₊˚⭒ atmospheres + aroma °｡༄⁺
The first café is said to have opened in Constantinople, circa 1550. Now, they are a worldwide presence, a warm corner in mundane neighborhoods, a place for both the communal convene and the solitary study session, and everything in between.
“it’s the vibes”
“It’s the vibes at coffee shops that I really love,” offered one Northview student on her way to study at the nearby Divine Coffee.
And though these “vibes” may differ from place to place, the atmosphere at every coffee shop is holistically constructed from each little detail: the decor, the music, the service—and, of course, the signature aroma of ground coffee beans. Perhaps you settle into a humble, earthy space where calm browns are broken up by vibrant greenery and sunlight warms you through the window. Or a sleek modern setting, made of clean lines, low-backed sofas, and minimalist neutral tones in an open and airy space where you can grab a quick cuppa, or sit to study. Maybe you prefer someplace cuter and cozier, straight from under the #aesthetic and #pastel tags on Pinterest, equipped with corner sofas with room for all your friends.
Or, maybe you want to drink something sweeter. A cup of boba tea, perhaps?
Besides coffee, there’s a newer contender on the American café scene: milk tea, also referred to as “boba tea,” “bubble tea,” or simply “boba” for the signature tapioca pearls it is often served with.
Like popping boba, tea shops have emerged with a burst of flavor in communities around the world, spreading the sensation that has long been popular in several Asian countries. It has especially taken hold among younger American audiences, a lasting trend that seems to have settled into the sphere of general knowledge. And it’s not difficult to understand why—one step into a boba shop will quickly reveal the vast variety of flavors, toppings, and even other forms this simple drink can take. For example, boba hot pot and mochi waffles have emerged as fresh and trendy ways to enjoy the staple snack.
But this wasn’t always so.
On some days, my dad used to take me with him to drive out some twenty-ish miles to pick my mom up from work. I didn’t really pay attention after she got in the car, to be honest, but then we’d stop, and seatbelts would click out of place. One of them would turn around and say, “Get out, don’t you want bubble tea?” and my eyes would light up. It was an uncommon treat, then, to have that cup of cold, milky tea filled with chewy tapioca pearls and sweet coffee jelly placed between my small hands. There wasn’t a bubble tea place nearby, and my friends knew nothing of the drink, so it was always something of a special occasion, at least to me.
On some days, my friends ask me on a whim if I want to walk down the street to grab boba after school, and there we see some other fellow students we know, already at a table. They muse at the menu, “Should I try their new special, or order what I always get?” because we’ve been here so many times before, and to the other place around the corner even more. It’s common, casual. Another boba shop is opening in a few weeks; even the sushi place is adding it to their menu. Occasion? Why would we need any sort of occasion?
I don’t really know how I feel about the steep rise in the popularity of “boba.” It’s nice to share it with my friends, and more convenient to find than it used to be. There are new ways to have it, more aesthetic places that serve it. But to hear people talk about it so casually and familiarly, as if they know it well, people who surely had no idea what it was just four or five years ago—it’s a little odd. It’s interesting how a niche interest or snack can suddenly become mainstream. It’s interesting how something you’ve genuinely enjoyed for years can suddenly turn into a stereotype of people, under which you are arbitrarily labeled. It’s interesting how culture can become a trend.
But who’s to say it isn’t a good thing? Culture grows, changes over time—so too should it merge, innovate, and become known, then. From American coffee culture to Taiwanese boba tea—as long as you submit that paper on time, just take a seat and a sip anywhere you’d like.
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