What is Boba Tea, and What Comes In It?

Pok%C3%A9+Bop+Boba+Tea+by+Oh+So+Cynthia+is+licensed+under+CC+BY-NC-ND+2.0

Source: Thomas Garza Photography

“Poké Bop Boba Tea” by Oh So Cynthia is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

By: Cindy DeLeon-DeLeon, reporter

Boba tea is a drink that has these chewy balls, and a lot of people enjoy it. This trend was first made in Taiwan and has been around the world since. With many flavors to choose from including lychee, matcha, honeydew, etc. there is something for everyone.

Taro Boba Tea
“Taro Boba Tea” by Aung || Photography is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Boba pearls

The boba itself in boba tea, also known as bubble or tapioca balls, are usually made out cassava starch. These pearls  can be made out of a lot of other foods, some shops make there boba from scratch to ensure freshness. People say they are made out of fish eggs, but that is a total lie. Boba is most of the time vegan and is made out of vegetables.

Bubble Tea in Harajuku
“Bubble Tea in Harajuku” by camknows is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Tea bases

Sure, you can eat boba by itself, but you usually drink it in some sort of milk or regular tea. These Tea bases can be found from shop to shop.  Some shops have made their own kind of milk bases, and some people mix flavors to get a new flavor. Some boba shops carry slushies and milk drinks where you can also put boba in.

 

Toppings

When you order boba tea the person at the counter will usually ask you if you want any toppings. The toppings depend on the shop but some of the usual toppings are pudding, grass jelly, aloe vera, etc. You can have more than one topping and you can take out certain elements, for example you can have only the milk tea without boba or any other toppings, or you could have a regular tea with no boba with grass jelly. The possibilities are endless when it comes to boba.

 

 

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https://www.eater.com/2019/3/6/18240387/boba-milk-bubble-tea-explained-how-to-order