Tea-rrible boba prices caused by multiple factors
By Alex Miyamoto,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–
Milk tea with tapioca, commonly referred to as boba tea, has spiked in both popularity and price in recent years.
In a Davis High survey with more than 145 respondents, 46% of people reported having boba tea within the past two weeks.
The popular drink has caused some to question its pricing.
The average price of boba tea in the United States is $5.84 as of May 2022.
Frequent consumers of the trendy drink are surprised with the pricing.
“It’s frustrating that it’s so good, but so expensive,” junior Isaac Emojong said.
Emojong is a fan of the drink, reporting that he gets it once every two weeks. His favorite boba joint, Teabo Cafe, is located in south Davis off of Cowell Boulevard. He enjoys drinking, “the cold refreshing juice with the (fresh) warm tapioca balls.”
In 2017, the price of a small blizzard with boba at Teabo Cafe totaled $4.25. Today, the drink costs $5.45. The 28% increase in price is due to a number of varying factors.
General inflation, supply and demand and the “experi- ence” of the drink all go into what the consumer sees as the total price.
Recent inflation has caused a variety of the products to increase in average price. According to Congressional Research Service, inflated prices seen in food products is due to supply chain shortages that started with the pandemic.
The high demand for boba tea causes tapioca to be among the food products that are experiencing supply chain disruptions.
The drink is seen as a popular drink throughout the U.S. Emojong can recall seeing his friends post pictures of the drink on social media. “Everyone loves (boba), it’s a trendy drink,” Emojong said.
High demand for the drink, in turn, causes prices to increase.
Additionally, the drink, as described by an employee at Teabo Cafe, is more than just that. According the employee, “you are paying for the experience of the drink.”
Prices of boba tea range based on location. In the Bay Area the drink can have an above average price of $7-10.
“People are actually very happy to pay $5 here,” the Teabo Cafe employee said.
