Boba: What It Is And The Best Places To Find It

Boba is one of the trendiest drinks right now, and everyone is in search of the best boba shop in town. After conducting an online poll via Instagram stories, it seems that an overwhelming majority of people, 91% of voters, enjoy boba, while 9% of voters stating they dislike boba.

 What exactly is boba? 

Boba, or bubble tea, consists of tapioca balls usually sweetened by simmering in a syrup added to a drink of your choosing. Bubble is paired with a variety of different drinks, with flavors for everyone. Most commonly, people pair boba with milk tea, coffee, smoothies, and slushies. Creativity is never lacking when it comes to the originality of boba drinksTapioca is starch from the roots of the cassava plant.

 The boba drink enjoyed today originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and soon began to gain traction in the U.S. Taiwanese immigrants began to introduce boba in the 1990s. Some of the first boba shops in the U.S. are local, located in California’s San Gabriel Valley. In fact, one of the first boba shops opened in a food court in Arcadia. Soon after, businesses such as Ten Ren, Quickly, and Tapioca Express opened as well. All of which Taiwanese immigrants started. These were some of the first boba shops opened in the United States. 

What are the best places to get Boba?

For those looking to try a new boba place or have finally decided to give boba a chance, students shared their favorite boba spots. This is what they had to say. Rio Hondo student Melanie Olivarez’s favorite type of boba is a fruity pebble drink from her favorite boba shop, BYOB A Boba Company, in West Covina, California. Other Rio students like Stephanie Valadez and Ceci Fontoura prefer a matcha milk tea from their favorite tea house, Chillin’ in Whittier, California. While many people enjoy boba drinks, it is not for everyone.  Jazmine Mejia’s favorite tea house is Summerfield Tea Bar, and recommends their Brown Bear Boba. Nate Arizmendiz recommends vanilla milk tea from Uno Tea House. Christine Peralta’s favorite is brown sugar boba from Tiger Sugar. Another Rio student, Oscar Cojulun shared that he does not like boba as it is “too sweet.”