Steaming no more: Young Indians cool off with boba, matcha

India, the world's tea-drinking heartland and home to sprawling tea estates, is witnessing a shift in consumer tastes as its youngest consumers embrace Southeast Asian variants like boba and matcha.

- Vaeshnavi Kasthuril

Cold beverages are growing 60% faster than hot drinks, with Asian formats like matcha and boba getting outsized traction. ISTOCKPHOTO

Boba tea, which originated in Taiwan, is a cold, milk-based beverage featuring tapioca pearls, while matcha is finely ground green tea powder, most commonly consumed as an iced latte.

The hype around these beverages is not new, but their increasing appeal in India has even compelled the more than 130-year-old brand Wagh Bakri to reinvent itself.