Everyone’s favorite Uncle, Uncle Iroh, is known amongst the Fire Nation for his incredible victories as a war general, but to fans of the hit series Avatar: the Last Airbender, he is most beloved for his kind wisdom and his deep deep passion for tea. While he makes it clear time and time again that his favorite teas are Jasmine and Gengsing, this doesn’t stop this tea connoisseur from exploring other options, and even inventing his own tea beverages! Diving even deeper into the world of Avatar, Avatar: the Last Airbender: The Promise Part 3 makes the fan-favorite Uncle Iroh even more amazing.
First published in 2012, Avatar: the Last Airbender: The Promise, kicked off a series of graphic novels that served as an extension of the show, picking up directly from the final episode. Written by Gene Yang in close collaboration with the show's original creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, everything that happens in the comic is considered completely canon, giving fans a way to dive deeper into the amazing world-building the series is so well regarded for. The comics stay true to the show's roots, featuring intense, mature themes and plots, accompanied by lighthearted, humorous moments sprinkled throughout that add life and depth to the characters. Being one of the most fan-favorite characters of the entire series, it comes as no surprise that the tea master himself gets plenty of great moments that build upon his character even after the show finished airing.
More than just a fan of the leaf juice (sorry, Iroh would be upset at calling it that), more than just a fan of tea, Uncle Iroh eventually owns and operates his own tea shop. While Aang and Zuko are celebrating the resolve of The Promise's major conflict, Uncle Iroh decides to share a new creation of his own with the boys. He walks into the room speaking of a new tea treat that he just whipped up, featuring fun balls of tapioca he cooks until they’re soft and tender. That’s right, Uncle Iroh invented boba tea, at least in the Avatar-verse.
Also known as Bubble Tea, Boba tea is a Taiwanese tea-based drink that was invented in the 1980s. Being that Avatar: the Last Airbender is set in a world that is somewhere around the seventeen or eighteen hundreds, this would mean that Iroh actually invented the drink at least over a hundred years before its real-world counterpart.
While it’s really awesome that the comics are able to further the plot of the Aang gang, what really makes them special are the little details like this. Getting to explore the characters further and really expand the lore of the world in which they exist is part of what makes Avatar: the Last Airbender such a gem, so little treats like this are what the fans are here for.
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