Reader’s takeaway: “The ‘Bobafication’ of American Chain Drinks Is Here”

Gone are the days where you walk into a boba shop with a pretty good idea of what you’re going to get. As the popularity of boba shops have exploded, so has their customisability. Today, customers have more choice over their bubbly drinks than ever. As author Serena Dai writes, “Most [boba] shops have a level of choice that makes early Starbucks orders look like child’s play: base drink, fruit purées, foams, ice levels, sugar levels, and, most important, textures.” For those who didn’t grow up with these wide varieties of options, this concept might seem silly and a tad too picky. After all, boba already is a topping for milk tea – who needs extra slippery jelly? Or pudding? Or fruit? Or whatever it is? Yet, it allows for a level of creativity we’ve never seen before. At the same time, customers can “edit” their drinks to their particular liking. That person who couldn’t drink boba because they were lactose-intolerant? Now, they’re a big customer for a boba shop that offers non-dairy alternatives. This “bobafication” not only allows more choice, but it expands the reach of the popular boba tea treat even further. 

Corporations have caught on too. Starbucks recently began offering a brown sugar oat milk espresso drink, which has become a popular choice throughout their 32,660 locations around the world. Guess where the idea of brown sugar syrup came from? You guessed it – boba shops that offered delicious boba cooked in creamy brown sugar syrup. Trader Joes has also released their take on the trend – a brown sugar creamer. Del Taco, Dunkin’, and Sonic are catching on as well. Point is: “bobafication” has no reason to stop at only boba tea shops. If this kind of concept is so successful, what’s to stop it from spreading to beverage outlets and brands worldwide? 

At Orbitel and O’s Bubble, we have our own take on the “bobafication” trend. Each of our instant boba products are offered in various flavours, including matcha, taro, brown sugar, brown tea, strawberry, and many, many more. We’ve produced a popular Marbling Instant Boba Kit which allows customers to glaze the insides of their glass cups with syrup to create a marbling, Tiger Sugar-like look when boba and milk is added. We also have popping boba products in fruit flavours – these popping bobas pair well with fizzy and fruity drinks, and pop in your mouth. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, we provide a way to access the same high-quality boba from your own home.