7 Best Tapioca Pearls (Boba) To Make Amazing Bubble Tea
The Best Brands of Tapioca Pearls are:
- WuFu Yan Tapioca Pearl – Black Sugar Flavor (Very popular & cooks the fastest)
- E-Fa Brand – (Best for commercial purposes)
- Wufuyuan – Rainbow colored Tapioca Pearl (Very affordable)
- Bolle Tapioca Pearls Boba (traditional pearls)
- Hoosier Hill Farm (Uses all-natural ingredients)
- J WAY Brown Sugar Pearls (A Complete Bubble Tea Kits)
- Tea Zone Popping Pearls (Has a variety of flavors)
If you love Tapioca Pearls drinks but find them too expensive to buy regularly at tea shops, the best alternative is to try making them at home.
So in this article, I am gonna share with some of the Best Brands of Tapioca Pearls which are not only super tasty but also very quick and easy to make.
What are Tapioca Pearls
Tapioca Pearls, also called Boba are best known, for being the tiny, translucent, chewy black balls at the bottom of Bubble tea.
1. WuFu Yan Tapioca Pearl – Black Sugar Flavor
The best thing about WuFu Tapioca Pearls is that it cooks really fast. You can have perfect Tapioca Pearls for your Bubble Tea in under 5 minutes.
To prepare them all you need to do is boil them in water for 5 minutes and then strain them from the water. You can then add the cooked pearls to your drinks.
Wufu Tapioca Pearls have a lovely mild flavor and a nice gel-like texture but because of the mild flavor, you might want to sweeten them with a simple syrup or some honey.
Their amazing taste and texture are why they are one of the most popular brands of tapioca pearls on the market.
Where to Get Wufu Tapioca Pearls
You can get Wufu Pearls on Amazon at really good prices, you can click here to see the current price there.
I also highly recommend using Angel Milk Tea Mix with Wufu Pearls to make a nice smooth bubble tea. You can click here to see the current price for the Tea Mix on Amazon.
With the tea mix, you dont have to make your own ice tea instead you just have to blend the 2 spoons of the tea mix with ice and a cup of milk. And then you can add your pearls once they have been boiled and cool down.
Bonus Tip
It is important to carefully handle the package of store-bought Tapioca when opening it because they are extremely fragile and also melt in cold water.
To learn How to Store all kinds of Tapioca Pearls Properly so they last a long time. Read my Guide to Storing them here.
2. E-Fa Black Tapioca Pearls
E-Fa Tapioca Pearls is the perfect brand to purchase if you own a tea shop or café that makes a lot of drinks out of Boba.
This is because E-Fa Pearls are very high-quality meaning it has the right level of chewiness and texture. And they are usually sold in large packets making it cost-effective for a small cafe.
They can also be used by a household especially if you know you are going make a lot of it. All you need to do is store them in an airtight container.
The instructions on the package say that it can be cooked in 5 minutes, however, for these pearls I would recommend boiling them for 15-20 minutes. This is because these pearls are a bit denser and will require more cooking.
Where to Get E-Fa Black Tapioca Pearls
You can get a large pack of E-Fa Black Tapioca Peals that contains 6.6 pounds of pearls on Amazon you can click here to see the current for it there.
3. WuFu Yuan – Rainbow colored Tapioca Pearl
These colorful rainbow pearls are perfect for birthdays, Halloween, and other holidays or any other special occasion where you want to delight your guests without spending a lot of money on food or drinks.
I also think that it’s rainbow color will be great as a treat for kids.
While it is rainbow flavored it has the same delicious taste as a black Boba.
Where to Get Rainbow Colored Boba
Amazon usually has them in stock you can click here to see the current price for them there.
4. Bolle Tapioca Pearls Boba
This brand has quality Tapioca pearls that are similar to traditional ones made in Taiwan. It takes longer to prepare than the other pearls featured on the list but that is because are similar to the traditional style pearls.
These Tapioca Pearls are made from almost all-natural ingredients such as (tapioca starch, water, caramel, maple syrup flavor) with no gums, preservatives.
This brand of pearls has (6 lbs 9 oz (3 kg)) in each package. I saw many people complaining that the pearls disintegrate in the water but what they don’t know is that traditional pearls will lose their shape in cold water.
The pearls need to added to boiling hot water and cooked properly so as to get their chewy texture. On average the pearls will take about 30 minutes to cook because these pearls are not the quick-cooking type.
To read more about storing and preparing Tapioca Pearls read this article Here.
Where to Get Bolle Tapioca Pearls
You can get them on Amazon, you can click here to see the current price for a packet there.
5. Hoosier Hill Farm Pearls
The Hoosier Hill Farm Large Tapioca Pearls are made out of natural ingredients and are used primarily to make tapioca pudding.
The Large pearl tapioca comes in the form of round pellets made from cassava roots with the standard size for #40 Tapioca Pearl is 4.0 to 4.75 mm.
Now before adding these pearls to any recipe they must be soaked for at least 2 hours so the preparation time is longer than other pearls reviewed. The package holds 2.0 lb and comes in a resealable Bag.
You can click here to see the current price for Hoosier Pearls on Amazon.
6. J WAY Brown Sugar Tapioca Pearls
J WAY Brown Sugar Bubble Tea Kits is a quick, easy, and tasty way to enjoy cafe-quality boba bubble tea in your home or on the go.
Each pack is conveniently portioned into individual portion sizes. If you have never tried a Bubble Tea with Boba, a kit is the best way to start.
This kit features 6 Tapioca Packets, 6 Milk Tea Powder and 6 Straws.
Authentic Taiwan origin and unopened packs have a shelf life of up to 1 year in a cool, dry place (no refrigeration necessary).
Where to Get J Way Bubble Tea Kit
You can get one on Amazon, you can click here to see the current price for it there.
7.Tea Zone Popping Pearls
Originating in Asia, popping pearls (also known as ‘popping boba’ or ‘bursting boba’) are made by Tea Zone in a variety of flavors including mango, peach, lychee, rose, rainbow and cantaloupe.
It has a real fruit taste plus no preparation is required before use. The container holds 7 pounds of popping pearls but the good news is that it has a long shelf life and can even be frozen.
But if you are looking for traditional Tapioca Pearls, this is not the one for you. These are not made from the traditional Tapioca Starch but rather from seaweed. And Because of this difference, Tea Zone Pearls has a little thicker membrane and takes a little more effort to pop.
Where to Get Tea Zone
You can get them on Amazon, you can click here to see the current price there.
Why Use Tapioca Pearls?
They add a fun and gummy texture to drinks and are traditionally flavorless though some brands choose to flavor theirs.
Boba pearls have a natural brown color which they get after boiling in water. This color comes from the brown sugar used to make Boba. However, they are often colored using artificial colors in order to get more variety in colors.
A popular misconception of Tapioca Pearls is that they are made from gelatin, however, the pearls are actually made from the tapioca starch derived from cassava root.
You will find that making homemade tapioca pearls are an easy way to satisfy your Tapioca Cravings without breaking the bank. So don’t be afraid to experiment. Enjoy!
What to look for in Tapioca Pearls
Tapioca Pearls should be: Chewy, but not mushy, have the ability to soak in flavors like brown sugar, honey, simple syrup, and have the correct consistency.
How to tell if your Tapioca Pearls have spoiled
Discard any Tapioca Pearls that have changed color or show signs of mold. The Pearls should be firm and chewy and not soft and mushy. Any changes in texture and the pearls should be thrown out.
Also, any change in smell and taste such as sourness are also signs that the pearls are not good to consume anymore.
