[turtlebits]

It's a fad. That said, the texture/sweetness of the pearls can vary a lot. (They're pretty finicky to cook correctly), so you are going to get a pretty big range of quality.

That said, I prefer egg custard if I get milk tea.

[sushid]

It's a fad? I've had bubble tea for the last ~15 years. There have been and are countless boba stores all over the States.