The popularity of Boba Tea in Kathmandu

The Boba Tea business in Kathmandu has been on the rise with new boba tea shops popping up on the streets and corners.

The popular Bonum Cha that lies in Basantapur sells about 400 boba a day and the number of sales rises on festive days or weekends. Numerous restaurants and shops have started adding boba to their menu and the popularity and competition of this bubble tea grow every day.

Jammy’s Bubble Tea is Nepal’s first and only certified bubble tea brand and supplier which started its business in September 2011. “We started the bubble tea business because we recognized an international demand for bubble tea which had yet not started in Nepal,” says Pasang Lama from Jammy’s Bubble Tea.

Some of the well-known bubble tea shops in town include Yo Boba, Bubble Tea Station, Jammy’s Bubble Tea, Bonum Cha, Bubbles and cakes, and KTM Bubble tea.

The restaurants and cafes around town which were already prevalent such as Comic cafe, Chicken station, and more have added this drink to their menu.

Boba has made its way to the malls, shops, restaurants, and alleys of Nepal.

The craze for bubble tea has been all over, but what exactly is this drink?

Bubble tea is a tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s. The tea is mixed with milk or fruits and topped off with chewy tapioca pearls. By the early '90s, bubble tea became prevalent in Japan, Hong Kong, and the United States.

The tapioca pearls that are also called “boba” are generally made from cassava starch, a root vegetable from South America that is also referred to as yucca; in Nepal, we call this vegetable ‘Tarul’

Boba, Bubble Tea, Pearl Milk Tea, Milk Tea, Pearl Tea, and Tapioca Tea are synonyms for the same tea.

Boba tea has been dominating the international market. Western countries that have always preferred coffee as their milk-based drink, have started opting for tea, especially the versatile bubble tea.

Boba tea can be served hot or cold, milky or fruity, drizzled with syrup, or just the thick rich tea. Boba is delicious and addictive, and one can’t get enough of it!

Boba Tea is usually sold in transparent cups, with thick straws. The drizzle of syrup, bits of fruits, and the chewy round boba makes the bubble tea a tempting option. Boba tea has been the trendiest and most eye-pleasing drink of this generation. Of Course, boba helps to quench the thirst, but it’s the aesthetic aspect of the drink that people can’t get enough of.