Bubble tea: A $2 billion pearl of the beverage industry

Call it boba, bubble, or pearl milk tea—the frothy, chewy concoction from Taiwan always hits the sweet spot. It’s a choose-your-own-beverage-adventure in mixing and matching: Hot or cold? Milk or no milk? Gummy tapioca balls, coconut jelly, or another tasty add-on? In 2017, The New York Times was [called out]( for depicting this 1980s [Taiwanese invention]( as an exotic new phenomenon. In fact, it’s been popular around the world—including in [the US]( decades](. In its most basic form, bubble tea combines tea (originally black), milk, and chewy black pearls made of tapioca, which necessitate the assistance of an [extra-large straw](. In recent years, the varieties of available toppings have [mutated](. As Uri Bram [writes for Quartz]( part of the appeal is that “by chance or careful straw placement, the drinker can encounter a distinct series of sensory experiences from a single cup.” An infinitely customizable, [social-media-friendly]( beverage is a recipe for success: The industry is projected to hit sales of [$3.2 billion]( by 2023, from $1.9 billion in 2016. Get those extra-wide straws ready, we’re going in! 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( Sponsored by [Quartz Obsession] Bubble tea October 16, 2018 Chew on this --------------------------------------------------------------- Call it boba, bubble, or pearl milk tea—the frothy, chewy concoction from Taiwan always hits the sweet spot. It’s a choose-your-own-beverage-adventure in mixing and matching: Hot or cold? Milk or no milk? Gummy tapioca balls, coconut jelly, or another tasty add-on? In 2017, The New York Times was [called out]( for depicting this 1980s [Taiwanese invention]( as an exotic new phenomenon. In fact, it’s been popular around the world—including in [the US]( decades](. In its most basic form, bubble tea combines tea (originally black), milk, and chewy black pearls made of tapioca, which necessitate the assistance of an [extra-large straw](. In recent years, the varieties of available toppings have [mutated](. As Uri Bram [writes for Quartz]( part of the appeal is that “by chance or careful straw placement, the drinker can encounter a distinct series of sensory experiences from a single cup.” An infinitely customizable, [social-media-friendly]( beverage is a recipe for success: The industry is projected to hit sales of [$3.2 billion]( by 2023, from $1.9 billion in 2016. Get those extra-wide straws ready, we’re going in! 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( By the digits [1,500:]( Number of stores that bubble tea company Gong Cha has worldwide [18,000:]( Square footage of the [Boba Guys]( new tapioca-pearl-plant in the US [200,000:]( Number of people who signed up within 24 hours for the prospect of free boba tea during super typhoon Nepartak [2012:]( Year that the first boba tea shop opened in Cairo, Egypt [14mm (.5 inches):]( Diameter of a standard bubble tea straw [€5.5 ($6.37):]( Price of a drink from the Chatime boba tea shop at the Louvre in Paris Giphy First things first Is it boba or bubble? --------------------------------------------------------------- “[Boba]( comes from a Taiwanese slang term for distinctive tapioca balls (tapioca is [cassava-root flour](. “Bubble” refers to the milk froth that can occur when the cup is shaken or stirred. Both terms can be used interchangeably. Sponsored by Mercedes-Benz USA What does automotive design with a Boost look like? --------------------------------------------------------------- The new 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLS combines progressive design with an all-new inline-6 turbocharged engine with EQ Boost. With the very latest in automotive intelligence and safety technology, it sets new industry standards.[Start your Mercedes-Benz journey here >]( AP Photo/Gregory Bull Contested histories Taiwan’s tea trailblazers --------------------------------------------------------------- Since the essence of boba tea is blending tastes, it’s not surprising that there’s no single origin story. Perhaps the most accepted version is that of Liu Han-Chieh, the founder of Chun Shui Tang teahouse in Taichung, Taiwan, who started serving cold tea in the ‘80s after seeing iced coffee in Japan. Boba tea followed [in 1988]( when the product development manager, Lin Hsiu Hui, brought tapioca pudding balls to a staff meeting and poured them into her Assam iced tea. “Everyone at the meeting loved the drink,” Lin [told CNN]( and it went on to become the store’s bestseller. Another person credited is [Tsu Tsong-he]( a teahouse owner in Tainan, Taiwan. Then there’s an anonymous [food stall owner]( possibly in Taipei, who decided to layer shaved ice, milk tea, and tapioca pearls to create a refreshing drink on a hot summer’s day. Quotable “Sometimes it’s a pick-me-up like a smoothie and other times it’s a caffeine-fix drink like an ice coffee… It lights up your sense of smell and taste. And the tapioca pearls add a whole new dimension of mouthfeel. It’s like drinking with gummy bears.” [— Bin Chen and Andrew Chau, co-founders of Boba Guys]( Reuters/Mike Segar million-dollar question Is bubble tea experiencing a bubble? --------------------------------------------------------------- We’ve already been through one: In the late aughts, a crop of new shops opened up centered mostly around college campuses and in neighborhoods with large Asian populations. As Boba Guys co-founder Andrew Chau told NPR, “they were all stealing customers from each other, and no one made money.” Now that the trend has [resurged with a vengeance]( proprietors are thinking differently. The successful chains have become more comfortable with bureaucratizing the infamously free-form boba tea ordering process. Much like the well-oiled machine of a Starbucks, [Uri Bram writes]( today’s process has “clearly-defined options for levels of sugar and levels of ice. The barista repeats the order, which the customer can also view on a tablet screen by the register. The barista then prints off a label and sticks it onto a plastic cup, which she passes to a colleague who prepares the drink. A few minutes later the customer has her drink in hand, exactly as ordered.” The [franchise model]( is another way for boba brands to scale. Kung Fu Tea is a good example: After opening in 2009, it opened four shops in New York in its first year, another 10 in the second, and now aims to reach 300 franchises by 2020. Opening a boba shop is simpler than opening a restaurant: Licensing is easier, and there are smaller spaces that require less rent. Brands are also setting up shop for the long term with smart marketing and quick responses to changing consumer tastes. [Companies like]( Boba Guys or Tea & Milk are going beyond the novelty market, marketing the high-quality ingredients that go into their teas, while Seven Bar Lounge in Los Angeles offers alcoholic boba concoctions to appeal to adults. Charted Before super typhoon Nepartak hit Taiwan in 2016, people on the internet were betting on whether Taiwan’s Taiyuan Airport would flood again. One Facebook user said he would [buy everyone a bubble tea]( if the airport didn’t flood, and as a result, more than 200,000 people chimed in with their favorite boba tea combinations. Watch this! Learn how to make basic bubble tea with this minimalist and music-free video. In fact, the crystal-clear sounds of the process are so soothing that some YouTube comments have dubbed it “boba [ASMR]( Go on, give your senses a treat. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu Pop quiz How many straws does Boba Guys go through each year? 1.5 million10 million2 million500,000 Correct. The founders have been researching alternatives ahead of a ban on single-use plastic straws in San Francisco next year. Incorrect. If your inbox doesn’t support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email. Jargon watch How can you tell if your boba tea is good? Check the “Q,” aka “QQ.” Those are the Taiwanese terms for just the right chewy texture in tapioca balls and other starchy delights. “It’s like al dente but not quite,” Taiwanese chef André Chiang [told]( the New York Times. “It’s to the tooth but there’s also that added element of bounciness.” Keep milking it Cheese, please --------------------------------------------------------------- So, what’s the next tea frontier? Cheese tea—which typically involves sweet tea topped with a foamy product that’s usually cream cheese blended with condensed milk—could be [the next craze](. But while it’s already [taken off]( in other countries, it has yet to find success in the US. [Eater suggests]( that Americans simply need to get over the off-putting name. Giphy Poll How boba-obsessed are you? [Click here to vote]( I need a bubble tea so badly, I could burstMilk pearl tea only occasionally for meBoba and I are never going to happen 💬let's talk! In yesterday’s poll about [sell-by dates]( 25% of you said “I only trust my nose.” 📧 Marianne wrote: “Excellent story. Having moved from the Netherlands as a teenager, and having been taught about food waste because many Dutch people starved to death during WWII, I never throw anything away. Unbloated canned goods are anoxic and can be used for many years after the expiry date. Anything with vinegar in it preserves it forever, even without refrigeration. 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