Types of Boba
Boba has been a massive global trend in recent years, and many coffee shops and tea bars are adding the drink to their menus. Boba comes in many different forms and flavors, making it a versatile drink many can enjoy. With so many different types of boba to choose from, it can be challenging to decide what bubble tea drinks to include on your menu. We’ve created a guide covering the many different types of boba you can serve at your establishment, including how they’re made, what they taste like, and how popular they are among consumers.
Shop All Boba SuppliesWhat Is Boba?
Boba, also known as bubble tea, is a flavored tea-based drink made with toppings such as tapioca balls or grass jelly. Typically served cold, boba is beloved for its sweet taste and unique flavored toppings. The drink originated in Taiwan during the 1980s but has recently exploded in popularity in the United States and around the world.
Boba Types
Boba types can vary in several different ways, including toppings, tea bases, temperature, and sweeteners. For example, although they’re both considered boba, standard cold milk tea boba with tapioca pearls can have wildly different tastes and textures than a warm green tea variety made with popping boba. That being said, there are a handful are common types of boba that you’ll frequently find at bubble tea shops. Below we cover some of the most common types of boba that you should consider adding to your beverage menu:
1. Milk Tea Boba
Milk tea boba is often seen as the “standard variation” of boba, making it an extremely popular variety. To make milk tea boba, chewy tapioca pearls are combined with black tea and frothy milk, creating a delicious concoction. Since milk tea boba is seen as the basic form of boba, you’ll likely be able to find it at any location serving boba drinks. Milk tea boba is seen as the variation that started the drink as a major trend, so expect this classic option to be one of the best-selling types of boba on your menu.
2. Crystal Boba
Crystal boba is a unique type of boba known for its translucent appearance. Much like standard tapioca pearls, crystal boba has a chewy texture. However, rather than being made from tapioca, this topping is made from konjac plants, a type of plant found in Southeast Asia. Crystal boba's translucent appearance and tapioca-like texture have contributed to the drink's popularity, making the drink one of the most popular types of boba. Other names for crystal boba include white boba and crystal tapioca.
3. Popping Boba
One of the most popular types of boba is popping boba, a drink made with a spherical gel-like topping created from molecular gastronomy. Although smaller than normal tapioca pearls, popping boba is filled with fruit juice and bursts when bitten into. In terms of texture, popping boba is vastly different than tapioca pearls, as they instantly burst in your mouth rather than having a chewy texture. Popping boba is also great for more than just bubble teas, as they pair nicely with several different types of frozen desserts. Since popping boba is typically filled with fruit juice, common flavors include strawberry, mango, kiwi, and blueberry.
4. Green Tea Boba
As the name suggests, rather than being made with black tea, this type of boba is instead made from a green tea base like matcha. To make green tea boba, combine matcha green tea powder with milk, sugar, and tapioca pearls. The earthy flavor of the matcha powder differentiates this type of boba from other varieties, giving it a unique taste. Green tea boba is great for customers looking to switch things up a little more than just adding different toppings to their bubble tea.
5. Jelly Boba
Jelly boba includes grass jelly, a topping made from the Chinese mesona plant. Grass jelly doesn’t have a strong flavor profile, as it has a mild herbal taste with a hint of mint. These jellies can be dark and similar in appearance to tapioca pearls, but they have their own unique flavor. The mild herbal flavor of a grass jelly topping is best paired with sweet milk teas, making jelly boba a fantastic alternative to traditional milk tea boba.
6. Egg Pudding Boba
Egg pudding is a unique Asian cold dessert made from eggs, sugar, and milk. Utilizing egg pudding in boba drinks is becoming increasingly popular, as the two pair nicely together. To make egg pudding, combine ingredients before placing them in a double boiler until thickened. Next, chill your egg pudding for a few hours before use. When chilled, add the egg pudding with tapioca pearls and milk tea, creating a delicious boba drink. Just be careful with the consistency of your egg pudding, because if it’s too thick, customers may have trouble using a straw for their boba. Alternatively, egg pudding powder can be used instead, mimicking the flavor of the topping and allowing you to easily create egg pudding boba.
7. Cheese Foam Boba
Cheese foam is a frothy mixture of cream cheese, whipping cream, milk, sugar, and salt. The topping is known for its rich texture, making it the perfect pairing for drinks like boba. Cheese foam can be a versatile topping, as it can either be layered on top of a boba drink or mixed in to create a creamy texture throughout the beverage. Cheese foam is known to have a similar flavor profile to cheesecake, making it a great topping for customers looking for a sweeter type of boba.
8. Mini Boba
As the name suggests, mini boba is a type of boba drink that consists of smaller-sized tapioca pearls. In terms of flavor, mini boba is often identical to that of standard milk tea boba, as there is not much difference outside of the size of the pearls. Some customers may have difficulty with the size of normal tapioca pearls in milk tea boba, finding that they are too chewy to enjoy. If these customers don’t want to branch out and try something different like popping boba, a mini boba drink is a perfect solution.
9. Clear Boba
Clear boba is a topping made out of starch from a cassava root, a plant native to South America. Unlike most other boba toppings, clear boba is relatively flavorless. However, clear boba is great at absorbing flavor from the milk and tea it is served with, taking on a similar flavor profile to bubble tea. For customers looking to add a topping that will enhance their bubble tea without introducing any overwhelming new flavors, clear boba is a fantastic option.
10. Flavored Boba
Flavored boba consists of traditional tapioca pearls that have been coated in another form of flavoring. Typically these pearls are coated in common fruit flavors like blueberry and mango, but more exotic flavors such as dragon fruit and pomegranate are available. Flavored boba is a great option for customers looking for a topping with flavor, but still want the texture of standard tapioca pearls. This topping can also be used for much more than just bubble tea, as the taste and texture of flavored boba lend themselves perfectly to topping desserts like yogurt and ice cream.
Understanding the various types of boba is key to successfully integrating these trendy beverages into your drink menu. Part of the main appeal of boba is the drink’s versatility and customizability, allowing the customer to tailor their order to their flavor preferences. The ability to be flexible and create boba orders from various bases and toppings will improve service and give your establishment a major advantage over coffee shops and other businesses that can’t offer the same. As boba continues to trend and become more popular, offering a wide selection of boba types has the potential to be a huge boost to your business.
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