Tea that you can chew. It’s a baffling concept that could only have been invented in a place like Taiwan. Bubble tea may be a new addition to British sensibilities, but it has been popular across Asia since being invented in the tea shops of Taiwan in the 1980s; the drink sealed inside its plastic cup by a special machine to stop any of its precious cargo escaping.

CUPP were among the first to bring the bubble tea concept to Bristol. Formally to be found operating out of a van, in a dramatic transformation they can now be found in a converted shipping container in Quakers Friars.

The business is owned by Lee and Amy, who lived in Taiwan for three years teaching English and when returning home decided to bring the bubble tea concept to Bristol.

The things that you chew are called tapioca pearls. These are like gummy bears and are sucked through an oversized straw which you punch through the seal.

Tea comes iced or hot, and is mixed with flavours including various fruits. On the recommendation of a Chinese friend I fortuitously met inside CUPP Box, my choice of flavour was taro. It was like drinking liquid cake. And that’s a very good thing indeed.

This is Bristol’s second cafe in a shipping container after Bear Pit Social, and with trendy lighting and box seats made out of chipboard, Lee has created a space that doesn’t feel, well, like you’re sitting inside a shipping container.

The hatches were battened down in yesterday’s foul weather, but once the sun shines again the container’s doors and concertina-style windows will open wide, as this most baffling but tasty of concepts aims to create a city of bubble tea addicts.

CUPP Box, Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus, Bristol

Website: www.cuppteabar.co.uk
Twitter: @CUPPTeaBar