In 2026, bubble tea—alternatively known as boba or pearl milk tea—is far more than a beverage; it is a NT$50 billion global phenomenon and Taiwan’s most successful cultural export. But behind the 60,000 shops operating worldwide lies a legendary rivalry that once spent a decade in the Taiwan Intellectual Property Court.
The question that travelers and tea enthusiasts still ask today is: Who really invented bubble tea?
The Great Tapioca War: Taichung vs. Tainan
The 2019 court verdict concluded that the invention happened independently in two different cities during the mid-1980s. For the traveler in 2026, this means two distinct "original" recipes to experience.
The Taichung Origin: Chun Shui Tang (春水堂)
Founded in 1983 by Liu Han-Chieh, Chun Shui Tang revolutionized tea by serving it cold—a radical idea at the time. The "pearls" arrived in 1988 when product manager Lin Hsiu-Hui impulsively dropped fenyuan (tapioca pearls) into her iced Assam milk tea during a long staff meeting.
The Signature Style: Small black pearls that are softer and slightly nuttier.
The Craft: Hand-shaken in stainless-steel tins exactly 18 times to create a unique froth.
