A friend from Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley recently grumbled about how she had to resist patronizing more than ten tea establishments during her 15-minute daily commute home. Perhaps she was battling her addiction to pearl milk tea, also known worldwide as tapioca, or boba tea.
Tea shops in the region do spring up like mushrooms, or, as Chinese literature likes to describe it, “bamboo shoots burgeoning after rainy days.” These are not your typical tea houses adorned with imitation 
impressionist paintings and artificial floral arrangements. But they are places where the advertised free wi-fi is not really free because it is password-protected, where students congregate to finish their homework – despite all of the cacophony and distraction – and where even the most loyal customers do not lament the operation’s comings and goings, because they can always migrate to a comparable establishment just down the street.
Paying a little bit of attention at an archetypal boba tea house often leads to the following observations:
The menu lists myriad drinks, and should be examined prior to ordering, especially if the line is long. Pearl milk tea may not be a house’s signature, or specialty beverage, but will often be a staple among other flavored milk teas such as almond, taro, honey, barley, Thai, coconut, caramel, coffee, chocolate, sesame, ginger, and even more. One can enjoy the concoction without the milk, although no one calls it the dairy-free tea. Vice versa, a drink can be prepared without the tea, which can no longer be classified a milk tea because there is no tea.
For me, a tea place disappoints if it does not own a particular piece of machinery – the conspicuous cup sealing machine! After four years of relentless experimenting and prototyping, Mr. YiFang Yeh invented the first sealing machine in Taiwan and founded the company Y-Fang Sealing Machines, Ltd. in 1985. Through the years Mr. Yeh and his team continue to develop systems that are not only more sophisticated and versatile but also more cost-effective and compact, for example, Model ET-899-3, a table-top sealing machine for various cup sizes. Today Y-Fang Sealing Machines, Ltd.’s products are sold in 23 countries!
Like any other business, a tea house must be thoughtfully named. TBAY and Ladybug Tea House are somewhat memorable, but Tea Bar Starry and OZERO by Cofftea?! What is even more amazing is that almost all of these establishments are extensively reviewed on Yelp.
If there is not a pearl milk tea cafe in your neighborhood, maybe you would like to open one. Even if it is a fad, a craze, its allure will not be ephemeral. Franchise options are abundant too. Does Williston, North Dakota – recently surveyed as the city with the highest average rent in the States – have a pearl milk tea shop?
Images courtesy of the contributor.
It’s interesting that in Portland Oregon where we have many tea shops, none are highlighting boba tea or pearl milk tea. Perhaps we’re a city that doesn’t tend toward fads. I’ve never seen a sealing machine and hope I never do:) Way too much plastic for me!
Cups with regular plastic lids are way worse for the environment in my opinion. Sealing machine is also much more sanitary.
I should find time to visit Portland. Too bad that recent news and reviews about the city, both from mass media and friends, were mostly negative…
Can you share what mass media reviews you’re speaking of? I always read such wonderful reviews of the city.
My concern about plastic seals is that hot tea swishing up to it would be a problem. Plastic doesn’t do well when it comes in contact with hot liquid. Poisons are released into the liquid.
I would have to agree with you about the sealing machines being better for the environment – no question about it. Any one who knows me knows that I fiercely support the environment. I’m also one who is very concerned about health and wellness. I remember going from booth to booth during the World Tea Expo and one year, many exhibitors were offering their tea samples in little plastic cups. I always refused those samples. Now that was bad for the environment and bad for people.
Yes, I’ll share the information but just realized that this wouldn’t be the right forum.
All of us should probably carry ware like Tervis Tumbler (Made in America, BPA-free, reusable) at all time…
I’ve never tried boba – bubble tea – because I thought it was a fad for kids who don’t really like tea. Now I can’t wait! Here is a partial list of the scores of places in Portland, Oregon, which offer it.
About Portland, Ifang . . . it is a city of distinct neighborhoods, or districts. The one attribute linking them is “weirdness.”
Yes, Regena is absolutely right. Portland is weird and seems to delight in that concept.
When I made the comment about bubble tea in Portland, I suspect I failed to make myself clear. Although bubble tea may be on the menu in many tea shops, I’ve never in 10 years walked into any Portland tea shop and seen someone drinking it. Also, in New York City, I saw numerous bubble tea shops – offering almost exclusively bubble teas. That is not the case in Portland to my knowledge. Sorry if my comment was misleading.
Boba tea and its history warrant another post. I am not sure if bubble tea = boba/tapioca tea… Thanks for enriching the post with a link to the Wikipedia page; I didn’t know such page existed…
I was at an Asian mall in the Chinese area of SE Portland. Much to my surprise was a bubble tea house. I now stand corrected:).
Ifang, I would LOVE to read another post about Boba tea and its history. I found a recipe and purchased tapioca pearls, as well as frozen mango. You’ve inspired me! Here is another link which sells all the ingredients AND a sealing machine This site lists bubble tea and boba tea like this: bubble tea/boba tea, which means interchangeable. So, I can’t wait to be educated! Thanks so much!