Bubble tea and handmade drink shops are an indispensable part of Taiwanese food culture. For years, they play the role of a cultural ambassador, promoting Taiwanese cuisine to the international community. How did bubble tea rise to its current status of Taiwan’s “national drink”? How did this “bubble tea kingdom” come to be? What can we learn from the rise of handmade drink shops in Taiwan?

By Emery (陳韋聿)
Cover Image by Rosalind Chang on Unsplash
Translated by Mellisa Anzalone
Edited by Elizabeth Shaw

This piece first appeared in Story Studio  and was translated and published with the permission of the publisher

Did you enjoy a handmade drink today? Tea shops have now become a common sight in Taiwan as handmade drinks have become popular over the past 20 years. Both small and bigger brands have tried their hand at this business but only bubble tea (or boba) has remained popular throughout and is now regarded as a classic drink. Today, bubble tea has crossed the borders and has become an ambassador of Taiwanese cuisine internationally. This success causes one to wonder who created the popular drink in the first place.

It is actually difficult to get a clear answer. It is not a secret that the teahouses “Chun Shui Tang” (春水堂) and “Han Lin Tea Room” (翰林茶館) have been fighting for over 10 years over the title of the ‘creator of bubble tea’ (珍奶始祖). The two chains even went to court to settle the matter. Unfortunately, the court was not able to provide a final ruling. [1]

But perhaps a more meaningful question would be why did handmade drink shops, such as “Quickly” (Kuaikeli; 快可立), became so popular in the late 20th century. Indeed, without this first trend, bubble tea may have never risen to its current status of “national drink”, no matter how great the taste.

So, how did “Quickly” come to be? With the help of newspaper articles, let’s go back in time and discover the past life of Taiwan's handmade drink shops and even the entire "bubble tea kingdom", starting with the foam black tea stores that emerged more than 30 years ago.

SHAKER DRINKS: CHEAP AND TASTY

The Taiwanese movie Our Times (我的少女時代), set in 1990s Taiwan, was well-received and was a box-office hit when it came out a few years ago. In the movie, the protagonists read together at night at the tea store “Xiao Xie” (literary: “Little Break”; 小歇). These scenes evoked the youthful memories of many viewers and became a topic of discussion.

There is no direct link between the emergence of “Xiao Xie” in the early 1990s and the handmade drink shops that quickly became popular throughout Taiwan a few years later. However, if we take a look at the predecessors of “Xiao Xie” – the foam black tea shops that sprang up in south-central Taiwan in the 1980s – it is clear that the later handmade drinks have actually followed the same path.

What exactly is a foam black tea shop? As the name suggests, the main product is black tea, to which syrup and ice are added, which is then shaken until foam appears. To put it simply, this drink is cheap, both in terms of price and cost. Compared to a high mountain oolong, which can easily cost thousands of yuan for half a kilo in a traditional tea house, black tea is clearly not as sophisticated.

Of course, affordable cold drinks were not a new invention at that time. In Taiwan, street stalls had long been selling ‘iced tea’ (紅茶冰). You may have drunk this at night markets, often with a little bit of cassia seeds or vanilla powder, so it tastes a little bit more old school. Compared to these, foam black tea was made in a shaker, which was very new back then. [2]

GOODBYE PATRIOT’S LOTTERY AND WELCOME BLACK TEA

Let's take a look at the popularity of black tea back then with a report in the Min Sheng Daily (民生報) from August, 1986:

“This summer, many shops specializing in ‘foam black tea’ have suddenly appeared on the streets of Fucheng. The drinks are made in bottles that look like a bowling pin... In the past three to four years, the shops one could find at the intersections of two streets (literally: the "triangular windows"; 三角窗) were mostly lottery shops. However, "foam black tea" has come to replace these lottery shops as they have started to wane. Despite high rents, the tea shops still manage to make a fortune. With the constant flow of customers and with the profit they make, the future of these tea shops seems bright.” [3]

This report reveals that in the early 1980s, there were already shops specializing in foam black tea in Tainan, and they were very popular. At that time, the Patriot’s Lottery (愛國獎券) was losing popularity. The lotteries were closing down one by one, leaving the vacant shops to be replaced by the then newly popular tea shops.

Does foam black tea then originate in Tainan? People in Taichung might disagree with the statement. In 1985, a report in the Economic Times (經濟日報) stated:

“One after another, tea shops in the city have been adding some chairs in front of their counters over the past two years. In addition to selling traditional tea, they also sell "foam black tea" to refresh passers-by. This has become another important business of the tea shops. For some, black tea has become so popular that traditional teas have fallen behind!” [4]

In that regard, the popularity of foam black tea may be related to the transformation of local tea shops in Taichung. Foam black tea was originally a side business in the tea shops and tea houses but gradually became the main product. By 1987, more than 100 tea shops had opened in the downtown area of Taichung, including near the library, the China Medical University (中國醫藥大學) and the city hall. Some of these shops are still going strong today. Perhaps the most representative is “Weng Kee” (翁記) near Yizhong Street!

In any case, the tea shops that emerged in the south-central region operated in much the same way in the late 1980s - customers could order a drink and sit to read, play cards, chat or whatever they wanted to do until the shop closed. Because of their affordability, tea shops soon became a popular place for young people (especially poor students) to spend their time, and by the 1990s, the shops were enjoying their heyday. [5]

GENERATION X

If we look back at the 1980s and 1990s, the popularity of the tea shops is understandable. As we all know, it was a time of explosive growth in the spending power of the people of Taiwan. Even students began to have pocket money or part-time income. [6] They probably did not have the means to go to a pub or a bar, and the ice cream shops and cafes were already old-fashioned. In contrast, the new tea shops became the place to be for students, as they offered budget-friendly drinks and refreshments.

Not only the customers were really young, but also many owners were young entrepreneurs starting their first business. After all, the costs of production were very low and it didn’t require particular technical knowledge. Therefore, if you had a small amount of money and wanted to try your hand at starting a business, it was only natural to think of following the trend and opening a tea shop. The most typical examples are Mr and Mrs Huang Puguang, who later helped to create the franchise “Quickly” and who were also involved in driving the first wave of handmade drinks in Taiwan. They started their business in the early 1980s with a tea shop near Taichung Park at just 17 years old. [7]     

A newspaper reporter also observed that in the early 1990s, tea shops were "run by people wearing the latest fashion and playing popular music to attract passers-by, just like a new, modern economy". [8]

The main selling point of the shops were not the tea itself, but the ability to make the younger generation feel as if it was 'their place'. As a result, many shops later focused on themed décor, trying to create a hip and avant-garde space, and became a hub for “Gen X”. [9]

BREEDING GROUNDS FOR YOUTH CRIMES?

Since tea shops were highly lucrative and fairly easy to open, they attracted a lot of competition and many famous artists also joined in. For example, before he became famous, pop singer Michael Shih (施文彬) was the owner of a tea shop in Taichung. In addition, young icons such as Emi Lee (李明依), Fang Wen-Lin (方文琳) and Lee E-jun (李翊君), who were popular in the early 1990s, made similar investments. [10]

However, tea shops were generally not looked at favorably. The shops were often criticized in the news media as "dodgy places” and "breeding grounds for youth criminality". [11]

However, we can’t blame adults for their prejudice as the shops were just really prone to trouble. In those days, every now and then the newspapers reported some criminal cases that took place in the tea shops. One was a gang fight, the other was a disagreement that resulted in a serious injury, and the list goes on and on.

Huang Puguang, the owner of Quickly that I mentioned earlier once ran a tea shop in Taichung, called “Angel”(安琪兒), which, not surprisingly, was also the scene of a shooting in 1990. [12]

In addition to the constant trouble, casino games, popular in the 1990s, were often found in small rooms deep inside the tea shops. One of the most ridiculous stories I have read so far took place in 1992 in Taipei City. According to reports, in February of that year, a tea shop on Hui'an Street called "Mary" (瑪琍) was raided by the police and over a hundred of Roulette Slots (Little Mary; 小瑪莉) were found (for those who don't know what these are, let the Youtuber Tsai A-ga introduce you to them). [13] I’ve always thought that the owner of this shop was really funny – you name your shop that way then dare to set up so many roulette slots, weren’t you just waiting for the police to catch you?

 THE FATHER OF ‘BUBBLE BLACK TEA’

In short, the "tea craze" spread all over the island from the 1980s to the 1990s.  According to the observation of a businessman in 1993, the total number of tea shops in Taiwan at that time was around 5,000, of which 40% were located in Taichung. [14] At the same time, “Xiao Xie", which had been developed as a franchise, had also grown in size.

The craze continued until around 2000. Although some people continued to come up with new ideas such as escorts, the industry slowly came to an end (later shops mixing food and teas such as “San Huang San Jia” (三皇三家) and ”Lattea” (綠蓋) can still be seen as by-products of this trend).

It's worth noting that Taiwan's ‘tea craze' has also given rise to a product you'll be familiar with: the 10-yuan cartons of ‘Bubble Black Tea’ (生活泡沫紅茶) from convenience stores. This classic drink was born in 1991, just as black tea was becoming popular. It hopped on the trend then and is still a bestseller in the drink market thirty years on. [15]

Another by-product of the tea shops is the tea stalls on the street or in the night market. In the early 1990s, tea stalls, also selling foam black teas, began to appear intensively in the south-central region. In Tainan, such stalls became so popular that some furniture companies built customized stalls for entrepreneurs. In Taichung, a food ingredients company called "Yi Hai Hsiang” (一海香) operated a franchise, charging less than 50,000 yuan for all the equipment and training,[16] which was much less than the operating costs of a typical tea shop, making it a more convenient way to start a business. [17]

NEXT STOP: BUBBLE TEA KINGDOM  

We are now reaching the end of the story. The relation between foam black tea shops and today’s handmade drink shops has already been touched upon. For example, we talked about Mr and Mrs Huang Puguang, the founders of “Quickly”, who used to run a tea shop. Moreover, the two owners of the rival company, “EasyWay” (休閒小站), also started a take-away tea shop near Tunghai University in Taichung in the late 1990s.

In other words, the founders of the two chain stores that promoted the trend of handmade drinks in Taiwan actually had experience from the tea craze of the 1980s. They have since opened their own handmade drink shops, each drawing heavily on the know-hows they accumulated from their previous experience.

For example, handmade drink shops such as “Quickly” and “EasyWay” have carried on with the flavored drinks that had been developed during the foam black tea era. Most of the common tastes that we know today, such as passion fruit, lemonade and jasmine oolong, actually appeared in the 1980s and 1990s. At that time, shop owners were keen to develop or promote a variety of drinks other than black tea to highlight the uniqueness of their shop. [18]

Interestingly, one of these drinks became so popular at tea stalls in the early 1990s that even the artist Bu Xue Liang (卜學亮) brought a cup to her boss, Chang Hsiao-yen (張小燕), to “give it a try”. The following year, Hong Kong star Alex To (杜德偉) came to Taiwan. He, of course, didn't forget to try this magical Taiwanese specialty - needless to say, it was bubble tea.

In other words, the popularity of bubble tea today is inseparable from the consumption boom brought by foam black tea. [19] In fact, this trend of the ‘youthful drink’ may be the key reason why Taiwan became the 'bubble tea kingdom'. Indeed, had it not been for the tea shops (and the later tea stalls) that led to a whole generation of young people seeing tea in cups as trendy after the 1980s, the various handmade drink shops that followed would not have been embraced that quickly by consumers.

So, did you also enjoy a handmade drink today? This way of consuming drinks is now part of the Taiwanese daily lives, but this routine actually has a long history. No food culture appears out of thin air, and the cup in your hand may have a long story hidden in its sweet taste. 

This story launches the keyword topic "A scoop of story ". The full text of this article is open to share with all readers, so let’s read these cool and refreshing stories together in the summer while enjoying a refreshing drink.

Footnotes:

[1] In fact, these two chains are not the only one to have claimed the title. For some other examples, see the article “泡沫紅茶 香滿台中” in Min Sheng Daily (民生報), 9 May, 1993, p. 34.

[2] In terms of the exact origins of handmade black tea, Chun Shui Tang and "Xiao Xie" have both argued that they came up with the idea first. Moreover, some historians have suggested that the origins should be traced back to the early post-war period in Tainan. However, like the aforementioned ‘inventor of bubble tea, I don't think this is the focus of this article.

[3] See the article “泡沫紅茶 府城冷飲新寵”, in Min Sheng Daily (民生報), August 21,, 1986, p. 10.

[4] See the article “台中市「泡沐紅茶」搶鋒頭” in Economic Times (經濟日報), 28 August, 1985, p. 10. Other reports directly asserted that "foam black tea shops originated in Taichung", or that "foam black tea is a cold drink shaken out of the Taichung tea scene". See “茶界搖出來的一則冷飲傳奇” in Economic Times (經濟日報), 7 September, 1990 p. 18; “仲夏夜 來一杯涼的”, 2 June, 1991, p. 17. In 1993, one journalist said: "Some people say that black tea originated in Taichung, but others believe that they originated in Chiayi and Tainan. Some say it originated in Taichung, but others believe it came from Chiayi and Tainan. Its origin may be unknown, but it is certain that it flourished in Taichung.” See “泡沫紅茶 香滿台中” in  Min Sheng Daily (民生報), 9 May, 1993, p. 34.

[5] Taiwan's beverage industry is said to have designated 1993 as the “Year of Tea”, see “茶飲料征服年輕的心”, United Evening News (聯合晚報), 6 March, 1994, p. 4.

[6] For an analysis of the spending power of young people at the time, see "年輕人 流行急先鋒！” in Minsheng Daily (民生報), 15 November, 1992, p. 24.

[7] See “快可立在大陸「賣地圖」” in the online magazine Business Today (今周刊), 8 March, 2001. It is interesting to note that Huang Puguang actually wanted to be a singer and released a record in the mid-1990s, which unfortunately did not become popular. If he had been a successful singer, Quickly may have never been created. See "不做大老闆，寧當歌唱新兵──黃普光 昨夜的吻 快樂圓夢", in United Daily News (聯合報), 3 July, 1995, p. 23. There are also some examples of young people opening tea shops, for example, “小錢也能創業”, in Economic Daily News (經濟日報), 22 August, 1992, p. 27.

[8] See “泡沫紅茶店成新貴” in Economic Daily News (經濟日報), 9 July, 1991, p. 8.

[9] See “泡沫紅茶 香滿台中” in Minsheng Daily (民生報), 9 May, 1993, p. 34.

[10] See “施文彬 感謝兩個女人” in Minsheng Daily (民生報), 5 July 1995, p.16; “李明依姊弟 茶坊開張” in Minsheng Daily (民生報), 3 May 1995, p. 16; “李翊君歌唱事業入佳境 生意也做得起勁”, 19 July, 1991, p. 29.

[11] See “北市下月實施旭日專案”, in United Daily News (聯合報),7 June, 1992, p. 7; “泡沫紅茶店 少年犯罪溫床”, in United Daily News (聯合報), 6 December, 1991, p. 13.

[12] See “小.伙子血氣方剛 擦撞啟釁 打起群架”, in United Daily News (聯合報), 15 June, 1990, p. 11.

[13] See “不到六小時 查獲電玩 150 台”, in United Daily News (聯合報), 22 February 1992, p. 14.

[14] See’茶飲料征服年輕的心’ in United Daily News (聯合報), 6 March 1994, p. 4; ‘泡沫紅茶 香滿台中’，in Minsheng Daily (民生報), 9 May 1993, p. 34.

[15] Two years later, it was time for ‘Kai Xi Oolong Tea’ (開喜烏龍茶) to make its debut. The advertising strategy also targeted the younger generation, the so-called “Generation X”. It could also be seen as the result of the craze created by foam black tea, which made drinking tea trendy.

[16] See ‘南縣泡沫紅茶攤櫛比鱗次’, in Economic Daily News (經濟日報), 16 April, 1992, p. 19; ‘小本經營回收快 泡沫紅茶連鎖攤如雨後春筍’, in Economic Daily News (經濟日報), 9 August, 1991p. 19. Incidentally, ‘Yi Hai Hsiang” is still a supplier to handmade drink shops.

[17] It was said that if you wanted to join a regular tea shop, you would have to prepare around $350,000.See ’泡沫紅茶店 一家家地開’ in United Daily News (聯合報), 9 July, 1994, p. 20. Incidentally, the popular American actress Alyssa Milano (who started the "me too" movement in 2017) came to Taiwan in 1992. A variety show invited Takeshi Kaneshiro, who had not yet travelled to Japan, to be her guide. The two of them went to Tonghua Night Market (通化夜市), where they experienced goldfish fishing, eating chicken butt and drinking some foam black tea. See ’艾莉莎逛夜市 樣樣新鮮’ in Minsheng Daily (民生報), 25 September, 1992, p. 12.

[18] See ‘泡沬紅茶重振雄風’, in Economic Daily News (經濟日報), 24 July, 1988, p. 10.

[19] It is said that the popularity of bubble tea is linked to a tea stall called "Grasshopper" (草蜢) on Haian Road in Taiwan. At that time, Hong Kong movies were very popular in Taiwan and the Hong Kong actress Amy Yip (葉子楣) was known for being big-breasted, which was referred to as “boba” (波霸). The owner of “Grasshopper” then came with the idea of naming his tea with large pearls "boba milk tea". This name may have contributed to the popularity of bubble tea in its early days.