The 18 Most Popular Bubble Tea Flavors

Bubble tea is on a roll in the U.S. In the not-too-distant past, you could only find boba tea shops in major cities. Today, bubble tea shops are a common sight in airports, suburban malls, and college campuses.If you own a bubble tea shop – or want to open one – you may be able to capitalize on this trend. By stocking the most popular flavors of boba tea, you can make sure that you have something for everyone. You can then differentiate your shop with different flavors and toppings.

Budget Branders works with independently owned bubble tea shops, coffee shops, bars and restaurants to provide them with the highest quality printed disposable products. Our cups, bowls, bags, and coffee sleeves can help you promote your brand for pennies on the dollar. Read on to learn more about the best bubble tea flavors – and reach out to us if you’d like a quote on boba tea cups for your business.

If you are opening up a bubble tea shop (or already own one), then you probably spend a lot of time thinking about your menu, including ingredients and supplies. After all, to be profitable, you will need to make sure that you have good tea, tapioca pearls with a nice chewy texture, and some fun extras. One of the defining features of the bubble tea trend is creativity. Boba tea shops have brought some truly inventive foods to the U.S., like cheese foam, butterfly pea, and handmade boba.  Recently, “tiger tea” – a type of brown sugar bubble tea – became an incredibly popular option. 

With so many innovations in the boba tea world, you may be wondering why you should care what the most popular bubble tea flavors are. The reason why is relatively straightforward: you will appeal to more people when you have a menu that features the most loved boba tea flavors. You can still get creative – and may attract new patrons by doing so – but by keeping classic flavors, you can have the broadest possible customer base.

Below, we have compiled a list of the 18 most popular boba tea flavors (including drinks that don’t actually contain tea!). If you own a bubble tea shop, it may be a good idea to make sure that you feature these drinks.

Taro

Taro is a root vegetable that is native to Southeast Asia. Although taro is a root vegetable like a potato, it has a mildly sweet, nutty flavor with subtle hints of vanilla. That makes it a popular addition to sweet treats like bubble tea.

Taro bubble tea is made from a combination of taro root, jasmine tea, and tapioca pearls (boba). This combo produces a beautiful purple color that looks particularly striking with dark-colored boba. It’s no wonder that with great flavor and stunning color, taro bubble tea is incredibly popular around the world.

Strawberry boba tea is exactly what it sounds like: a bubble tea drink that tastes like strawberries! It can be made in many different ways, but often features strawberry boba balls – filled with flavorful strawberry juice that “pop” in your mouth. It may also be made with standard tapioca pearl boba.Many bubble tea shops make their strawberry boba by creating a strawberry syrup from fresh strawberries, or using a pre-made strawberry syrup. This syrup is mixed into milk, which is then added to a cup of black or green tea. The final step is the boba of your choice – classic or popping strawberry boba! 

Milk tea consists of tea, milk, and a sweetener. Hong Kong-style milk tea, for example, consists of black tea sweetened with evaporated or condensed milk. Milk tea is very popular throughout the world, and is called by different names in various countries.Boba tea originated by combining tapioca pearls with milk tea. It is little wonder, then, that this flavor remains a classic. While it might be the most basic type of bubble tea, it is undeniably delicious!

Matcha is a finely ground powder made from specially grown and processed green tea leaves. The tea plants are grown in the shade, and the stems and veins are removed during processing. Because these plants are shade-grown, they produce more theanine and caffeine. The resulting powder is whisked into hot water instead of steeped like a traditional tea.Matcha has a bright, vegetal taste, with a hint of sweetness and umami. To make matcha bubble tea, the matcha powder is swirled into hot water, then milk, a sweetener and boba are added. The bright green color of the matcha – which is typically layered on top of the sweetened milk – shows up beautifully in branded boba tea cups.

Also known as mudflip or tiger milk tea, brown sugar milk tea is one of the hottest bubble tea trends. It has a sweet caramel taste from the brown sugar, and looks gorgeous with “stripes” of brown and white.The drink gets its distinctive look from a caramelized brown sugar syrup that is drizzled on the inside of the glass. Tapioca pearls are then added, with milk on top to finish the drink. For the mudflip version, the syrup and tapioca pearls are poured into the bottom of the cup, followed by a layer of milk. When a customer flips the drink over and back again, it creates a cool effect as the tapioca pearls drag the syrup through the milk to the bottom.

Vietnamese coffee is a traditional drink that uses a coarsely ground medium to dark roast coffee bean grown in Vietnam. The grounds are placed into a small metal filter, and hot water is poured over top. Once brewed, the coffee is poured over a glass of ice cubes and sweetened condensed milk is added.Vietnamese coffee bubble tea is made by taking a cup of Vietnamese coffee and adding boba. These tapioca pearls are often simmered in a brown sugar syrup to complement the flavor of the coffee.

Bubble tea isn’t always a tea-based drink. A key example: the ever-popular mango smoothie boba. This drink is made by blending frozen mango chunks, water, and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. It is then poured into a glass that has boba pearls and brown sugar syrup on the bottom. Delicious!

While it may not be a familiar flavor to many Americans, red beans are commonly used in desserts across Asia. The flavor of red beans is earthy, but it also has a natural sweetness. When blended, it has a smooth texture. It almost tastes like a mild dark chocolate.Red bean milk tea is made with black tea, sweetened red bean paste, milk or cream, and sugar syrup to taste. It is then poured over the tapioca pearls. While the color isn’t as vibrant as some other bobas, it is a great alternative if you want a less sweet drink.

Lychee is a small, round fruit native to China. It has a mildly sweet flavor with a hint of tart citrus. Lychee bubble tea is a refreshing choice, particularly on a hot day.The milk tea is made with either fresh lychee, a lychee powder, or a lychee syrup. Black tea or green tea are commonly used for this drink, together with a sugar syrup to sweeten, a dairy such as milk or cream, and boba. 

Bubble tea has become so popular for two reasons: it tastes great and it looks cool. Boba tea might actually be the perfect drink for social media, as the tapioca pearls look great next to the vivid colors of the drink. If your patrons love to take pictures of your bubble tea creations, having your name and logo on the bubble tea cups is one of the easiest ways to get free advertising.Budget Branders works with small to medium sized food service businesses, including bubble tea shops, to help them increase their marketing reach. We offer a range of products that can be customized to support your branding. All of our products are offered at prices – and in quantities – that work for independently owned and operated companies.

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