A store featuring Taiwan’s unique bubble tea was recently opened in Dublin and has won over the heart and mouths of the Irish in a mere two weeks.
The three founders of Bubblecity — Karl Mulvee, Ronan Murphy, and Ivano Cafolla — said they had never seen bubble tea before until they encountered it by chance in London.
The store said it prides itself on giving its customers the most authentic taste of bubble tea possible, importing everything from the tapioca, the straws and even the plastic coverings with “half sugar” and “no ice” on them.
Currently, Bubblecity is planning to expand across Ireland and let more Irish enjoy the beverage, adding the store also plans to set up in Germany.
The store owners added that they hoped to visit Taiwan one day to see the beverage at its original source.
The Taipei Representative Office in Ireland’s representative, Harry Tseng (曾厚仁), said after visiting the store that Taiwan’s tea has always been renowned, and it was due to the Taiwanese innovative spirit that tea, a beverage originally drunk hot, has now become a cold drink in many places.
Bubble tea not only represents the snack culture of Taiwan’s night markets, it now plays a role in promoting Taiwan’s fine cuisine in the international market, Tseng said.
The Taipei Representative Office in Ireland has written a special introduction on the origins of the drink in Taiwan and plans to put a copy in all future bubble tea stores so Irish people can become interested in Taiwan through bubble tea, Tseng said.
The office would also be passing out tourist flyers and information at Bubblecity in hopes to entice customers who come to enjoy their beverages to make a trip to Taiwan.
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