A NEW shop in Darlington specialising in boba tea will be launching this Friday (May 20).

Cakes ‘n’ Boba is located at 59 Bondgate and is run by the family running the Afro-Caribbean shop, OlumoFoods on Woodland Road in the town.

Boba tea, also known as bubble tea, is a tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s. It most commonly consists of tea with chewy tapioca balls.

The drink’s popularity has spread across the world and after tasting boba tea in Dubai, Babatope (Baba) Lewis and his wife Bisi decided to bring this Taiwanese treat to Darlington.

The Northern Echo: Bisi and Baba Lewis from Cakes 'n' Boba. Picture: SARAH CALDECOTTBisi and Baba Lewis from Cakes 'n' Boba. Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

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Owner, Mr Lewis, said: “We tried it in Dubai and really liked it but when we came back to Darlington we either had to go to York or Newcastle to have it, and that was just from big chains. So we thought we’d just do it ourselves as an independent business.

“Eventually we’d really like to have indoor seating but we’ll see how it goes, so for now it’ll just be take-out.

“The tapioca balls are slightly chewy and customers can choose how sweet they want their drink.

“We think we’ll go on DarloEats, Just Eat as well, it takes a big commission but it’s for the exposure.”

The Northern Echo: The shop specialises in boba tea, also known as bubble tea, which originated in Taiwan in the 1980s. Picture: SARAH CALDECOTTThe shop specialises in boba tea, also known as bubble tea, which originated in Taiwan in the 1980s. Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

Baba’s wife Bisi will be in charge of the day-to-day running of the shop.

Read more: 7 food outlets which have recently opened in Darlington town centre

The take-out shop is also offering a variety of sweet treats including macarons, cookies and ice cream to tempt customers.

The Northern Echo: Coolade is also on the menu, a lemonade-based drink with fresh fruit. Picture: SARAH CALDECOTTCoolade is also on the menu, a lemonade-based drink with fresh fruit. Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

The tapioca balls that are used in the drink come in a variety of flavours from mango, honeydew melon and tarot, a sweet vegetable similar to yam.

The Northern Echo: Boba tea is made with tapioca pearls. Picture: SARAH CALDECOTTBoba tea is made with tapioca pearls. Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

A ‘soft launch’ of the business will be happening this Friday from 12-7.

If a creamy boba tea doesn’t appeal to you, there are plenty of other options, including ‘coolade’ a lemonade-based drink with fresh fruit and tapioca pearls.

The Northern Echo: There are plenty of fruity flavours to choose from. Picture: SARAH CALDECOTTThere are plenty of fruity flavours to choose from. Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

As so many food outlets in the town have sadly closed due to the pandemic, it’s positive to businesses opening.

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