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What do U.S. consumers of bubble tea care about most?
Hello! Thank you for your question about US consumers of bubble tea. The most useful sources I found to answer your question were EatThis.com and BuzzFeed. I was not able to find any survey information, polls or consumer statistics about bubble tea preferences in the US. However, I learned that the consistency and quality of the tapioca pearls and the sugar content are two important qualities for US bubble tea drinkers. Below you will find a deep dive of my findings.
I conducting advanced Internet searches using a variety of key words and query types. I sifted through information from trusted media sites, user forums and review sites. I confined the results to within the last of 2 years and the United States unless otherwise noted.
After extensive searching, I was not able to find any survey information, polls or consumer statistics about bubble tea preferences in the US. However, I did find opinions on the qualities of bubble tea that are important to US drinkers.
BUBBLE TEA MARKET
Currently, the US is the third largest importer of tea in the world, surpassed only by Russia and Pakistan. Sales and revenue information for this market segment were somewhat elusive; however, data from Hoover’s puts the US bubble tea revenue at approximately $0.059 million. The drink has enjoyed popularity in the US for at least the last 15 years.
IMPORTANT FACTORS FOR AMERICAN CONSUMERS
THE TAPIOCA BALLS OR PEARLS
During my research and reading, the consistency and quality of the tapioca balls or “pearls” came up most often as being critical to bubble tea. The tapioca to make the pearls comes from the starch of the cassava root native to Brazil. The raw plant material is toxic because it contains cyanide, and it must be detoxified before it can be ingested. An article in Quartz Media describes great pearls as “like drinking gummy bears”. Nicholas Phan, founder of Biju Bubble Tea, says people have their own preferences, and gets rather technical when he says he likes them “to be quite chewy but still soft, and I like to be able to chew each pearl five or six times. If you have to chew the pearl 20 times then it’s too hard, and too chewy. If it breaks down in your mouth after two bites, then it’s probably a bit stale, or has been overcooked.” EatThis.com says the pearls should be soft and smooth and have “a consistency between gummy bears and Swedish fish on the inside.”
HEALTH
A big issue I kept coming across during research is that health is a big concern for bubble tea drinkers in the US and those considering it, largely due to its high sugar content. EatThis.com says that many tea shops let the customer choose the level of sweetness which include none, 25%, 50%, 75% or 100%. The article cautions that if you just order your bubble tea with a “normal” level of sweetness, that translates to the 100%. With all the carbs, sugar, milk, syrups, pearls, etc., totaled up, a typical bubble tea can have as much as 400 calories. Other sources put is as high as 490 calories with 90 grams of sugar and 7 grams of fat. SpoonUniversity.Com reports that each tapioca ball can have 14 calories, so there can be as much as 135 calories in ¼ cup of them. Some shops are finding ways to make bubble tea fit the criteria for a healthy consumer. At this point in bubble tea history, one of the healthier versions is made with matcha tea with no sugar and organic milk (or plant milk), and maybe some chia seeds thrown in.
FRESHNESS
Another important characteristics of bubble tea for US drinkers is that the tea is fresh (actually, all the ingredients being fresh is critical) and of course, as a result, no using of powdered milk.
PRICE IS NOT A BIG ISSUE WITH US CONSUMERS
I did not find any information indicating that the cost of bubble tea is an issue with US consumers. NextShark.com says it cost less than $5.00. A Yelp review of a highly rated bubble tea shop in Astoria, New York, Tea and Milk, says that it was $10.00 for two medium teas, with the reviewer saying that was “on par” with most bubble tea places. A shop called Ono Yogurt in Honolulu, Hawaii sells their bubble teas for $3.00 to $3.25.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, I was not able to find any survey information, polls or consumer statistics about bubble tea preferences in the US. However, I learned that the consistency and quality of the tapioca pearls and the sugar content are two important qualities for US bubble tea drinkers.
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