Boba andbubble teaare staples across Asia, and in recent years their popularity has exploded around the globe.
What’s not to love?
Here’s your crash course in the difference between bubble tea and boba.

What is the proper term for this drink?
What is the correct term for this perfect drink, though?
According to the websiteTalk Boba, the drink has multiple names.

However, all of these refer to the same drink consisting of tea with tapioca pearls.
The colloquial usage of “boba” to refer to the drink specifically is new, but completely acceptable.
The boba pearls themselves are made from tapioca starch.

This starch comes from thecassava root, a plant native to South America.
This texture is untranslatable, but you’ll know what it is if you’ve had bubble tea before.
It’s a pleasurable texture to eat, and it makes this drink all the more fun.
As explained byTalk Boba, bubble tea was born in Taiwan in the 1980s.
Thanks to her voluptuous assets, she earned the nickname which was eventually used to market the tea!
In the end, you’re able to call the drink bubble tea or boba.
Both are acceptable, and both are delicious.