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

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.

"If you look at the younger audience, they are not as excited about traditional hot teas. So the need was to launch newer variants of tea, like bubble teas and iced teas," said Sanjay Singhal, the chief executive (CEO) of the Gujarat-based company. "It is more for the younger generation and to create excitement in our tea lounges."

The tea producer operates a network of Wagh Bakri Tea Lounges, which serve freshly brewed tea and snacks.

Starting this year, it has added cold beverages such as iced and bubble teas to the menu.

"People don't go to a restaurant alone. They go as a group—friends or family and you have to appeal to everybody. Our teas may appeal to older people, but youngsters may not want to have them," he said.