More Than a Drink: How Asian Beverages became Culture, Comfort, and Community on Campus

A Trend That Feels Familiar 

Walk across campus on any given afternoon and you’ll see it everywhere - iced matcha clutched between lectures, bubble tea during library breaks, or a group chat organising the next “boba run.”  

Asian drinks have become a defining part of student lifestyle, woven into study routines, social plans, and café culture. But beyond the aesthetic cups and trending flavours lies something far more meaningful: a connection to heritage, wellbeing, and community. 

Culture in Every Cup 

Across Asia, drinks have always held cultural and social significance. In South Asian households, chai is more than tea. It symbolises hospitality, conversation, and care. It’s brewed for guests, shared during family discussions, and offered in moments of comfort. In Japan, matcha carries centuries of history through tea ceremonies centred on mindfulness, ritual, and presence. In Taiwan, bubble tea emerged from youth culture, representing creativity, innovation, and social connection. These beverages are not just refreshments; they are everyday cultural artefacts, each carrying stories of region, tradition, and identity.

A Taste of Home 

For many Asian students studying in the UK, these drinks become small but powerful reminders of home. Living away from family and familiarity can be emotionally challenging, particularly for international and diaspora students navigating new academic and social environments. In these moments, comfort often shows up in simple forms- a warm cup of chai during exam season, a mango lassi after a long day, or a milk tea shared with friends who understand your upbringing. These drinks create micro-moments of care, grounding students through taste, memory, and cultural familiarity.

Study Culture & the Drink Run Ritual 

Asian beverages have also embedded themselves into university study culture. The shift from coffee to matcha reflects changing attitudes towards productivity and wellness, with many students drawn to its calmer caffeine release and focus benefits. Bubble tea, meanwhile, has become the unofficial reward system of student life- the treat after deadlines, presentations, and long library sessions. The phrase “study break?” is now often followed by a walk to the nearest tea spot. 

This café-study culture is deeply influenced by East and Southeast Asian student lifestyles, where aesthetic cafés, late-night studying, and social productivity spaces are common. As students bring these habits with them abroad, they reshape campus environments, turning drink spaces into hubs for collaboration, relaxation, and community building. 

From Local Tradition to Global Trend 

Beyond campus, the global rise of Asian drinks reflects Asia’s expanding cultural influence. Bubble tea shops now line high streets across London, matcha has become a staple in mainstream cafés, and Korean and Japanese café aesthetics dominate social media feeds. What were once regional traditions have transformed into global trends, driven largely by young people and student communities. Through everyday consumption, students play an active role in spreading and normalising Asian culture in the West. 

Appreciation vs Aesthetic 

However, with global popularity comes reflection. As Asian beverages trend online — aestheticized, commercialised, and widely replicated — conversations around cultural appreciation versus commodification begin to surface. Are these drinks being valued for their cultural roots, or simply consumed as visual trends? For many students, the answer lies in education and acknowledgement: enjoying global popularity while still honouring origin, history, and meaning.  

More Than a Lifestyle Trend 

Ultimately, Asian drinks represent far more than lifestyle trends. They sit at the intersection of culture, welfare, identity, and community. They fuel study sessions, comfort students far from home, and create shared social rituals across diverse groups. In celebrating Asian Heritage Month, recognising these everyday cultural touchpoints matters- because sometimes heritage is not only found in festivals or formal events, but in the small, familiar moments we carry with us. 

Sometimes, it’s as simple as what’s in our cup. 

By Tesuu Agarwal  

Community organiser 

Asian Heritage Month 2026