TEA is the second-most consumed drink in the world, after water.
While here in Australia we’re pretty obsessed with coffee thanks to the tides of European migration and well, coffee, much of the rest of the world is awash in tea.
In many cultures tea still plays an integral part of the national identity. Think Japanese tea ceremonies and the Chinese medicinal use of tea. In Kazakhstan there is a saying that ‘the body of a Kazakh is 80 percent tea’.
Our tea culture came on the back of this country’s British influence. Still today, the UK consumes the third most tea per capita in the world, (behind Ireland and Turkey).
In Taiwan in the early 1980s, bubble tea was invented – a cold drink with chewy tapioca balls (‘pearls’) or a wide range of other toppings. Bubble teas can be made with or without milk and with a choice of black, green, or oolong tea, and come in many flavors.
There are two competing stories for the origin of bubble tea, but one includes a Taiwanese tea maker who began serving Chinese tea cold after he saw coffee was served cold in Japan while on a visit there. The new style of serving tea propelled his business, and multiple chains were established.
The drink became popular in most parts of East and Southeast Asia during the 1990s and in Malaysia today there are more than 50 different brands selling bubble tea.
Consequently, bubble tea has become synonymous with Taiwan and is an important symbol of Taiwanese identity both domestically and internationally.
Here in Australia, bubble tea has grown in popularity over recent years. Any observer in Melbourne would notice the proliferation and popularity of bubble tea outlets.
Shepparton is no exception. Bubble Cuppa, at 257 Maude Street (opposite the CFA) has an inexhaustible range of flavoured bubble tea and has become a local favourite, particularly when the weather warms up.
Bubble Cuppa opened in Shepparton in November last year, and to celebrate their first birthday, they are doing a buy-one, get-one-free deal every Wednesday this month.
