After 30 years of development, milk tea beverages have become extremely popular among Chinese youngsters, especially those in urban areas, becoming a full-fledged industry with a market scale of over 100 billion yuan (US$15.5b). Milk tea shops sprang up in streets, and milk tea products are on the shelves of convenience stores. Milk tea is China’s Coca-Cola of this era, and it has become a phenomenon, a culture, and an icon. To woo finicky consumers, milk tea producers are putting more into the quality and taste, as well as nutritional ingredients. Office workers find milk tea a relaxing break, while young people often bond over a cup. If the popularity of coffee in China represents the pursuit of foreign cultures and new lifestyles, the ascendancy of milk tea signals growing tastes for local flavors.
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