[1][2] Taiwanese immigrants brought it to the United States in the 1990s, initially in California through regions including Los Angeles County,[3] but the drink has also spread to other countries where there is a large East Asian diaspora population.

[4] The oldest known bubble tea drink consisted of a mixture of hot Taiwanese black tea, tapioca pearls (Chinese: 粉圓; pinyin: fěn yuán; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hún-îⁿ), condensed milk, and syrup (Chinese: 糖漿; pinyin: táng jiāng) or honey.

[5] The tapioca pearls that give bubble tea its name were originally made from the starch of the cassava, a tropical shrub known for its starchy roots[6] which was introduced to Taiwan from South America during Japanese colonial rule.

[7] Larger pearls (Chinese: 波霸/黑珍珠; pinyin: bō bà / hēi zhēn zhū) quickly replaced these.

[2] Another variation, yuenyeung, (Chinese: 鴛鴦, named after the Mandarin duck) originated in Hong Kong and consists of black tea, coffee, and milk.

[19] Tapioca pearls (boba) are the most common ingredient, although there are other ways to make the chewy spheres found in bubble tea.

[11][21] Popping boba, or spheres that have fruit juices or syrups inside them, are another popular bubble tea topping.

[25] Bubble tea shops often give customers the option of choosing the amount of ice or sugar in their drink.

In contrast, black tea needs to be made with hotter water, usually around 203–212 °F (95–100 °C) with a brewing of around 15–20 minutes to bring out its sweetness.

The traditional preparation method is to mix the ingredients (sugar, powders and other flavorings) together using a bubble tea shaker cup, by hand.

This drink was made by mixing tea with fructose syrup[failed verification] and then shaking it with ice cubes in a shaker.

It claims that bubble tea was invented in 1986 when teahouse owner Tu Tsong-he was inspired by white tapioca balls he saw in the local market of Yā-mǔ-liáo (Chinese: 鴨母寮).

In regions like Hong Kong, mainland China, Japan, Vietnam,[33] and Singapore, the bubble tea trend expanded rapidly among young people.

[35] According to Al Jazeera, bubble tea has become synonymous with Taiwan and is an important symbol of Taiwanese identity both domestically and internationally.

[40] In China, young people's growing obsession with bubble tea shaped their way of social interaction.

[40] Bubble tea first entered Japan by the late 1990s, but it failed to leave a lasting impression on the public markets.

[42] Shops from Taiwan, Korea, and China, as well as local brands, began to pop up in cities, and bubble tea has remained one of the hottest trends since then.

[48] Chains like Tapioca Express, Quickly, Lollicup and Happy Lemon emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s, bringing the Taiwanese bubble tea trend to the US.

This phenomenon was referred to as “boba life” by Chinese-American brothers Andrew and David Fung in their music video, “Bobalife,” released in 2013.

[55][56][57][58] A massive shipping and supply chain crisis on the U.S. West coast, coupled with the obstruction of the Suez Canal in March 2021, caused a shortage of tapioca pearls for bubble tea shops in the U.S. and Canada.

[65] From the consumer perspective, milk tea is characterized by its sweet, creamy taste, suitable for many customers, not only students, but also children and office workers.

Instead of small shops and school gate carts like in the past, the milk tea is designed into a spacious space, with fixed seats, and cool air conditioning.

In the capital Seoul alone, there are 4 famous milk tea shops, which are popular places for entertainment, dating, and meeting of Korean youth every weekend, which are Gong Cha, Cofioca, Amasvin, and Happy Lemon.

Koreans are very concerned about keeping in shape, every meal they have to check exactly how many calories they take in, so that they can do appropriate exercises to burn off excess fat.

Therefore, when entering restaurants or bakeries in Korea, we will see the calorie index recorded very carefully as a way to protect the health of consumers.

[74][75] In 2024, Canadian bubble tea company ‘Bobba’ went on CBC's Dragon's Den to pitch their drinks to potential investors.

[77] This moment in the show’s episode went viral across social platforms and media outlets, sparking debate on whether the westernization of bubble tea had consequently led to it being culturally appropriated.

[78][79][80] Harmful Asian stereotypes were also recognized from their sales pitch, such as, quote: "never [being] quite sure about its contents," which references the 'Chinese restaurant syndrome' rhetoric.

Non-dairy creamer is a milk substitute that contains trans fat in the form of hydrogenated palm oil.

[83][84] The other concern about bubble tea is its high calorie content, partially attributed to the high-carbohydrate tapioca pearls (Chinese: 珍珠; pinyin: zhēn zhū), which can make up to half the calorie-count in a 500 ml (18 imp fl oz; 17 US fl oz) serving of bubble tea.