Bubble tea comes to Moscow — Popo tea adds cultural diversity to the Palouse

 

A team of Washington State University graduates are bringing the eastern wind of modern tea to Moscow.

Bubble tea originated in Taiwan and has become popular in China in the last fifteen years.

PoPo means ‘bubble’ in Chinese said Kevin Chen, one of the shop owners.

Two years ago, Chen and three other Washington State University business students from China opened the first PoPo shop in Pullman, Washington. Chen said they started selling bubble teas of various flavors.

Chen said he recommends customers try their Thai tea and Taro bubble tea. He said PoPo cooks make their own bubbles with Tapioca and black sugar, so the bubbles are black. They also use fresh milk for their bubble teas. Chen said people usually like that PoPo lids are pasted to the cups, preventing spillage.

Now, PoPo, which has continued to add more options to their menu, sells more than bubble tea, Chen said.

Customers can buy drinks like Italian soda and fruit slush, along with various American and Chinese entrees and desserts. The food options include fried rice, burgers, popcorn chicken, pot stickers and fried tofu. Chen said there are also seasonal options at both the Moscow and Pullman stores.

“In the summer, we sell fresh watermelon juice. When it’s cold, we (sell) ginger tea. If strawberries are on its season, we will (mix) them with the cream for (toppings),” he said.

Chen, born into a business family in Shanghai, China, came to the U.S. four years ago and studied in Seattle. Two years later, he moved to pursue his business degree at WSU, he said.

Upon arriving in Pullman, he said he sought out tea shops, as he isn’t a coffee drinker. There weren’t many, he said.

“Pullman is a college (city) with a lot of young people (where it) is very suitable for my bubble tea business,” Chen said.

Chen said he and the four other owners wanted to create a relaxed atmosphere in their shop, so they designed their shops with cartoonish style and used yellow. They purchased different kinds of tables and chairs to break down the traditional aesthetic rules of oneness, as well as break up the monotony of college life, Chen said. He said they also have board games for customers to play for free. Keeping everything simple and fun is Chen’s business philosophy for now, he said.

Since they opened, Chen said many customers would come from Moscow, and the similarities between the two cities gave the PoPo Tea owners the idea to open a second store in the Idaho town.

He said the kitchen team of three to four cooks is still in Pullman, and that shop is larger than the shop in Mosow. The Pullman cooks usually make the complicated desserts, like Sesame Balls, which are then transported daily to Moscow, Chen said.

He said he likes how PoPo provides more choices for the Moscow community, and he wants to continue to expand in the area.

Chen said he and his partners hope to expand to bigger cities like Seattle and Portland to bring more cultural diversity to their communities.

Jinrong Lei can be reached at [email protected]

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