![]() The sheer fun of sipping a visually and sensually oddball beverage is an important part of it, but other factors may explain its legs. And their enthusiasm is very very catching. 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. By the early 90s the craze had swept the island and spilled over into Southeast Asia. Boba tea was first concocted around 1988 by a Taipei street vendor for sale to a local clientele of grade-school kids. ![]() The explosion of boba shops has made the Starbucks growth seem downright sober. 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. Since 1999 cafes selling pearl tea have been mushrooming in every major Asian population center in the U.S. The other half is chewing them while swallowing the drink. It's an alien sensation - and that's half the fun. 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. They are served in clear plastic cups with a fat 1/2-inch-diameter straw. 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 usually the shade and translucence of beluga caviar but also come in an array of rainbow colors - or are even colorless. The "pearl", "bubble" and "boba" refer to tapioca starch balls typically the size of the plumpest, most expensive salmon roe you've ever seen. Others call it bubble tea, or even boba (mama's breast) tea. How successful has that been? Starbucks has replaced McDonalds as the bladder break of choice for discriminating panhandlers and savvy cabbies.īut 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. Its secret? Taking the Italian espresso bar and fitting it to American values by upsizing cups and downsizing chichi. N 30 years a single Starbucks cafe in Seattle's Pike Place Market has spawned 4,700 attitude-packed locations worldwide. Will Tapioca Pearl Tea Conquer Starbucks? Will Tapioca Pearl Tea Conquer Starbucks? | Asian American Issues | GoldSea
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |