From a single tea leaf, a cup of bubble tea and a bowl of douhua to the lights of the night market — sail six stops along Taiwan's coast to meet its flavors and people, and see how a Taiwanese food company carries them to the world.
Along Taiwan's coastline — setting off from the tea hills and finally sailing from the harbor to the world.
Brand Philosophy
Tang Sugar Brand Philosophy: Taiwanese Food and Taiwanese Service, Bringing the Flavors of Taiwan to the World
From the Formosa Oolong that sailed to New York in 1869 to bubble tea loved around the globe, Taiwan has long been sending great flavors to the world. Tang Sugar (Caitang International) is a Taiwanese company proud of the food Taiwanese people make and the service they provide. With consistent ingredient quality, clear partnership terms and verifiable supply capability, we…
It introduces Taiwan's tea, bubble tea, night-market food, fruit and sugar, everyday life and Made in Taiwan, and shows how Tang Sugar brings these flavors and Taiwanese service to partners around the world.
How is Taiwan Stories different from the blog?
Taiwan Stories covers culture, origins and Taiwan through foreign eyes; the blog covers drink recipes, ingredient dosage and sourcing. The two link to each other, so you can go from a story to a recipe.
The Origin and History of Bubble Tea: Did Chun Shui Tang or Hanlin Tea Room Invent It? From 1980s Foam-Tea Shops to a Global Drink
Key answer
Bubble tea originated in 1980s Taiwan, born from the hand-shaken tea culture of foam-tea shops. Taichung’s Chun Shui Tang says Lin Hsiu-hui added tapioca balls to milk tea in 1987; Tainan’s Hanlin Tea Room says founder Tu Tsung-ho made pearl milk tea with white tapioca balls in 1986. The two went to court from 2009, and in 2019 a court ruled that bubble tea was a new type of drink, not a patented product, so there was no need to decide who invented it. Whoever came first, bubble tea is Taiwan’s gift to the world. Tang Sugar supplies pearls, tea and bubble tea ingredients to keep this Taiwanese invention traveling the world.
First came foam black tea, then bubble tea
Bubble tea’s forerunner was Taiwanese foam black tea. Shaking black tea, sugar and ice in a cocktail shaker into a fine foam became hugely popular in 1980s Taiwan, and foam-tea shops became hangouts for young people (further reading: the history of foam black tea). Amid this hand-shaken tea craze, someone added fenyuan — tapioca balls from traditional Taiwanese desserts — to milk tea, and bubble tea was born.
Chun Shui Tang and Hanlin Tea Room: two origin stories
Chun Shui Tang (Taichung)
Hanlin Tea Room (Tainan)
Claimed year
1987
1986
Inventor
Store manager Lin Hsiu-hui
Founder Tu Tsung-ho
Story
Poured a tapioca dessert into milk tea during a staff meeting
Saw white tapioca balls at Tainan’s Yamuliao Market and added them to milk tea
Why “pearl”
The black tapioca balls looked like pearls
The white tapioca balls were glossy like pearls
Chun Shui Tang was founded by Liu Han-chieh in Taichung in 1983 (further reading: the Chun Shui Tang story); Hanlin Tea Room’s acquisition by Gourmet Master was announced in 2025. Both claim to be the original, and reports give years ranging from 1985 to 1988.
A ten-year lawsuit: bubble tea has no patent
Reports say the two sides went to court in 2009, and in July 2019 a court ruled that bubble tea was a new type of drink, not a patented product, and anyone could make it — so there was no need to decide who invented it. Precisely because no one could monopolize it, bubble tea spread across Taiwan and then the world.
From Taiwan to the world
From the 1990s, bubble tea spread with Taiwanese immigrants and chain brands to the US, Japan and Southeast Asia, and on the US West Coast it became known as boba (further reading: what bubble tea is called in English, bubble tea in the US, bubble tea in Japan). New Taiwanese flavors like brown sugar pearls and tiger-stripe milk have sparked wave after wave of global crazes (further reading: Tiger Sugar, bubble tea culture).
Tang Sugar: keeping Taiwan’s invention traveling the world
A cup of bubble tea holds Taiwanese people’s devotion to texture and their love of sharing. Caitang International Co., Ltd. (brand name Tang Sugar) is proud of this Taiwanese invention and supplies what drink shops overseas need for authentic Taiwanese bubble tea:
This article belongs to Stop 2, Bubble Tea, of the Taiwan Stories series. Series opener: Tang Sugar brand philosophy.
FAQ
When was bubble tea invented?
Bubble tea was born in 1980s Taiwan: Hanlin Tea Room claims 1986 and Chun Shui Tang claims 1987, and reports differ slightly on the year.
Who invented bubble tea?
Both Taichung’s Chun Shui Tang and Tainan’s Hanlin Tea Room claim to have invented it; in 2019 a court ruled bubble tea was not a patented product and no inventor needed to be named.
Was bubble tea invented in Taiwan?
Yes. Bubble tea grew out of 1980s Taiwan’s foam black tea and hand-shaken tea culture before spreading worldwide.
Why is it called “pearl” milk tea?
Because the round, glossy tapioca balls in the milk tea look like pearls; the biggest ones are called boba.
What is 珍珠奶茶 in English?
The most common name is bubble tea; on the US West Coast it’s boba, and more formally pearl milk tea.
