By: Ireland Lee

What Are Popping Pearls?

Popping pearls should not be mistaken for tapioca boba, although they are related. They both originated from the same region, but each have unique characteristics. Tapioca boba has a chewy texture and has to be cooked, whereas popping pearls are juicy pearls that burst when punctured. They make for an incredible dessert or drink topping, just in different ways!

Tapioca boba pearls surged the market in the ‘90s opening the possibility for popping pearls to flourish. Within the last year or so, the way social media has escalated with Reels and TikTok, popping pearls popularity has increased even more! These platforms have allowed for ASMR to become more of a fad, allowing popping boba ASMR to become a new norm, almost as if a way to relax.

Popping Boba: Variety of Flavors

Popping pearls, also known under other aliases, such as popping boba, bursting boba, bursting bubbles, juice balls, or popping bubbles. They are liquid-filled bubbles of fruit flavored juices that pop in your mouth when consumed. Popping boba ingredients consist of seaweed extract, which makes for the perfect outer layer to entrap all of the flavorful juices until they are ready to pop in your mouth. Also unlike tapioca pearls, bursting boba comes in a variety of different flavors like mango, strawberry, peach, cantaloupe, and many more! Bursting boba’s large portfolio of flavors has made it possible for bubble tea connoisseurs to add fun and flavorful explosions to their drink. It's almost like having a party in your drink!

Popping Boba Going Mainstream

Popping boba can be found in a number of popular US chains like Yogurtland, Menchies Frozen Yogurt, Lollicup Fresh, and other yogurt or bubble tea shops. It’s commonly used to top frozen yogurt or as a topping for drinks like iced green tea, smoothies, or a nitrogen margarita. Larger brands such as Dunkin Donuts and Sonic have recently caught on to this trend and are now offering signature drinks with them. You can now go to any of their locations and order “popping bubbles” or “bursting bubbles” from the menu. Fitness and health enthusiasts can also be thrilled when they check the popping boba nutrition facts as they are only about 25 calories per serving. They are relatively forgiving in sugar as well.

No Cooking Required for a Popping Boba Recipe

What makes popping pearls great, aside from it tasting great, is the fact that it requires no cooking at all! Brands like Tea Zone®, offer them in resealable containers that can be served straight from the jar. This is minimal compared to tapioca pearls, who require cooking times of up to an hour and a half before you are able to serve them.

When popping pearls first came out it was a trend, but today it is more than that. It’s a bubble tea staple that is here to stay! Now because of retailers like LollicupStore, Amazon, and Walmart, popping boba is offered to buy to consume at home! This means that you can make your own creations at home instead of constantly searching online for 'popping boba tea near me.' Browse LollicupStore.com’s selection of popping pearls, and let us know in the comments down below which flavor(s) you’ve enjoyed!