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Houston Bubble Tea
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Houston
Chinatown Bubble Tea Directory
Contemporary Bubble Tea traces its roots back
to Taiwan. Legend has it that a particular
Tea establishment attracted young customers by combining
fruit juices with
chilled Tea. The concept proved to be such a success
that in a short time
the drink became ubiquitous throughout Taiwan. So how
did this amazing drink develop? First we must travel
back to Taiwan into the early 1980's. Taiwan was, and
still is, known for its "Night Market." This hot spot
for cheap goods and snacks saw one very inventive man
come up with the idea of giving consumers a nice
soothing drink for the hot summer nights. He decided to
combine the popular shredded ice and tea.
Tea was chosen for a number of reasons. Tea is
definitely part of the Asian
culture and goes back hundreds of years. Tea also has a
nice light taste
and allows fruit flavoring to mix into it to create a
refreshing drink.
This turned into a big hit. Well, why Bubble Tea? To
create this tasty
drink you must shake it first in order to give an even
taste. When all
was mixed it was poured into the famous cup, but if you
look closely small
bubbles would form in the Tea.
Thus the original "Bubble Tea" was born.
Shrewd entrepreneurs,
like Liu Han-Chieh, took this new type of Tea to the
next level by introducing
Tapioca Balls into the beverage. The Tapioca Pearls also
looked like bubbles.
Hence, the drink was reinforced as "Bubble Tea". Bubbles
at both sides
of the drink! By this point, Bubble Tea earned its
signature straw, which permitted the avant-garde Tea
drinker to consume Tea and "Bubbles" in a leisurely
fashion. Today, Bubble Tea is spreading quickly from
Taiwan to other parts of Asia and to North America. One
man in the Philippines was able to establish 100
locations in two years. Areas of concentrated Asian
populations in North America are already cozy with their
local Bubble Tea establishments. However, "Bubble Tea"
history is still in the making as this outrageous
beverage is further introduced into mainstream North
America.
Additional variations to Bubble Tea have
yet to hit the market. There are numerous names given to
this diverse drink. Some of the popular ones are: Pearl
Tea, Pearl Ice Tea, Black Pearl Ice Tea, QQ drinks, Nai
Cha, Zhen Zhou Nai Cha, Boba Nai Cha and of course
"Bubble Tea". Whatever you are inclined to call it,
Bubble Tea remains as one of the most refreshing and
colorful around. Bubble Tea is here to stay, and
consumption will continue to explode. Below is a
list of bubble tea places in Houston. Most are located
in Chinatown but due to its current popularity, you will
see a tremendous amount pop up at different locations
very soon. So come down to
Houston Chinatown today and
try one for yourself!
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