National Bubble Tea Day Date in the current year: April 30, 2024

Bubble tea is known by many names including boba, boba tea, tapioca tea, tapioca milk tea, bubble milk tea, and pearl milk tea (although not all bubble tea varieties are made with milk). The origin of bubble tea is somewhat unclear because at least two Taiwanese tea rooms claim to have invented the beverage in the late 1980s.

Be that as it may, the drink spread to Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan and Australia in the 1990s. Around the same time, Taiwanese immigrants opened the first bubble tea shop in the United States, bringing the bubble tea trend to America. In addition to the Asian-American community, the drink is popular among the Native American, Hispanic and Latino American communities in the Southwestern United States.

The two main ingredients of bubble tea are black, green, oolong or sometimes white tea and chewy tapioca balls, also known as boba or pearls. Some bubble tea varieties are made with some kind of milk, such as regular cow’s milk, skim milk, condensed milk, powdered milk, coconut milk, soy milk, or almond milk.

Chewy tapioca balls are what makes the beverage so special. They are made from a starch extracted from the root of cassava, a woody shrub native to South America that is extensively cultivated in Asia. They come in different shapes and flavors and give bubble tea a unique texture and a subtle flavor.

Sometimes bubble tea is made with a variation of boba called popping boba. Instead of tapioca, they are made with gel-forming agents that allow to create squishy spheres with juice inside. They pop in the mouth when consumed, creating a burst of flavor. The beverage can be made with other toppings as well such as aloe vera, grass jelly, red bean, etc.

Bubble tea is usually served cold with an oversize straw that allows the tapioca balls to pass through. Some cafes use plastic lids to cover the cup, but the authentic way to serve bubble tea is to seal the top of the cup with cellophane using a special machine. This way, a person can shake the tea in the cup without spilling it and then pierce the cellophane with the straw to drink the beverage.

National Bubble Tea Day was launched in 2018 by Kung Fu Tea, a Queens-based bubble tea chain founded on April 30, 2010. In 2020, National Bubble Tea Day was celebrated in Taiwan for the first time. Some publications claim that bubble tea is an important source of Taiwanese identity and has become synonymous with the country.

The best way to cerebrate National Bubble Tea Day is, of course, to treat yourself to some delicious bubble tea and to check out new flavors and flavor combinations. Don’t forget that everything, including bubble tea, tastes better when shared with friends or family! Before drinking your tea, make a selfie with your drink and share it on social media with the hashtag #NationalBubbleTeaDay to spread the word.