The Rise of Boba Tea in Wales

February 2026

Ten years ago, if you mentioned bubble tea in Cardiff, most people would have looked at you blankly. Now there are boba shops on almost every high street, and the drink that started as a Taiwanese night market staple has become a genuine part of Welsh food culture. At Lea's Tea, we have watched this shift happen from the front counter, and it has been quite something.

From Taipei to Cardiff

Bubble tea was invented in Taiwan in the 1980s, though exactly who made the first cup is still debated. The original version was simple: black tea, milk, sugar, and chewy tapioca pearls at the bottom. It spread through East and Southeast Asia in the 1990s, reached London's Chinatown in the early 2000s, and took another decade to properly arrive in Wales. What changed was social media. A boba tea photographs brilliantly — the layers of colour, the oversized straw, the pearls visible through a clear cup. Instagram did more for bubble tea than any marketing campaign could.

What Makes Good Boba

The pearls are the thing. Tapioca pearls need to be cooked fresh and served within hours. Left too long and they go hard; undercooked and they are starchy and unpleasant. The texture should be soft and chewy with a slight resistance — the Taiwanese word is "QQ," and once you understand what it means, you can tell immediately when a place is getting it right and when they are not. We cook our pearls in small batches throughout the day rather than making a large batch in the morning, because freshness is the difference between good boba and average boba.

Beyond the Basics

The classic milk tea with tapioca is still our most popular order, but the range has expanded enormously. Fruit teas with popping boba, taro lattes, matcha with cream cheese foam, brown sugar tiger milk — the variations are almost endless. What has not changed is the importance of quality tea as the base. A lot of boba shops use powdered mixes, and you can taste the difference. Real brewed tea gives a depth of flavour that no powder can replicate, and it is why our regulars keep coming back.

The Cardiff Boba Scene

Cardiff has embraced boba tea with genuine enthusiasm. The student population helped drive early adoption, but it has moved well beyond that. Families come in together, office workers grab one on their lunch break, and we see people of all ages discovering it for the first time. The city's food scene has always been more adventurous than it gets credit for, and boba tea fits right into that spirit of trying something new.

Evening Entertainment, Cardiff Style

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Come and Try Us

We are open seven days a week, 10am to 9pm, in the heart of Cardiff. Whether you are a boba veteran or trying it for the first time, we will make sure you leave with a drink worth the trip. If you are not sure what to order, ask — we are always happy to recommend something based on what you normally drink.

Find us in Cardiff or visit our contact page for more information.

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