Chien Shun-yih, 28, tastes tea while processing a fresh harvest at a workshop in Jiayi, Taiwan. Reuters Chien, who returned to run the family plantation after his father died of cancer four years ...

A brief history of bubble tea Bubble tea (or “boba” for short) was born in Taiwan sometime during the 1980s. Californians were the first to enjoy it stateside.

As a lifelong fan of bubble tea, I was thrilled to meet this woman when I visited her place of work, and the source of all bubbles teas it would seem, at Chun Shui Tang teahouse in Taichung, Taiwan.