Is Boba Addiction Real?

Boba tea, also known as the bubble tea, became really popular in Asia during the last couple of years and has currently developed a strong market in the US and some European countries as well. At the moment, boba tea is very trendy worldwide and has been influenced by the media. People have portrayed it as a delicious treat, which intrigues others into wanting to buy the refreshment.

Recently, some people claimed that there is a “boba addiction” problem going on in Asian countries. Some boba-lovers need to have at least one cup every day or else they feel uncomfortable and anxious. Is “boba addiction” really a problem? Why do so many people like it so much?

MS/HS World Language teacher Ms. Erica is from Taiwan, China, where the idea of the bubble tea originated. From her perspective, she thinks that there are three main factors that have caused the young generations to build strong desires towards Bubble Tea, and drinking it has become a habit for a lot of people.

The first reason is that bubble tea is accessible in Asia, so it’s very convenient. There are more and more bubble tea shops showing up on the streets in China, so when girls/boys are hanging out with their friends or shopping on a humid day, it is a good idea to have a cup of cold Bubble Tea in their hands.

Another reason is that Bubble Tea prices are reasonably low, usually between 10-30 RMB, which is affordable for most of the young generations.

The last factor is the taste of the bubble tea. The “bubbles” in the bubble tea are tapioca balls, which are very chewy and stress reducing. According to the students in AISG, that’s the main reason why they like drinking Bubble Tea so much.

According to Jennifer F., a junior at AISG, “The boba is the soul of the boba tea. Without [the boba] it would make no sense to just drink the milk tea by itself.” Sofia V. is also a junior at AISG, and she has been living in Guangzhou for a few years. As a foreigner, she thinks that the “boba addiction” is not a big problem right now because it doesn’t seem to have major effects on people’s health.

People may tend to like boba because it tastes good. The texture of the bubble balls seem to be enjoyable and are simply an explosion of flavor. Some of the disadvantages of drinking boba could be that it contains a lot of sugar; it’s easy to drink it without taking into account how much sugar person is consuming. It ultimately depends on the flavor and the condiments in the drink, but it can be highly addictive because of the taste.