Among the factors that have contributed to the success of bubble tea in Romania (and in Europe in general) are K-pop and South Korean series that are increasingly appearing on Netflix.

In the last two years, “pearl tea”, bubble tea or boba tea, has become a very popular drink among teenagers in Romania. However, this is not a drink that was invented recently or just hit the market.

Bubble tea has appeared in Asian countries since the 80s. The original recipe was invented in Taiwan, and the drink was made by mixing cold tea with milk, fruit or fruit juice, and pouring tapioca pearls over the mixture.

Tapioca is extracted from the root of the cassava shrub, a plant native to South America. The roots are mostly starch and water, and when soaked in water and dried, they form a paste that can then be made into flour and then, with the help of heat, into pearls.

Nowadays, bubble tea pearls are not only made from tapioca, but can also be made from jelly or taro, among others. The first bubble tea establishments appeared in Bucharest around 2012 and had a little success, and soon disappeared. Only eight years later he returned in force.

Now, if you walk around downtown Bucharest, there’s a good chance you’ll come across at least a few teenagers who aren’t holding a glass of bubble tea while waiting in line to buy it.

This recent explosion of popularity can be seen everywhere: in Europe, America or Australia. Reason? Social media. Many teenagers who want to try bubbles have learned about it from Instagram, TikTok or YouTube.

Firstly, as colorful and photogenic drinks, and thanks to the pearls at the bottom of the clear glass, they are very “Instagrammable” products. Many influencers began to pose with them, and this led to young people once again experiencing taste outside of Asia.

In addition, the huge success of K-Pop and South Korean TV series (present in increasing proportions on Netflix) were other factors that made bubble tea a trend.

A few places in Bucharest where you can buy bubble tea

Chaya Boba tea. PHOTO: Facebook

Here are some places in Bucharest where you can also try bubbles. It should also be noted that the price of such a drink ranges from 14 to 25 lei.

Chaya Boba tea (Tache Ionescu 8A) this is one of the bubble tea places in Bucharest that knew how to reach a young audience. He is present and very active on Instagram and TikTok, as well as the older Facebook. All drinks cost 22 lei and the success he experienced led him to expand to another location on Academiei street no. 17 (across the street from the University of Architecture).

• Read also: Weekend trends in Bucharest: 10 places in the city where you go to eat for pleasure, not necessarily for hunger (comfort food)

There is also Chaya Boba Tea in Amzeya Square in close proximity Zebra cat (Tache Ionescu 8A), another place well-loved by those who are into Asian culture and bean tea. This is one of the cool places to try this drink with more specially designed glasses.

The menu is varied, with teas imported from Japan and Thailand, and tapioca pearls from Taiwan itself. You can also choose two sizes, L or XL, and prices range from 14 to 23 lei.

Tea touch. PHOTO: Facebook

Another really cool place to try bubble tea Tea Touch (Magheru 32-34). This is part of a franchise that appeared in the EU in 2018, and at the beginning of this year entered the Romanian market.

The first location is on Piața Unirii (Bulevardul Unirii 27), and the second is on Piața Romană. On the menu you can also find boba tea based on carbonated drinks, green tea with yogurt or hot drinks with milk. Prices from 15 to 22 lei.

The unique thing is that from here you can take your drink with you as a fashion accessory, because you can choose a cup bag that turns your glass into a kind of “wallet”.

Delicious bubble tea. PHOTO: Facebook

After opening the first location at Jules Michelet 1 last year, those of Delicious bubble tea (Jules Michelet 1) they inaugurated another one in the summer of 2022 on Stefan cel Mare Boulevard, near the National Circus. Prices for such a drink range from 17 to 28 lei.

As a curiosity, here you will also find bubble tea with durian, an exotic fruit with a not-too-pleasant smell. Having accumulated 15 years of experience as a bartender, Sorin realized the potential of the bubble tea business in Romania about two years ago.

Together with a friend, they managed to open a location Bubble T (Gheorghe Duca 1) near the North Station, with prices of 16-19 lei for such a drink. Sales went well considering that this year they also opened Bubble T at Alexandru Obregia Boulevard no. 25.

Puzyr T. PHOTO: Facebook

Also, they are going to open another such location in Sector 6, Apusului area, Military. TY Shop (Ion C. Brătianu 16) is an Asian shop opened in March in Bucharest by a Vietnamese family.

Here you can find many interesting ingredients and products and, of course, bubbles (17-20 lei). In a short time, TY Shop managed to gather around itself a community of loyal customers, mostly young people, who come here mainly for a glass of pearl tea, but also leave the necessary ingredients to – prepare this drink of your choice. himself.

GURI GURI (Glucose Plant 9B/ UpGround) it’s a Korean restaurant/shop where all kinds of surprises are sure to await you. It was opened with the blessing of the South Korean Embassy in Bucharest and is a paradise for all those who love noodles but also want to try something new, such as Korean kimchi pizza, seafood and tofu stew, Korean seaweed. soup, a glass of soju or makkeolli, etc.

In addition, from here you can take home not only Korean products, but also kits for cooking the dishes of this country on the home stove. Of course, they also have bubble tea for 19 lei.

• Read also: Weekend trend in Bucharest: 10 special shops where, in addition to shopping, you can drink coffee and craft beer or have dinner