A sweet and delicious milky drink is the best… to chew on! Bubble tea is my favorite. When I tried these delicious cold drinks for the first time in a restaurant I was hooked. I gulped down giant tapioca balls through a thick straw.

There is no difference in bubble tea and boba when compared. There are some important points to remember about two of your favorite treats. This question is not unique to you.
Bubble tea vs boba: What is bubble tea?
Bubble tea is a variety of refreshing, sweet-tasting flavored beverages that are served with hot or cold tapioca pearls. The most common flavor options are fruits (eg honeydew, mango and plum, plum and strawberry, and lychee), vegetables, (eg taro), or teas (eg matcha).
These delicious drinks are from Taiwan. The recipe calls for mixing different ingredients and adding the “bubbles,” which is a mixture of pearls and balls of tapioca at the bottom of each drink. Bubble tea is a name given to this drink because of the bubbles and tapioca balls that form when the drink is shaken vigorously.

The bubble tea boba drinks are served in clear cups. They also come with thick straws that allow you to sip tapioca and boba pearls.
Bubble tea vs boba: Ingredients for bubble tea
There are many components to bubble tea, or boba with cream, that you can purchase at a shop. It is very simple, quick, and inexpensive to make your own boba tea if you have these ingredients.
What is the base of the bob? The drink usually contains tea, milk and simple syrup. These are the basic ingredients for classic homemade boba.
The trendy Asian drink can be made in many different ways. Cafes can make a wide range of beverages with or without tea. Stores can make trendy menu items like strawberry boba, which is made only with milk, fresh fruits, and pearls. Many stores allow customers to personalize the drinks they purchase.

Many customers are able to pick the toppings that they wish to add to their drinks in most shops. Customers don’t need to add tapioca pearls if they want their bubble tea to be called the bean. Crystal jelly, fresh fruit and grass jelly are some of the most popular toppings.
Tea base
A tea base is essential for bubble tea, pearl milk tea, and boba milk-tea, whatever they are called. These teas include green tea, black tea or red tea as the Chinese refer to it, and oolong. The most widely available teas in cafes and shops are black and green teas.
Tastes
Boba tea is not complete without taste. Your personal preference will determine whether you choose to add fruit flavors or tea flavor. You can make fruit flavors with fresh fruit, puree, syrup or flavored powder. These two options are cost-effective and why many bubble tea shops use them for making milk tea-based drinks. You can also use fresh or pureed fruit to make a healthier version.

Milk or cream
Boba tea can’t be drunk without cream or milk. They give it a creamy texture. You can use whole milk or semi-finished products as this component. Almond, soy, or oat milk may be used as a substitute for whole milk.
Sweetener
Brown sugar and sugar syrup are the most popular sweeteners used in commercial boba milk teas. Some stores also sell sugar-free options like stevia or aspartame. You can substitute the sugar with honey if bubble tea is not your preferred choice.
Warm or cold water
There are no set rules regarding the liquid that you use in your bubble tea. However, if using flavor powder, warm or hot water is the best way to dissolve it. Cold water is acceptable if you’re using fresh fruit puree or puree.
Tapioca balls
Tapioca pearls are essential for bubble tea. These tapioca balls will give your drink a chewy texture. Raw tapioca balls can be difficult to make and can take several hours to cook. Tapioca balls can be made in sugar syrup, which is easily found in most grocery stores.
Ice
Although this is not required, adding ice cubes to the drink before serving will make it even more refreshing.
Whipping cream
You can also add it to your bubble tea for a better-tasting drink.

What is Boba? Should I call it boba or bubble tea?
Bubble tea is a Taiwanese-made beverage, but boba refers the tapioca balls added to it. The key ingredient in pearl milk tea and bubble tea is boba.
Because of their unique chewing ability, bean bubble tea balls give bubble a different texture. Although traditional boba and bubble teas from Taiwan are made with black boba, many countries have started to offer other varieties of the drink.
You can choose to make homemade pearl milk tea from raw tapioca. You must ensure that the chew is not too hard or too soft. Follow the instructions on the label to get the best results.

You can also purchase cooked tapioca pearls. They only need to be heated for a few seconds before you can put them into your drink. Cooked boba is preferred by many people who have mastered the art of making bubble tea and boba at home. Some people claim that cooked boba tastes less chewy than raw tapioca. We can’t really tell the difference, to be honest.
What is the taste of bubble and bean tea? Why is bubble tea called boba?
Clear bean pearls by themselves are very tasteless. They absorb the flavors of tea so they taste just like taro.
However, bubble tea can have a different taste depending on the flavor you use. Bubble tea can also contain milk, cream, sugar, and tea. This means that your drink will be either creamy or milky-sweet. If you make a homemade drink, you can choose how much sugar or milk you want to add.

Bubble tea vs boba: Why Is Bob Called Bubble Tea
Bubble tea is named Bob because it is made of bean pearls. The beloved drink’s home is called bubble tea because it specifically refers tapioca pearls. Their round shape is what gave the word their name. The Taiwanese slang term for breasts is “boba” or Bo Ba.
Boba is usually a beverage. One might mention bubble tea, then the bean. It is likely that they are referring to tapioca pearls in this instance.
OTHER NAMES
It’s not just about bubble tea versus coffee. People in Asia may refer to the drink as many other things. His other labels include:
- Tea with milk
- Tea with pearl milk
- Black pearl tea
- Bob nai Cha
- Tapioca (tapioka in Japanese)

It is called various names in countries like China, Taiwan, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, such as Taiwan. In Japan, however, the drink and pearls are referred to as “tapioca”, which literally translates into “tapioca”. The Japanese love tapioca tea (tapioca), regardless of whether it’s a drink or pearls.
Popularity boba tea
Bubble tea is the most popular name for the beverage. The term bubble tea is used more often to describe the beverage in America than the name bean.
Bubble tea vs boba: East VS. West
The map of bean versus tea can be used to show the names and differences between the two coasts. The East Coast refers to the drink as “ball tea”. On the West Coast, however, it’s called “boba”.

The difference in the name of shore tea between bubble tea or bean tea is not explained. Many believe this may be because there is more Tawain on West Coast than East Coast. This drink, along with the term Boba, was created in Taiwan.
The coastal split in the definition of what to call a beverage is more of an assumption. Many people understand that the two names can be interchangeable. You can call it what you like!
Read also information on other types of bubble tea:
- How To Make Lychee Jelly For Bubble Tea
- What Is A Lowest Calorie Bubble Tea
- How To Make Taro Milk Tea
Boba tea VS. Pearls
It isn’t just about the name of bubble tea and beans. Tapioca balls can also be called boba, tapioca pearls, and pearls. If you see pearl milk tea being called pearl milk tea, it is because pearl is the same thing as boba.

Technically, there’s a difference in boba and bubble. Boba is the pearls that are added to the beverage, while bubble tea refers to the actual drink. This drink is sometimes called the “boba” beverage because it contains bean. Although people often refer to “boba tea” and “bubble tea” interchangeably they are not the same thing.
Comparison of Boba Tea and Bubble Tea
Bubble Milk Tea VS Boba VS Milk Tea. What is the difference between boba and milk tea?
As we’ve already mentioned, boba and ball teas are one and the same thing. They are also very similar to tea with milk.

Is bubble milk the same as boba?
Any milk tea, even bubble tea, is considered milk tea. Both bubble tea and milk tea can be considered the same thing. But not all milk teas are bubble tea. They have a distinct taste.
Ask about the ingredients before you prepare or order a drink. Ordering tea with milk doesn’t guarantee you will get a drink with tapioca pearls.
Boba Tea Cures
We thought it was important to mention the many tapioca pearl-based treats that have become popular in recent years, while we are talking about boba and bubble tea. Drinks of Taiwanese origin are now as popular as desserts made with tapioca pearls. These desserts are slowly becoming separate categories, such as Boba’s Jelly or Boba’s Taro Bubble Mochi Pudding Boba’s Ice Cream. There are increasing numbers of dessert shops that offer boba pudding throughout Asia.
We can see that the term “boba” is now used worldwide to describe a new range of desserts. This is an exciting trend we, pearl tea lovers, look forward to.
- Taro Lavender Latte: A Unique and Delicious Beverage - June 30, 2023
- What Does Pine Needle Tea Taste Like: Exploring the Flavors of Nature - June 21, 2023
- A Guide to Pumpkin Masala Latte: Discover the Spiced Delight - May 28, 2023