Bubble Tea

Ficus, Fruity Yogurt, Junbi, Kung Fu Tea, MTea: These are just a few of the bubble tea stores Princeton has to offer. But what is bubble tea? Bubble tea was invented in the 1980s by Taiwanese tea house manager, Lin Hsui Hui. While bored at a staff meeting, Hui had the revolutionary idea of dumping her tapioca pudding (“fen yuan”) into her iced Assam tea. Awestruck by the flavor and deliciousness of the beverage, it was added to the menu of the teahouse and rose to popularity almost instantly. Soon, adjacent teahouses added it to their menus too while experimenting with fruit teas, tapioca pearls, and other traditional Chinese dessert add-ons. Today bubble tea has become a globally known beverage and a social media sensation.

Matcha

Though originating in China during the Tang Dynasty, matcha today is considered the quintessential Japanese tea that has taken the world by storm. When Buddhist merchants reached Japan between 6 C.E. and 7 C.E., they established a variety of Buddhist monasteries around the empire which utilized specific rituals, one of them being the drinking and celebration of matcha. This was quickly taken up by samurai-in-training programs in order to help the warriors cultivate their inner strength and develop a calm, clear mindset. Almost instantly, matcha’s popularity boomed and became a cultural tradition in Japan. So how is it made? Instead of being steeped, matcha is made by whisking hot water with green tea grounds in order to create a frothy drink. Nowadays, there are two kinds of matcha cultivated, ceremonial and culinary, which both act as representations of pleasant virtues such as harmony, tranquility, and purity, originating from their unique history.

Chai

A chai latte is one of the more popular drinks ordered at Starbucks, Dunkin’, or any local coffee shops. However, the average “chai” you might purchase at those places is far from its ancestor. “Chai” is the Hindi word for tea, dating back to over 5,000 years ago where it was used mainly for medicinal purposes. It was not until after the British colonizers arrived when locals started to add sugar and milk to their chai; soon after, a chai culture erupted throughout the Indian subcontinent that has outlasted British rule. The sweet, spicy, rich flavor of chai is what makes it so popular today.