The Growing Boba Bubble

It all started with one brown sugar boba outlet in Taiwan in 2017. Two years down the line, the boba trend has erupted across global borders. Milk tea wasn’t new to the culinary scene, but the swapping of white sugar to brown was a change that turned what had been a customer delight into a consumer craze.

Unlike the traditional tapioca pearls of past, the craze involves a methodical process which ensures thorough flavour within its boba pearls, all with three simple ingredients. The tapioca pearls are cooked on low heat in brown sugar syrup to absorb the syrup’s smokey, caramel flavour. After that, they’re topped off with cold fresh milk to attain the perfected cup of boba milk tea, streaked down the sides.

Beyond the simple, universal appeal of a sweet treat, brown sugar boba lovers are spoiled for choice. With new outlets and toppings popping up seemingly every day, each providing a new twist on the simple drink, the novelty never wears off. Naturally, with such a wide variety of options, people can get fixated on finding ‘the best’. Ranking stores on the chewiness of their pearls and the flavour of their milk, customers then share their findings online. Perhaps what it all comes down to is we all want to be a part of what’s happening, and right now boba is happening.

With so much competition, boba drinks have become wilder and wilder as bubble tea shops attempt to one-up each other. From cheese foam toppings, to golden bubbles, to the endless array of colours and flavours, it seems the only limit is the size of the cup. If you’re looking for some unique boba creations, here are three distinct drinks to make your own.