The Original Boba: Traditional Taiwan Fen Yuan Handmade and Sold Out the Back of a Bicycle

Clarissa WeiJun 08, 2021

Before boba became an essential ingredient in milk tea, it used to be transparent and served in ice sugar water— a natural remedy for the hot summers in Taiwan. We found a traditional boba-making family in southern Taiwan, who makes their tapioca pearls entirely from scratch.

Producer: Clarissa Wei
Videographer: Pan Chung-yi
Editor: César del Giudice
Narration: Clarissa Wei
Mastering: Victor Peña

Clarissa Wei

Clarissa Wei is a senior reporter at Goldthread. She spent the bulk of her career as a freelance journalist and has written for outlets like VICE, CNN, Eater, among others. Clarissa has backpacked to over a dozen provinces in China and was once a volcano hiking guide in Nicaragua.

Taiwan