Boba Tea Shop Craze continues in SGV

AMY PATEL STAFF WRITER

Boba shops and boba drinks are just one craze in the San Gabriel area, but it seems to be on the rise lately and is becoming quite prominent. Boba places and restaurants have become quite popular in the community, especially to teenagers.
The shops have been described as being busier than Starbucks, according to a New York Times Article. Such a “craze” began in the 1980s in Taiwan, then made its way to Southern California in 1990 and has been growing ever since. High school students often gather and relax with one another in these shops after school as well as adults after dinner.
Senior, Karenna Yang said, “I often go to boba shops with my friends after school. I mean, boba is delicious,” senior Karenna Yang said.
Boba shops also have evolved into not only restaurants, but “parlors” as well, eventually growing into nighttime hangouts in the San Gabriel Valley area. The making of the drink has grown in several ways since its introduction as well, with some going as far as combining boba and cocktails during “alcoholic boba nights.” It is likely boba shops will continue to grow, according to reports in New York Times.
“The boba tea craze continues in SGV because it began in the SGV,” senior James Geng said. “The drink known as boba tea is different compared to the average “smoothie or tea” that Starbucks and other drink spots have to offer, mainly due to the satisfactory chew of that sweet little boba ball.”