What are boba tea add-ons?
At Viva La Boba, you can expect an array of fantastic drinks that stand strong on their own. But if you're eager to personalize your drink and dive headfirst into the full "Boba" experience, then it's time to explore our mouthwatering add-ons.
Add-ons are edible additions that can be scooped, topped, or mixed into your drink, that add flavor and texture. Our add-ons range from sweet and decadent to refreshing and fruity, from chewy to an exciting burst. Some add-ons are only available seasonally and for a limited time! While you can mix and match these add-ons with any drink on our menu, some pair exceptionally well with specific flavors and drinks. You can always ask for a barista’s recommendation. One of the best parts of Boba culture is being able to customize until you are satisfied with your drink.
Ready to craft your perfect Viva La Boba experience? Keep reading to discover more about our incredible add-ons and how they can transform your boba drink into an unforgettable journey for your taste buds!
What is brown sugar boba?
Boba, also known as tapioca balls or pearls, are made from cassava root starch. Once cooked, they turn into warm, soft, and chewy spheres that add a fun texture to any cold drink on the Viva La Boba menu. We like to think of perfectly cooked boba as “al dente,” similar to pasta. You don’t want the boba to be so hard it breaks your teeth or too soft that it has the texture of boogers! Boba can be sweetened with many types of sweeteners like honey; however, we sweeten our boba with brown sugar syrup making it suitable for vegans and vegetarians while preserving its deliciously sweet appeal. Our boba can be paired with a variety of tea bases, allowing you to customize your drink to suit your taste. Whether you prefer classic black milk tea, aromatic green milk tea, smoothies, or even coffee-based drinks, there's always a new fun and tasty combination waiting for you to discover. For an extra indulgent experience, we highly recommend trying it with our Brown Sugar Milk Tea or with our Strawberry Banana Smoothie. Our boba is made fresh throughout the day! Depending on how busy we are, we can go through 6 to 10 bags of boba.
What is popping boba?
Popping boba are small, flavorful balls that are filled with real fruit juices, encased in an edible gel that bursts with a delightful pop on your tongue. The experience has been described by some of our customers as an explosion of fresh and fruity flavor. Pair your popping boba with iced black tea, green tea, jamaica, lemonade, smoothies, or slushees, and let your taste buds dance with joy. Our popping boba comes in an array of exciting flavors, such as strawberry, mango, and even chili! As an added bonus, our popping boba is vegetarian and vegan friendly! For a truly unforgettable treat, try it with one of our signature drinks, the Mangonada—a mango lemonade slush with chamoy and tajin lining the cup, perfectly paired with chili Popping Boba for a tangy, lightly spicy summer sensation.
What are fruit jellies?
Our fruit jellies are crafted from real coconut without added gelatin making them suitable for vegans and vegetarians. These jellies come in a variety of flavors depending on availability, including mango (which comes in an adorable star shape), strawberry (heart shaped around Valentines Day), passion fruit, lychee, and more. Fruit jellies can be added to any cold drink, but they pair particularly well with fruit teas, slushees, smoothies, jamaica, and lemonade-based drinks. They add a fun texture that is more solid than popping boba, but still a soft chewy experience. One of our favorite drinks with fruit jellies is the IE sunset which includes raspberry lemonade topped with color changing blue tea and passion fruit and mango star jellies.
What are aloe jellies?
Aloe jellies are natural aloe vera pieces that have been submerged in a lightly sweetened syrup. They have a soft chewy texture similar to our coconut-based fruit jellies. Since these pieces are made from the aloe vera plant without any added gelatin, they are the perfect add-on for vegans and vegetarians. Aloe jellies can be added to any iced drink, though we’d recommend them in iced black teas, green teas, lemonade, jamaica, slushes, and smoothies. One of our favorite ways to order aloe jellies is in our special Flower Power drink. Flower power is made with a lavender rose lemonade, aloe jellies, and topped with color changing blue tea.
How flavor and texture play a role in our recommendations:
At Viva La Boba, we're all about crafting the perfect drink experience. Flavor, texture and temperature are the dynamic trio that make our unique drinks possible.
Take our Brown Sugar Boba, for instance; it has the sweet, caramel-like flavor of brown sugar, a chewy, smooth texture and is kept warm to maintain its freshness, taste and texture. Though boba can be added to any iced drink, our baristas have done tons of experimenting to determine which combinations taste best. We recommend brown sugar boba to customers who enjoy texture, and slightly sweeter drinks. For example, we might recommend boba as an add-on to a black milk tea, smoothie or matcha. Drinks with milk or milk alternatives such as oat milk or almond milk typically pair well with brown sugar boba.
If you're into lighter fruity flavors, or you are less excited about a chewy texture, our baristas might recommend popping boba. These pearls are smooth and burst quickly, delivering only a small amount of texture to your mouth. Since popping boba doesn’t have to be cooked, it’s kept refrigerated making it the perfect addition to slushees and smoothies as it won’t melt the drink. Popping boba comes in a variety of flavors making it easy to pair with whichever flavor drink you are feeling on the day.
For something refreshing, our fruit jellies or aloe add a sweet, chewy twist to your tea. We recommend these for people who enjoy texture but want a more refreshing and fruitier add-on instead of the sweeter and more decadent brown-sugar boba.
Which add-on will you choose today?
If you have a unique drink and add-on combination that you’d like to share with us and the world, DM us on Instagram @vivalaboba