Bubble tea is the name for pearl milk tea and other similar tea and juice beverages that originated in tea shops in Taichung, Taiwan in the 1980s. Most bubble teas consist of a tea base mixed with fruit and/or milk. One of the more famous varieties is "pearl milk tea", which contains small chewy balls of tapioca starch. The beverage has gained popularity throughout Eastern Asia as well as Australia, Canada and Chinatowns in the US and the UK and Europe.