novelty as well. Her story seems more credible especially if you could get other coworkers to vouch for her. Regards and as always thoroughly enjoy your content and always learn something from it!

[@sk-sm9sh]

I personally not so much interested who was the first to put bubbles into tea - as I believe many might done that considering the wide availability of milk teas and bubbles - what I really want to find is who was the first to invent straw that is perfectly shaped (the size to fit bubble and the 45° cut at the bottom) to sip on bubbles creating this out the world experience of bubbles going blub blub blub up the straw into your mouth. While I personally love good tea and I prefer bubble teas with quality tea to me it's still the combination of the straw and the bubbles what really makes this thing work turning it into global viral phenomena.

[@ReviveHF]

You can say the Bubble Tea is a product of exchange of ideas and trade: 1. China had been cultivating and brewing tea leaves since 3000 years ago 2. Cassavas were brought over to Asia from the Americas from the 1500s 3. China export tea to the West since 1500s, then the British smuggled out tea cultivation techniques from China in the 1850s 4. The British introduced the milk tea beverages to SEA and Hong Kong, in Malaysia there's a variant called Teh Tarik 5. The Chinese immigrants on the Formosa Island combine the Tapiocas and milk tea combo to create bubble tea around in the 1980s. 6. The "Boba" word might have came from Hong Kong Also, the exportation of tea became part of the diplomacy for China since the Han Dynasty up until the Qing Dynasty

[@clsaito]

Hi. In Southern Brazilian states, tapioca pearls in red wine syrup is a very traditional dessert. Although it is called sagu, it has always been done with tapioca pearls. As tapioca is typical from Brazilian rainforest, it is worth to check the origins in Brazil. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagu_(dessert)

There are a number of varieties of mandioca in Brasil that are not toxic. Btw, nice video, as always.

[@ricardokowalski1579]

Farofa... Yum yum 😋

[@xHomu]

Fun fact, boba and booba have very different etymologies, but ultimately meant the same thing.

[@lawless201]

I'd never heard of Bubble Tea till now, I just looked it up to see if I could find it being sold in my town, wow, it's all over the place, but it's almost 6pm on a Sunday so I'll have to wait till tomorrow. I look forward to trying it out. Thank-you for your videos, you expand my mind and palate. Your a wise and clever man.

[@tianwang]

Please report back on your experience😊

[@mattbland2380]

As always, soon as I see your video it’s an automatic watch and like even before you’ve reached it to the newsletter pitch. Really dig the variety and appreciate the research and top notch presentation. I tried bubble tea at a packed place in Shoreditch about ten years ago. It was fruit flavoured and bright green/yellow and didn’t do anything for me. Id probably be better off with the milk tea flavour. Being predominantly a coffee fan I’m wondering if anyone does a boba coffee with chocolate flavour balls perhaps?

[@Brakvash]

I love how you think it's obvious for everyone to know what boba tea is. I've never had it and it barely exists where I live so I appreciated the explanation.

[@rika-chan]

I wanna know what the proper name for the type of boba which isn't chewy and bursts with sugary/fruity water instead. Everyone just calls both types boba/bubble tea!

[@d512634]

Back then the booba meaning of the word exclusively refer to Amy Yip.

[@KuroRyuu86]

In Perth Aust, The oldest and the First Bubble Tea shop opened in 2001. Its still going strong and still generate lines in all their stores. Personally I love their Chocolate Pearls.

[@talhaanwar2479]

Bro enjoyed it every time saying "balls" and "boba" XD

[@ProffyChaos]

Asianometry teaches me about things I never knew I wanted to know about.

[@michaelmoorrees3585]

There are several related sweet drinks all through out South East Asia. I grew up with cendol (or tjendol) , that comes from Indonesia, which often uses cassava. There are several recipes. All good. Global economy, even before US global order, from WWII on. I grew up with a chicken dish with a very particular coconut sauce. A very common dish, from the middle of Java, in Indonesia. But a couple of decades ago I visited a Mexican restaurant, in East LA, that specialized in the cuisine from around Mexico City, and there was this chicken dish, that matched what I grew up with exactly. I suspect this dish, got to Mexico by way of the Spanish, from the Philippines, or the Portuguese, from the Moluccas. Both island chains are neighbors of Indonesia, and trade brought this chicken recipe over, maybe as far back as the 1500s. Another side note: Upon visiting a local Vietnamese market, in So Cal, I came across a Philippine snack called put*. The Philippines were once a Spanish colony, and you can look up what put* means in Spanish. This is clearly NOT a coincident.

[@shellshockedgerman3947]

Puto? Puto is just a traditional Filipino rice cake, it has nothing to do with any Spanish shenanigans.

[@Cleveland.Ironman]

How do they remove the cyanide from the tapioca?

[@xntumrfo9ivrnwf]

Never tried this stuff, wonder what it tastes like. Don't think they have it in my country

[@nunyabiznes33]

But do they sell tapioca starch there? Maybe you can make your own at home.

[@kisaragi-hiu]

The khiū → Q etymology is pretty well accepted and not just a guess by the NYT.

[@eltontan4340]

I remember starting to see bubble tea in night market as a kid in Malaysia during late 2000s(but it arrived much earlier than that) they're abit different from the boba tea popular today, they were using flavour powders like strawberry or champagne and coffee flavours then either shake or blend (two options) with ice & water and finally add pearls on it, the stalls usually also have Aiyu jelly which I think is very underrated, there's also other drinks with grass jelly etc that were quite popular that time but they mostly died out by today. Thats the bubble tea I knew as a kid until bubble tea store from Taiwan and China starting to arrive by the mid 2010s which started a bubble tea craze among the youths ,there were ALOT of new stores open that sold bubble tea and similar beverages, and brown sugar variant was very popular. There's also the Tealive-Chatime controversy but that's a long story.

[@AdityaMehendale]

Ehh.. please websearch for "Falooda". It's a drink of Persian/ Indian origins, dating back a few hundred years - basically a rose-milkshale with chewy additions. Initially, these additions were sweet basil seeds, that become gelatinous and chewy when soaked; later the starchy part was often substituted by a cooked starch of some sort - noodle or ball-shaped, and also tapioca balls. It's not a stretch to substitute the rose milkshake for milky ice-tea or any other beverage of your preference.

[@JerryBiehler]

I think bubble tea arrived here around Portland in 2000. I used to work at an asian supermarket and the Taiwanese wife of one of the guys that worked there opened a store, they eventually had three stores in the area. There is a place local here that has the milk like topping, it's actually really good.

[@tylernaturalist6437]

Great content as always! We’ve got plenty of bubble tea spots here in Brooklyn NY, I’ve got one literally steps from my home!

[@xhf8yxhf8y9]

LOL, darn right you needed to define it... never heard of it before!!

[@youcantata]

In Korea, Cassava/Tapioca starch is mainly used to make a alcoholic sprits (pure ethanol), ingredient of So-Ju, Korean Vodka. It is imported from Indonesia. Imported cassava quickly replaced use of other grains, like wheat flour, rice, sweet potato for production of Soju. But recently Taiwanese-style bubble tea is also in vogue in Korea. I tried it and like it.

[@JohnnieWalkerGreen]

I guess that cendol/bubbles/dumplings have been consumed for hundreds of years. The plastic cup sealer made it practical and famous.

[@uranusjr]

15:58 I wonder if this bubble iced tea is not the same as the now commonly known bubble tea, since it seems quite an oversight for an ad to not mention the chewy characteristic of the drink/dessert. Maybe it was instead referring to another special kind of tea drink called 泡沫紅茶 (literally translated to bubble black tea) was pretty popular in Taiwan during the 90s. It’s basically iced black tea with cron syrup shaken in a cocktail shaker, and got the name from the foam on top as a result of the thorough shake. Chun Shui Tang also claims credit for its invention but that’s even more disputed than their claim on boba tea since there’s really nothing particularly innovative to prepare a plain iced tea like a cocktail.

[@SeSeSenno]

Boba is pretty synonymous with asian american culture in california, cool to see you do a video on it!

[@seka1986]

BOBA FETT

[@Napoleonic_S]

​@@seka1986 Is a female then?

[@5anjuro]

The 007 Skyfall villain: "Do you know what hydrogen cyanide does to the human body?" (removes his artificial jawbone). Me, in the theater, terrified. All those bubbles I have popped.😳

[@googacct]

My chinese language teacher had mentioned bubble tea during a lesson and could not believe I had never heard of it. It took a bit for her to explain exactly what it was.

[@CDeuce152]

I enjoy tapioca pearls. I stayed for the history lesson.

[@robturner3065]

10:10 yes probably true. The custom is to add the tea to the milk, not the other way round. Prevents thermal shock to the cup (and curdling of the milk). Great vid!

[@oceanheadted]

This is a great source of debate In English Society, generally the posher people prefer milk in second and they refer to their lower class subordinates as “miffies”😂.

[@robturner3065]

@@oceanheadted yes indeed! much like the whole "breakfast-dinner-and-tea" thing

[@JoshuaC923]

4:02 i laughed out loud, this is why i love this channel😂😂😂😂

[@moxdownful]

Take a shot everytime he said "bAlLs"😅

[@TanukiDigital]

Every time I ask for bubble tea without the "bubbles" I get the strangest looks from the the shop workers. :D

[@mz7315]

I don't know how you can say big breasts in such a straight-laced tone.

[@louiskatzclay]

I am not sure, but think that your image of hot air lantern "balloons" is from Chiang Mai Thailand.

[@Gameboygenius]

Wow, another interesting video. I'm just a filthy casual when it comes to bubble tea and had no idea about the whole inventor controversy.

[@xHomu]

This channel's most controversial video to date. Guaranteed to anger every stripe of huaqiao imaginable.

[@jdzenab2300]

While working at TSMC, we made it a thing to take couple of breaks when we get a chance. Smoke break and boba break. But mostly working in the fab like there's no tomorrow.

[@simonnaughton2272]

I love the way the courts of Taiwan took such a practical approach to who owns the concept. I don’t think a lot of counties would have taken this path.

[@eucompsa]

It would be interesting to see more details about what the legal battle was actually over because on the face of it, it doesn't seem like there was anything of substance on the table. Bubble tea is arguably an 'obvious' invention (lacks novelty) in that it can simply be made from combining existing readily available ingredients in an obvious way to produce a 'not unexpected' result, although this would be a patent examiner's call, however the drinks had already been openly sold before any patent application had been made (if ever), and was thus the invention already 'in the prior art' (public knowledge), precluding it from being patented. Maybe there was some kind of trademark claim relating to originality, but at least on this patent front, this would be a non-starter is most jurisdictions...

[@darthguilder1923]

@@eucompsaWell put, I was also confused about the nature of their legal dispute.

[@iamdmc]

Barley germ bubble tea with lychee jelly is the best flavour ever Red bean is a close second

[@nunyabiznes33]

I feel weird imagining a red bean drink. I usually only have it in pastry.

[@truezulu]

Fun fact: In especially northern Europe bubble tea is not popular at all. You can only get it, at specially cafe's, that make it for you. I've tasted it. Not a fan. It is disgustingly sweat and slimy....

[@truezulu]

@@gunnarthegumbootguy7909 I'm Danish. Hi neighbor ;). I like chewy... Most northerners do? Toffy is extremely popular in both Sweden and Denmark. So I'm not sure what you are on about? Are you not native?

[@treenutperson4978]

Interesting, I'm wondering if the Taiwanese "Q" quality is similar to the Japanese "mochi" texture

[@Napoleonic_S]

No they taste differently...

[@MrHav1k]

Damn now I have to go get Boba later.....

[@dcviper985]

I have two bubble tea places within walking distance of my house. One is run by Turks. There are also two Kung Fu Tea houses within a few minutes drive. I always figured it was because of the university and the many many Chinese (and, presumably Taiwanese) students. But, no matter, I think I’ll walk over to Hiro Ramen and get a bubble tea.

[@vbrown6445]

I first had bubble tea many years ago in NYC's Chinatown, and loved it. It had many of the things I loved-- sweet milky tea and tapioca peals (tapioca pudding is my favorite). You answered one question I had, as I now see it being called boba everywhere, and I first remembered it being called bubble tea and the tapioca being called pearls or balls. Now that I know what "boba" means, I am even less inclined to call it that! I'm also from the Caribbean, so cassava/manioc is a staple in my diet. In Jamaica, our national meal is made up of the poisonous ackee fruit brought over by enslaved people from Africa, and a bread (bammy) made from the poisonous cassava root from the native Tainos. The Africans and Tainos both knew how to extract and avoid the poisons in those foods.

[@RedHatTurtle]

Just a few observations about cassava. Not all varieties of cassava are toxic, the ones we typically cook in south america aren't and if they were you would be able to tell by the taste. The toxic ones are sour and don't soften up as much when cooked, but anyway soaking in water and cooking would get rid of most of the cyanide. The toxic varieties are typically used to make roasted cassava flour (farinha de mandioca torrada) and sour cassava starch (polvilho azedo), sweet cassava starch (polvilho doce) is starch from the non toxic cassava. Roasting the flour and separating the starch removes the cyanide completely. Btw, if you're going to cook cassava use a pressure cooker, it only takes 15 minutes under pressure.

[@luizbotelho7802]

In Brazil we have a dessert called Sagu made with tapioca pearls mixed with (cheap) wine.

[@liamtahaney713]

Interesting video, its very popular here in Belgium and France despite there being basically no taiwanese population (as far as I can tell).

[@looowkey5656]

I do remember drinking boba since mid 2000, in Indonesia. they are called bubble drink back then, and already quite popular then, but the boba hype makes them even more popular.

[@janeteholmes]

I feel like I just missed the bubble tea explosion in Taiwan. I left in 1992 and never saw anything like it.

[@zerwif]

I have never liked the chewiness of the tapioca pearls. I only get milk tea, or if boba shop are the only option I have them exclude the pearls.

[@super_slav91]

Gong cha and Cha Time are the 2 largest in Australia, then probably Bubble Cup and Share tea. I prefer Gong Cha Taro as they use real taro.

[@3Rton]

It is surprising how new the dish seems to be. Barely twenty years, I initially thought. But I guess it is actually 30 now, and soon enough forty. Really speaks wonders to how quickly things spread nowadays. I doubt a dish would spread that widely between all the global clusters so fast in the early 90's or the prior centuries.

[@sk-sm9sh]

Starbucks kinda paved the way for it with their coffee drinks that no longer remind of coffee convincing whole lot of people that it's a good idea to leave $8 on completely unimpressive cheap sugary drink. Within this $8 there is a lot more you can do and still make good business and this is how bubble was able to take off globally.

[@Luis-kv2tx]

Finaly a video about Bubble Tea 😯🤩

[@hasanx8066]

Cheese Tea. My stomach hurts now.

[@xXxSkyViperxXx]

in the philippines, we dont typically call it as "boba tea" or "bubble tea", although Quickly during the early 2000s did sell it marketing it as "bubble tea". it only took off in popularity the philippines being called as "milk tea", because the concept of having tapioca pearls in your drinks was not particularly special to people in the philippines because we've always had cold drinks with sago pearls in them and in fact in Filipino/tagalog, we call the tapioca pearls as "sago" even tho, its not sago but tapioca. what was surprising to people was the combination of milk and tea as a cold drink lol. there were already cold drinks with sago pearls in the philippines for centuries since the spanish colonial times, such as Gulaman, which in spanish before was called Chanchau, the word itself being from Hokkien 田草 (chhân-chháu, “grass jelly”). grass jelly itself is gooey and chewy like sago pearls and tapioca pearls. centuries ago there were roving street peddlers selling such drinks called chanchaulero and they were in the same class as roving street peddlers that sold tofu pudding we now call taho in the philippines, itself also originally from roving hokkien chinese street peddlers

[@taiwanluthiers]

The bubbles in the US is terrible, and expensive. The bubbles were soggy as hell like it's been left out for ages (probably days), and not only that but the drink is over 5 dollars plus tax in the US. So they're not only worse, they're more expensive. And the ingredients for bubble tea is very cheap. You should know in Taiwan "boba" always refer to the big pearls, and "pearl" refers to the small (2mm) pearls. These are assumed, if you say boba tea they WILL give you the big pearls, so if you want the small one make sure you ask for "pearl" tea.

[@militcyanosamuelsapulette1930]

Started watching then began craving for a bubble tea midway. Paused the video, then went to Chatime which was unfortunately closed. Went to an Asian convenient store next door and bought bottled milk tea and tapioca balls. Went home to make my bubble tea and finish watching this video.

[@highpath4776]

Have a form of Bubble shakes etc in UK (mainly London) . Knowing it is from tapioca explains a lot. at school we called tapioca - "frog spawn" it was pretty disgusting, which probably explains why when I tride one , I suppose its useful by, no , not for me.