Where to Buy Tapioca Pearls (Boba) for Bubble Tea

Due to increased customer demand in recent years, more coffeeshops and tea houses have begun offering bubble tea with tapioca pearls (boba). What some naysayers wrote off as a beverage fad seems here to stay, probably because bubble tea is not an American boardroom creation but actually the honest 25 year-old innovation of a Taiwanese shop owner. And although there's even a search engine called Boba Find to pinpoint local bubble tea cafés, do-it-yourself enthiusiasts may have a hard time finding the necessary tapioca pearls in many grocery stores. If you're seeking boba for home use, here are some tips on where to shop.

Where to Buy Tapioca Pearls (Boba): Large Grocery Stores

Run-of-the-mill chain grocery stores usually don't stock tapioca pearls unless there is a large Asian population nearby or the store is located in a larger metro area where people have already been exposed to (and hooked on) bubble tea through coffeeshops and tea houses. Specialty grocers and higher-end stores are more like to sell boba, though, so try Trader Joe's or Whole Foods if your city has one of these.

Where to Buy Tapioca Pearls (Boba): Asian Grocery Stores

I hesitate to lump all corner-style markets owned by Asian families into a single category because there is remarkable diversity in what constitues "Asian" and because not all Asian folks necessarily drink bubble tea. That said, these shops - regardless of the ethnicity of the owners - frequently seem to stock tapioca pearls. I happened upon them at a Vietnamese grocer in Saint Paul and at several stores in Chicago's Chinatown district, for example.

Where to Buy Tapioca Pearls (Boba): Tea Houses and Coffeeshops

Sometimes, the same café-style establishments that sell bubble tea (or "boba tea" or "pearl tea" or whatever they choose to call it) may also sell jars of tapioca pearls for patrons to take home. The prices for tapioca pearls tend to be expensive here, though. It's like buying coffee accessories at a Starbucks.

Where to Buy Tapioca Pearls (Boba): Online!

Last but not least, when all the other options fail you or when you want to buy tapioca pearls in bulk, you can shop online! Check out www.bubbleteasupply.com, www.bubbleteastore.com, and www.bobadirect.com (the last one being the best for bulk orders). Many of these sites also sell boba-related powders and syrups, so if you crave an exotic bubble tea flavor (like honeydew, one of my favorites), you can buy the accoutrements from one of these vendors.