Bubble Tea is a relatively new beverage in Nepal. Originally from Taiwan, the few stores that have started selling these novelty drink right here include Jammy’s Bubble Tea in NLIC City Centre, Kamal Pokhari and Bubble Tea Nepal in Civil Mall, Sundhara, with both businesses being well-received and having a good flow of customers.

What exactly is Bubble Tea? It is a sweetened beverage made with black or green tea and contains small chewy tapioca balls or “pearls” within the same container. Due to the diameter of the pearls, a special type of straw is used in drinking this concoction, thus giving it its own unique look.

There is a wide array of flavours available but there are generally two main types of the drink: milk tea and fruit-flavoured tea. Some fruit flavours include green apple, passion fruit, pomegranate and lychee, while non-fruit flavours include taro, chocolate, jasmine green tea and almond and more. Moreover, you can mix and match any flavour with the different types of drinks. There is also the blended drink variety, which is the perfect drink on a hot day. Some great drinks include Green Apple Ice-Blended, Chocolate Milk Tea, Vanilla Ice-Blended, Blueberry Milk Tea, Watermelon Ice-Blended and the list goes on…

Back in the ‘80s, Bubble Tea was a regular childhood treat in Taiwan and only gained popularity on a large scale after a Japanese talk show featured the drink in one of their shows in the ‘90s. Now, it is the must-have drink on a hot weather day amongst people of all ages in many parts of the world, although perhaps not so much in Nepal yet.

Usually after a drink is made and transferred into a plastic cup, it goes through a machine that seals it with a decorative plastic cellophane which one has to characteristically poke into to get the straw in. You may have to try a few times before attempting correctly but in no time, you will be able to poke through like a true Bubble Tea connoisseur.