Christopher Cheung enjoys a bubble tea with his wife on his wedding day.

History of bubble tea: how boba, born of a staff competition in Taiwan, became a global phenomenon

Created in Taichung, Taiwan in the 1980s, bubble tea is a mix of milk tea, tapioca pearls and syrup
It spread through Asia, gaining popularity and then exploded across the United States

Topic | Food and Drinks

Alkira Reinfrank and Bernice Chan

Published: 9:17am, 23 Feb, 2019

Updated: 3:08pm, 3 Jul, 2019

Christopher Cheung enjoys a bubble tea with his wife on his wedding day.

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Alkira Reinfrank

Alkira is a digital production editor and reporter with the South China Morning Post, where she also co-hosts the award-winning podcast Eat Drink Asia. Before moving to Hong Kong, Alkira worked as a multiplatform reporter with ABC News and WIN News in Australia. Alkira has appeared on BBC World News, BBC World Service, The Project (Australia), i24 News (Israel) and triple J Hack (Australia).

Bernice Chan

Bernice Chan is a senior writer on the Culture desk. She samples more than her share of dishes around Hong Kong and writes about people and issues that make an impact on the city.