Boba Tea

Boba backup

Shortage of tapioca our causes hardship for small boba shops to remain stocked

Kristen Rummel rummekri000@hsestudents.org

Iced blueberry yogurt with Konjac boba and Caramel bubble black tea with brown sugar from Tsaocca. Photo by Kristen Rummel. Tapioca pearls, also referred to as boba, have grown in popularity over the last couple of years. e pearls are produced from tapioca starch then boiled to create a spherical shape. e result is a glossy pearl with a chewy texture. e pearls are typically served with infused tea or avored milk tea and a special straw so the pearls can t through. Tapioca starch has become especially di cult to purchase due to COVID-19 and the di culties of shipping goods across seas. Boba originated in Taiwan, growing in popularity in the U.S. in the 1980s. Since then, thousands of shops have opened up specializing in boba products like Kung Fu Tea 8395 116th Street, Suite 121, Fishers is opening soon. Many stores have been having trouble getting the pearls, while others have been out for months like Pho VN Cuisine on 116th street. “Because of the tapioca shortage, many bubble tea places have made boba more expensive,” junior Nalanie Cortez said. “Some places even run out due to the shortage, so it can be di cult to nd tapioca pearls when getting boba.” Some specialty stores like Bento Cafe and Tsaocca still carry boba and are still available for purchase. “My favorite boba place would be Tsaocca,” Cortez said. “ ey have so many favors to choose from that the combinations are endless. You can customize your drinks in your own way makes it perfect.” Tsaocaa boba tea retails for around $5, and has a variety of avors. e most common being black tea with milk and brown sugar . Popping boba is also another variety of sweet treats, it is a syrup- lled sphere, encapsulated in a gelatin wrapping. ey come in many favors; as whatever can be turned into syrup, can be turned into popping boba. Retailers like Dunkin o ered popping boba in the summer in avors like mango and cherry. Popping boba can be used for many desserts like frozen yogurt and parfaits. “Without a doubt, tapioca pearls are my favorite type over popping boba,” senior Kaelyn Tai said. “ e whole purpose of boba is the chew factor, so popping boba feels weird in my mouth and doesn’t even taste that good.” Retailers like Tsaocca o er both types of boba, with avors like orange, mango, kiwi and grape. ey serve more common teas like black, green and ruby tea. All can be customized with di erent milks, sweetener and a choice of di erent boba. Kung Fu tea was scheduled to open back in late July, early August but since the lack of employees, product and constructions around the area, opening has been delayed until further notice. “Having a shop open closer to home is so exciting,” senior Meghan Chen said. “Because of their delayed opening, I have been patiently waiting for the opening.”