The cassava plant is native to Brazil but can now be found in many places in South America. The plant was also brought to Africa, the West Indies, and Asia by the Portuguese. Tapioca starch can be extracted from the roots and be used to make many different foods. You might be wondering why I am talking about a boring plant that can make a starch. But the reason is, tapioca starch can be used to make tapioca “balls,” “boba” or “bubbles,” which is a key ingredient to, in my opinion, one of the best drinks ever made. Boba tea. 

Boba tea (or bubble tea) has its origins in Taiwan in the late 1980s, when a food stall owner mixed two popular foods. Milk tea, and tapioca balls. People began experimenting with different ingredients to put in boba tea, which is why you see the options of grass jelly, taro, read bean and much more in boba shops today. 

Boba tea came to America in the 1990s when Taiwanese people immigrated to the states. At first there were few shops specifically selling boba tea, just cafes with it on their menu. The drink lost popularity in the 2000s, but then there became shops specifically for boba tea, and bubble tea shops soon started popping up near college and high school campuses in the 2010’s, making them the perfect spot for studying, because of their late hours and low prices. 

I visited a local boba shop just a few days ago, Bliss Tea, and the employees there were kind enough to let me ask them a few questions. Gabby and Christina informed me about their most popular flavors, black sugar milk tea, passion pineapple green tea, and strawberry green tea. Their boba is imported from Taiwan, and they have a second location in Tulalip. Of course, their jobs have been harder during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the challenges is getting ingredients, because sometimes they have to pick them up from Kent. Another challenge is getting people aware that they are open. I am a big fan of their tea, so I encourage you to go there if you can.

Fact: As of 2021, there are now boba tea shops in all fifty states and the District of Columbia.  

Written by Dorian Degraaff