BOLLE - Boba Bubble Tea Tapioca Pearls 2.2 Lbs.

I love boba drinks and go out of my way to get some at my favorite Asian restaurant. I wanted to make some at home and started looking for boba that was easy to cook. I purchased another quick cooking brand found here on Amazon, but I didn't like the sound of some of the ingredients, so I was looking for a more healthy option.I read the reviews on this brand and was a bit worried because people were saying their packages arrived damaged, but I have to say my order was perfectly intact. Even when I opened the package, all the boba balls were in solid pieces. They're about the size of a large dehydrated pea, and while they crumble when squeezed, they don't disintegrate into dust while handling them like some of the reviews here made it seem.As for cooking time, they do take a while longer than the other instant brand. They also seem to cook a bit smaller in size, but it was the first time I made them, so perhaps I didn't soak them long enough. As for the taste, it's just like the ones at the restaurants.Overall I recommend this product. The ingredients seem to be a better option than some of the others available on Amazon. If you're health conscious like me but still crave your bubble tea, then this is a perfectly fine option for you at home.

The bag came air leak boba smashed into powder

Pros:-If you cook it right, it will come out perfect. 20 min low boil + 25 min covered with heat off. (During last 25 min soak time, adding brown sugar or honey will infuse the boba pearls with a rich flavor.)-You can purchase this at Korean markets for about $3 per bag which is about 1lb I believe. So it can be a great deal.-There are the fewest and cleanest ingredients I have found so far in cook at home boba. No plasticizers like in the 5 min cook type boba.Cons:-Bag doesn't ship well so you will lose about 20-30% of the pearls because they will get crushed and turn to powder.-Must cook properly and STIR during the 20 min LOW BOIL part of the cooking or the pearls will be cooked unevenly. Some will be hard and undercooked and some will be just right.Tips:-Separate into small airtight bags like the portion you will be cooking (must be done gently to avoid crushing.)I use my foodsaver to vacuum seal each bag/portion and they remain perfectly fresh for a long time.-Ziploc bags will work fine as well.-Must be eaten within 8 hours or they start to get overly mushy and taste quality declines.OVERALL the best home cooked boba I have tried so far out of about 6 different types.

I bought these Boba Pearls to use for bubble tea. So far I can say they are easy to make, last long enough to make tea all day, and they seem to be a decent size for bubble tea. The instructions were a tad confusing because they were a very rough English, but after making it once I realized that while cooking (on medium) I needed to have a cover on and then after the 20 minutes you turn the heat off and leave the cover on for another 25 with the heat off. The cover really made the difference in how soft the pearls were. I tried saving them in the fridge for the next day and they got pretty hard after getting cold, which seems normal. Also the instructions say to add honey to the pearls for taste so I am sure that plays into how hard they got in the fridge. The package does say use within 7-8 hours (well it says "stir gently to server within 7-8 hours") which I figured means serve within 7-8 hours. It is a good buy, I'd say. Although I would like to try some Boba without so much extra added in the ingredients (the ingredients are Tapioca Starch, Water, Caramel, Maple Syrup Flavor) but I would buy these again for sure.

I’m a boba addict, for more than a decade. Bubble tea is my favorite drink! So to save money I have to make it at home, and I’m very picky about my boba. I even tried making them from scratch- don’t do it, nobody has time for that. These taste like they do at the bubble tea shop, they are chewy, slightly sweet on their own, have the right scent, and I know color doesn’t matter but they are that beautiful glossy dark brown that I love to see at the bottom of my bubble tea cup. Cooked properly according to the instructions on the bag, they came out as I expect them to be if I were to go out and pay for bubble tea. This will be my brand of choice. Mine came bubble wrapped and the boba held their shape, but please be gentle as they are barely holding their shape together and any pressure on the bag will crush them into powder. I’m sure I’ll go through my bag quickly and need the bigger size! Oh these cool up pretty quickly, way quicker than the really dry boba you find in the store, I can start these and be eating them in 50 minutes tops.

All the boba pearls were smashed to dust :(

Edit: so reading other people’s comments, I sifted through the dust. I salvaged probably about 30-40% of the pearls but it was time consuming. But the quality of the boba once cooked was high, and without all the preservatives may be worth the hassle. They absorbed flavor rather well, taking the suggestion of another reviewer who added brown sugar during the covered phase of cooking I added golden sugar style monk fruit sweetener. If I don’t find a better alternative I will probably buy these again, and pray the next time the packaging is better.Original: Was really looking forward to these… ordered noodles from a different vendor and they came in same package and the noodles were not broken despite minimal packaging. So.. unlikely it’s a shipping roughness issue. I’ve had this happen with other brands when I didn’t put them in an air-tight enough container after cooking some. This package clearly has air in it. Needed to be sealed better is my guess. Vacuum sealed.