The Quest for the Perfect Pearls
Cameron Leong
Tapioca pearls are a staple of many Eastern Asian diets. And milk tea? That’s universal. When combined, they form a sweet, refreshing treat that has become essential to Vancouver’s culture and a core memory of many of our lives.
I was introduced to bubble tea at around five years old when my parents took my brother and I to Dragon Ball Tea House. After relentless begging and insistence that I wouldn’t choke on the boba, my parents finally gave in and ordered us a strawberry slush with pearls. In typical Asian parent fashion, a full cup was declared too much for children like us to finish on our own. My brother and I begrudgingly shared.
As years passed, that half portion of strawberry slush had and still remains rent-free in my mind. I spent my childhood living in Seattle, Washington, and the horrible bubble tea options there only amplified my desire to visit Vancouver just for a drink from Dragon Ball. The standard drinks in Seattle often feature powdered milk, syrups, and fruit poppers. The drinks were like celebrity beauty: fake and filled with plastic-like ingredients.
When I finally moved back to Vancouver in Grade 5, I was delighted. As a self-declared bubble tea expert, I was presented with a myriad of different stores I had to try, each one advertising its own special quirk – oat-milk-based drinks, Red Bull-infused tea, you name it. Had it not been for the established brands selling these exotic drinks I would have thought I was back in the United States. Regardless of how wacky they sounded, I embarked on a journey to give them all a try.
In late 2018, I came across a Taiwanese chain opening its first North American location right here in Vancouver. The shop was one of the most visually pleasing I had ever seen. Glistening tapioca pearls coated in brown sugar roasted in a pot behind a glass case, and the traditional fortune-telling drawer decor added an ambiance unlike anything I had experienced in a bubble tea shop before. However, as much as the interior of the store amplified my expectations, my disappointment was equally raised by their suspicious drinks. The largely-hyped cheese foam topping seemed a bit too exotic for my taste. However, regardless of differing opinions on taste, I was appalled at the portion size. The cups were smaller than a normal bubble teacup, and the hidden concave bottom just added salt to my wound. While the world raved about this chain’s brown sugar pearls, I couldn’t help but be dissuaded by their blatant attempts to hide their cost cuts.
A couple of years later on a hot summer day, I discovered another critically acclaimed bubble tea franchise from Taiwan. I was in an exploring mood and decided to give their milk tea a try. After receiving my drink, I gave the cup my usual inspection, scanning for any anomalies or incorrectness in my order. To my initial dismay, there seemed to be no tapioca pearls in the drink. However, upon closer inspection, I noticed translucent orbs floating around the bottom of the cup. With raised eyebrows of suspicion, I gave the honey pearls a try. To my surprise, they were delicious. The boba had a nice bounce and the honey flavour wasn’t too sweet. Unfortunately, the public did not share the same positive feelings as I did, and the store closed its downtown location after only a few years of business. My new favourite was gone.
To many of the businesses’ credits, I enjoyed a lot of new toppings and teas I never could have envisioned trying. I developed a sweet tooth for brown-sugar flavoured pearls and drank enough caffeine to keep me up for multiple nights. While I did end up settling on a few favourites, I remained drawn to that original strawberry slush with boba that captivated my cravings for years. There’s something about the simplicity of this classic drink that stands out amongst the frills and fanciness of new bubble tea franchises.
Dragon Ball Tea House owner Raymond Chan shares similar feelings as me in regard to the drinks he serves. “To me, it’s like eating white rice,” he described. “I always eat regular white rice. Sometimes I eat brown rice or other varieties, but the main staple is regular white rice. I use the same principle with bubble tea. We choose the best pearls which are classic and will never fade out. There are other options like mini boba or rainbow pearls which look nice and are interesting. It’s good to try, but still, to me, the typical pearl is the best pearl.”
Perhaps it’s this classic approach to bubble tea that has cemented Dragon Ball Tea House in the upper echelon of the Vancouver bubble tea scene. In an age where delivery service usage is on the rise, Chan has stuck to a traditional business model, electing to maintain the status quo of selling only takeout orders.
His biggest concern about partnering with a food delivery service?
“Limited capacity and quality control,” commented Chan. “I do realize nowadays that a lot of stores have been profitable from using these services, but I’d need to prepare a lot and do extra to make it work. Let’s say I signed up for UberEats and had people wait 15 minutes for the drink to be made plus half an hour for delivery time. That’s crazy. I’d be up all night making orders.”
Regardless of new trends, what’s most impressive is how famous Dragon Ball Tea House has become amongst Vancouverites and those beyond. As a small, family-run business, many would consider Chan’s business and career a huge success. He’s the epitome of following your passion and an inspiration to aspiring business owners. After working at a bank fresh out of college, Chan found his passion for making bubble tea and followed it.
“After a few days on the job, I found working in a bank boring and tedious,” he revealed. “I discovered my interest in making drinks after working part-time at a bubble tea store in my mid-twenties. It’s more interesting than just sitting in a room doing paperwork, which is why I chose to open my own store.”
For a business that’s been so successful for so long in the community, questions may arise about the longevity of the shop and possible retirement. But when asked about the future of Dragon Ball Tea House, Chan showed no signs of slowing down.
“My physical condition allows me to work hard,” Chan assured. I’ll still keep working and I’m not thinking about retirement right now. The main thing is that customers like my drinks. It makes me really happy when people enjoy what I make.”
As a longtime customer, those words couldn’t have delighted me more. In turbulent times full of change and new normals, my favourite bubble tea shop will remain a constant in my life for the foreseeable future. I’ll continue to try the latest bubble tea innovations in my journey to find new favourites in the ever-expanding Vancouver bubble tea scene. I may be blown away by a previously unimaginable flavour or pearl. I may also be left appalled, raising my eyebrows at a new bubble tea shop that didn’t live up to the hype. But regardless of what I try in the future, one thing is for certain: I’ll always be back at Dragon Ball Tea House for a strawberry slush with pearls.