BOLLE - Boba Bubble Tea Tapioca Pearls 2.2 Lbs.

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.

I was reading other reviews of the bag not being sealed or it being too much dust and I thought ‘oh maybe it was a uncommon defect’. Wrong. It came that way but I sifted the boba and gave it a shot. I stood watching this for almsot an hour and had two failed attempts because the powder that was like 1/2 if he bag made everything stick together before I sifted it which took a bit boiled it as instructed and afterwards I took it out tried it and they were too chewy and sticky. Not good quality boba. Okay taste so I put it in my matcha drink and ate it all. Next thing you know I have diaherria 2-3 times this afternoon. Not a good work day, very dissaponted. Don’t get your hopes up and buy cheap boba folks.

I was hesitant to order these based on the polarizing reviews, but I'm glad that I finally did. They arrived vacuum sealed and in a good sized box with inflatable padding. Another reviewer said theirs smelled bad, so I took a big whiff and only got a pleasant, mild, almost chocolatey scent. Uncooked, they're a light tan color and are like a slightly moist chalky ball. When you cook them, they become the delicious black boba you know and love. I've been jonseing for some boba for over a week so I followed the directions on [...] and made them right away. They turned out great! The uncooked boba pearls are very fragile and will crumble easily. I'm going to store mine in the bag with a rubber band around it, and also in a ziplock. Be careful when squeezing the air out, or you'll crush the pearls.

I love bubble tea, so wanted to try my hand at making them at home. Especially since my favorite store started changing their preparation and giving my wimpy boba. Yuk. So I tried these and a more instant version from a local Asian market. This Bolle tastes muuuuuch better, and is more consistent in texture. Prep and add a touch of honey ... heaven! I've ordered twice and haven't experienced the crumbling powder issue some reviewers mentioned, but I can see it happening for some folks. The pearls ARE a little more prone to shedding powder, but both of my orders were well vacuum-packed and had very little crumbling. The fresher, cleaner flavor and more consistent texture is very worth the slighter fragility of the pearls.

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.

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.

terrible. 1/3 of the pkg was smashed boba n powder form. the pkg also was not sealed properly. would not buy again. 2# for $14. asian market had it for $5 bag. it wasn’t all crushed either.

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.

It's so good they are the perfect size and tastes great

Less of pearls more of powder. This is my second time experience, will never buy this brand in future.