Features / bubble tea
National bubble tea brand’s humble beginnings in Bristol
Cupp started in Cabot Circus in 2012 out of the back of a Citroen H van. Fast forward a dozen years and there are more than 30 Cupp stores up and down the country.
Tuesday is International Bubble Tea Day so expect queues outside all of these stores, with special giveaways happening all week.
Bubble tea – also known as boba milk tea or 珍珠奶茶 in Chinese – originated in Taiwan around the 1980s. Consisting of a classic iced tea, milk and chewy tapioca pearls; the drink is then shaken up to form a bubbly foam on top of the drink, before being served in its plastic cup.
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These days, the original recipe has changed slightly as fruit flavourings, infused milk and syrups can be added. Finished with the ‘pop’ of the lid using a straw, this is all part of the ‘boba experience’.
However, at Cpp in Bristol, it was always founder Lee Peacock’s determination to stick as close as possible to the original recipe. Using only quality loose leaf tea, fresh fruit and shaking each drink individually are part of Cupp’s success from those humble beginnings in Bristol.
“Where a lot of the companies use sugary artificial powders and ingredients, we use fresh ingredients and fruits to make drink,” Peacock told Bristol24/7.
“We want to make sure that everyone follows our lead, and ups the standards of boba tea, by not using sugary artificial ingredients.”
Celbrating International Bubble Tea Day with Bristol-founded Cupp – photo: CUPP
Peacock’s journey founding Cupp began when he returned to Bristol from a three-year sojourn to Taiwan, where he fell in love with the people, food, country and their national drink.
Inspired by the different stages of creating bubble ea and its unique drinking experience, Peacock has dedicated the last 12 years into bringing a little bit of Taiwanese drink culture to the UK.
After ditching his beloved Citroen van, called Pearl, for a more permanent shipping container, the business began to quickly grow again. Now Cupp has 35 stores up and down the country, including in Quakers Friars and on Park Row.
Recently, Cupp has collaborated with the likes of Rimmel London to produce a bubble tea range that matches tea flavours to the scents of lip oils.
Tuesday’s International Bubble Tea Day has seen the launch Cupp’s next big collaboration with Minor Figures, Wogan Coffee and Little Moons.
Accompanying this partnership, Cupp is giving away free drinks across its stores to celebrate, with many freebies and discounts on offer.
Peacock is excited about possible future collaborations: “We have a lot more exciting collaborations with other brands going forward such as Chillies, and I suppose this is evidence of our success.”
Although there is a lot more work to be done, Peacock was also keen to express that sustainability is a big part of Cupp, including the introduction of bamboo straws and paper lids. A collaboration with reusable cup brand Chillies is also in the pipeline.
Peacock added: “We are still a small company compared to the boba tea industry worldwide, but we like to think over the next couple of years we will be making big steps towards reducing waste further.”
Main image: Cupp
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