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Monday's Drink - Boba Tea

Tapioca Pearls are popping up in prepared tea drink establishments everywhere. These small tapioca balls, hard to start and then jellylike once boiled, are more commonly known as Boba. The boba sit beautifully in the bottom of a clear plastic glass that will then usually contain a cold and sweet tea and milk drink. Once a huge straw is inserted into the top of the glass, these balls are easily sucked up from the bottom along with the drink. They are fun to chew, but also harmless if slipped down whole.

When we found this package we knew they were still good, so wanted to cook them up and show them off.

Monday's Drink - Boba Tea

With a best by date of 1/24/2017, these little tapioca balls are just over two years older than the recommended manufacturer date (sorry I ripped the package through the date while opening). The ingredients of tapioca balls are tapioca and water, but then they are completely dried before packaging.

These balls cooked up pretty and were ready to go within minutes.

We added some chopped fresh strawberries into our tea and milk and then poured it over some of the freshly made boba.

The tapioca balls are soft, just like they should be. A unique and refreshing drink indeed!

Now that the tapioca balls are moist, the chance of spoilage is far greater and they will dry out quickly. The shelf life of tapioca balls is short and sweet… most bob tea places recommend that the shelf life of boba is only 8 to 10 hours. They make them each morning and then use them by end of the day. They are usually covered in sugar or a simple sugar syrup to keep them moist for the day.
They should not be refrigerated or they will harden and become unpleasant to eat.
They can be frozen if they are suspended in a sugar syrup. If frozen, they must then again be given a quick boil to soften them again before using.

Monday's Drink - Boba Tea

Additional Info

To find out how long tea lasts, see our tea page.

To find out how long other foods are good for, please visit the Dairy, Drinks, Fruits, Grains, Proteins, Vegetables and Other sections of Eat By Date or use the search function below.