Bubble tea (also known as pearl milk tea, boba tea, or simply boba) is a popular Taiwanese drink that combines tea with a variety of toppings, most commonly tapioca pearls (the "bubbles"), though there are other toppings like fruit, pudding, and agar pearls.

The name "bubble tea" refers to the frothy bubbles that appear when the drink is shaken. The shaking action helps create foam on the surface of the drink, which is where the "bubble" part of the name comes from. The tapioca pearls, often referred to as "boba" (a term derived from the Cantonese word for large pearls), became a defining characteristic of the drink, and eventually, "boba tea" became synonymous with bubble tea in many places around the world.

By the early 90s, bubble tea became prevalent in Japan and Hong Kong. Today, boba is consumed almost as frequently as coffee, soda, and smoothies.

Report – According to TechSci Research report “Bubble Tea Market By Product Type (Black Tea, Green Tea, Oolong Tea, Others), By Flavor (Fruit, Taro, Strawberry, Classic, Coffee), By Distribution Channel (Online, Offline), By Region, By Competition Forecast & Opportunities 2018-2028” The Bubble Tea Market was valued at over USD 2.59 Billion in 2022 and is poised to grow at CAGR of over 7.29% during forecast period.

Top 10 Bubble Tea Brands in the World:

1. Kung Fu Tea

Kung Fu Tea is America’s largest bubble tea brand with over 350+ locations across the United States. As one of the OGs of bubble tea, it maintains uncompromisingly high standards. It focuses on high-quality ingredients, including freshly brewed teas, chewy tapioca pearls, and unique flavors.

Notable Contributions:

Kung Fu Tea teamed up with WildBrain’s Strawberry Shortcake to introduce a Strawberry Shortcake-themed bubble tea. This partnership taps into nostalgia for fans across generations, offering berry-sweet creations inspired by the beloved character and her world.

Kung Fu Tea joined forces with Warner Bros. Pictures to celebrate the release of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. This exciting partnership brought Lord of the Rings fans themed drinks and promotions ahead of the film's release.

2. Chatime

Chatime is a Taiwanese franchise founded in 2005 with over 1000 retail outlets across countries like Taiwan, Malaysia, China, India, Macau, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Korea, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, Dubai, Vietnam, Canada, UK, Mexico and the United States. As one of the top beverage companies in the world, Chatime aims to be the most loved beverage by revolutionizing the tea drinking culture in the country. Chatime prepares only hand-made beverages with freshly brewed tea prepared on site. Each drink is individually prepared by trained tearistas worldwide.

Notable Contributions:

By 2021, Chatime had over 1,200 stores in 38 countries, playing a crucial role in elevating bubble tea from a niche beverage to a global phenomenon.

Chatime announced the Global Tea-Rista Competition, a celebration of creativity and expertise among its talented Tea-Ristas. This annual event underscores Chatime’s commitment to fostering innovation and excellence, while uniting its vibrant global community.

3. CoCo Bubble Tea

CoCo Bubble Tea is a premium bubble tea brand with 20+ locations in New York, New Jersey & Massachusetts and 5000+ stores around the world. CoCo Bubble Tea introduced its all-time favorite bubble tea to New York in the winter of 2011, opening its first store across the street from Baruch College. In 1997, CoCo started from a humble place in Tamsui, Taiwan to its current extensive footprints throughout Asia, South Pacific, and North America. In addition to a wide variety of bubble tea selections and healthy fruit tea options, CoCo Bubble Tea is dedicated to recreating tea drinking experience and introducing new drinks to the market.

Notable Contributions:

CoCo has achieved steady and sustainable growth, expanding to more than 5,000 stores worldwide.

Coco is committed to sourcing high-quality ingredients, such as speciallyv selected black tea from Sri Lanka and jams made with real fruit.

Coco's R&D Centre provides customized products based on regional needs and incorporates regular overseas market research.

4. Gong Cha

Gong cha is an international beverage franchise specializing in freshly prepared premium tea, bubble tea and coffee. With a successful business model and proven track record, it has opened over 2000 stores in 23 countries.

Notable Contributions:

Gong Cha has been a pioneer in offering a high level of customization, allowing customers to adjust the sweetness, ice levels, and type of tea base in their drinks.

It introduced some popular signature drinks that became iconic, such as their “Milk Foam” drinks, where they top their teas with a creamy, salted milk foam.

While it did not invent bubble tea, Gong Cha helped popularize the shift from just fruit-based teas to more diverse milk teas, with toppings ranging from tapioca pearls to pudding, red beans, and aloe vera.

5. The Alley

The Alley is a popular bubble tea brand that originated in Taiwan in 2013 and has grown rapidly to become one of the most recognized names in the bubble tea industry globally. Known for its high-quality ingredients, stylish branding, and unique drinks, The Alley has attracted a loyal following worldwide.

Notable Contributions:

The Alley’s Brown Sugar Deerioca (handmade brown sugar pearls) is perhaps its most significant contribution. The pearls are larger, softer, and chewier than traditional tapioca pearls, and they are made fresh daily. The combination of these signature pearls with rich, creamy milk tea has become one of their defining drinks and a global sensation.

The Alley helped popularize the brown sugar milk tea trend, which has become one of the most beloved drinks in the bubble tea world.

The Alley uses only high-quality, carefully sourced tea leaves for its drinks, enhancing the taste and making them stand out in a competitive market.

6. Tiger Sugar

Tiger Sugar, founded in 2017 in Taichung, Taiwan, has rapidly evolved into a global phenomenon and a cult brand of boba. Known for its signature "tiger stripes," a hand-poured syrup technique that infuses each drink with unique flavor and visual appeal, Tiger Sugar has captivated bubble tea lovers worldwide.

Despite many attempting to replicate its success, Tiger Sugar's commitment to quality remains unmatched. The brand’s proprietary 8-hour process for cooking syrups and tapioca pearls ensures the perfect balance of tea, milk, and syrup in every sip. This meticulous method has allowed Tiger Sugar to maintain its status as an award-winning, bold, and unforgettable bubble tea brand.

Notable Contributions:

Tiger Sugar is widely credited with popularizing the iconic “tiger stripes” design, a striking swirl of hand-poured syrup that creates a visually appealing and distinct pattern.

The brand developed a proprietary 8-hour cooking method for their black sugar syrup and tapioca pearls, which ensures the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors in every drink.

7. Sharetea

Sharetea is a renowned bubble tea brand that emphasizes quality, authenticity, and innovation. With a professional Research & Development (R&D) team, Sharetea is dedicated to creating unique, carefully crafted recipes that highlight the exceptional qualities of each tea used in their drinks.

Notable Contributions:

At Sharetea, we have professional R&D team to create recipes with different ingredients to bring out the unique qualities of each tea.

It prioritizes authentic Taiwan high mountain tea, renowned for its superior flavor profile and freshness, to deliver an authentic bubble tea experience.

8. Boba Guys

Boba Guys is a popular and innovative bubble tea company that has made a significant mark in the United States and beyond. Known for its commitment to high-quality ingredients, ethical sourcing, and a modern take on traditional bubble tea, Boba Guys has become a go-to brand for those seeking premium, handcrafted bubble tea drinks.

Notable Contributions

One of the biggest contributions of Boba Guys has been their commitment to using real, high-quality ingredients.

Instead of relying on pre-packaged tea powders or concentrates, Boba Guys brews its teas fresh from loose-leaf, ensuring the best possible flavor profile.

Boba Guys has been at the forefront of the "craft bubble tea" movement, treating bubble tea with the same respect and attention to detail as a high-end beverage like coffee or cocktails.

9. Tapioca Express

Tapioca Express is a pioneering boba brand in the United States, founded by Wayne and Stephanie in 1999 in the San Gabriel Valley, California. Known for its dedication to high-quality ingredients and a deep respect for Taiwanese tea culture, Tapioca Express is one of the first boba chains to introduce bubble tea to the U.S. and has become a staple in the growing boba culture.

Notable Contributions:

Tapioca Express has always emphasized its connection to Taiwanese tea culture, using authentic ingredients sourced from Taiwan.

By offering a wide range of teas and promoting high-quality ingredients, Tapioca Express helped educate American consumers about the depth and variety of Taiwanese teas like oolong, green tea, and black tea.

10. Koi Thé

Koi Thé is a leading global bubble tea brand that originated in Taiwan and has since become one of the most popular names in the bubble tea industry worldwide. Known for its premium ingredients, expertly brewed teas, and deliciously crafted drinks, Koi Thé has made a significant impact on the global bubble tea culture.

Notable Contributions:

The company emphasizes the art of traditional tea brewing, using high-quality loose-leaf teas sourced directly from Taiwan, which are a cornerstone of their drink offerings.

Reasons for Increasing Popularity of Bubble Tea:

Bubble tea, also known as boba tea, has seen a massive surge in popularity worldwide, especially in the last couple of decades. It originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and was created by combining tea with chewy tapioca pearls (the "bubbles" or "boba") and other ingredients like milk, fruit, or flavored syrups. Today, bubble tea shops are popping up in cities all over the world.

1. Unique Flavor & Texture

The combination of tea and chewy tapioca pearls creates a one-of-a-kind flavor and texture experience. The pearls add a fun, interactive element to the drink, and you can customize your order with various flavorings, toppings (like fruit, pudding, or jelly), and different types of tea (black, green, oolong, etc.).

2. Instagrammable Appeal

The colorful drinks are visually appealing due to their stunning combination of ingredients and, in many cases, brilliant colors. This makes bubble tea a "Instagrammable" drink, and the emergence of social media has played a significant part in its global popularity. Many stores offer personalized, innovative solutions to encourage sharing on social media

3. Customization

One of the main advantages is the option to personalize your drink. People can choose the sweetness level, milk types (including non-dairy options), and even the size and form of the tapioca pearls. It's a drink that can be adjusted to practically any preference, thus it appeals to a wide spectrum of consumers.

4. Fusion and Innovation

Bubble tea has gone beyond traditional flavors to include inventive new kinds and fusions. There are fruit-based "fruit teas," ice cream floats, and even matcha-based drinks, which have helped kept the trend fresh and fascinating.

5. Social & Shared Experience

Many people now drink bubble tea as a social activity. People frequently attend bubble tea cafes with friends or family, making it more of a social gathering than a drink. The enjoyment of customizing orders, tasting new flavors, and sharing experiences adds to its appeal.

According to TechSci Research report “Bubble Food & Beverages Market – Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, Segmented By Type (Fruit Snacks, Desserts, Fruit Beverages, Bubble Tea, Others), By Source (Tapioca-based, Bursting Bubble), By Distribution Channel (Online, Offline), By Region & Competition, 2019-2029F” The global Bubble Food & Beverages Market was valued at USD 4.72 Billion in 2023 and is expected to reach USD 7.83 Billion by 2029 with a CAGR of 8.86% during the forecast period.

Conclusion:

These top 10 bubble tea brands in the world include Kung Fu Tea, Chatime, CoCo Bubble Tea, Gong Cha, The Alley, Tiger Sugar, Sharetea, Boba Guys, Tapioca Express, and Koi Thé. These bubble tea manufacturers provide a wide range of customisable beverages, including milk teas, fruit teas, smoothies, and cheese teas. Customers can choose sweetness levels, ice volumes, and tea bases, and they provide a variety of toppings such as tapioca pearls, pudding, and jelly.