Harassing Asian people for making Korean Boba tea and claiming it’s theft of black culture

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Boba culture started in the late '80s, most likely in Taipei (though other cities in Taiwan often claim ownership). Milk tea was already well-known in Taiwan, as tea drinking was a robust practice in East Asia. At the time, both shaved ice and tapioca balls were common desserts. During one hot summer a savvy food stall owner thought to combine three popular elements into one beverage—tapioca balls on the bottom, followed by a layer of shaved ice, and milk tea to fill out the rest of the drink.

The tea became known as boba because the term is slang for breasts in Chinese (a reference the spherical shape of the tapioca balls). Boba evolved over time as it grew more widespread throughout Taiwan: stall owners started introducing fruit boba, using fruit powders and syrups in lieu of actual fruit (which was too expensive and went bad quickly). The topping choices expanded beyond tapioca balls to include elements like grass jelly, almond jelly, egg pudding, and red beans. Even in classic boba, the milk in the milk tea was swapped out for non-dairy creamer because it was more shelf-stable, and as a result, the drink became known for its incredibly sweet, creamy taste.

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There are two competing stories for the origin of bubble tea. The Hanlin Tea Room of Tainan, claims that it was invented in 1986 when teahouse owner Tu Tsong-he was inspired by white tapioca balls he saw in the Ya Mu Liao market. He then made tea using the tapioca balls, resulting in the so-called "pearl tea".[17]

The other claim is from the Chun Shui Tang tearoom in Taichung. Its founder, Liu Han-Chieh, began serving Chinese tea cold after he observed that coffee was served cold in Japan while on a visit in the 1980s. The new style of serving tea propelled his business, and multiple chains were established. The creator of bubble tea is Lin Hsiu Hui, the teahouse's product development manager, who randomly poured her fen yuan into the iced tea drink during a boring meeting in 1988. The beverage was well received at the meeting, leading to its inclusion on the menu. It ultimately became the franchise's top-selling product.[4]

The drink became popular in most parts of East and Southeast Asia during the 1990s.[18][failed verification][19] In Malaysia, the number of brands selling the beverage has grown to over 50

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