Want to Customize/Build your own Boba Drink: Visit ICE BOX!

Have you ever visited an Asian-based Market or Restaurant that serves ice cold sealed tea drinks with these cute little brown gummy candy balls mixed into it that bob at the bottom of the cup?! Have you ever been curious as to what that’s all about or where that drink comes from? First off….Let’s discuss this:

WHAT IS BOBA?!

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“Boba” also known as Tapioca Pearls are those cute little brown gummy balls about the size of marbles in these tea drinks. However, they can come in other larger or smaller sizes as well. Once they are cooked properly, these tapioca pearls have a soft, gummy and chewy texture that have just the right amount of sweetness with every bite. They can be found or purchased in bulk quantity packages at various Asian Markets or online!

Click here for a special package deal to make your own BOBA at home!

Extra large different color-assorted straws are used to sip up the boba balls out of the drinks where they almost appear like bubbles coming up the straw! These tapioca pearls are balls made out of starch that are created from the Cassava Plant. They can either be translucent or black in color depending on the ingredients. Translucent tapioca pearls include starch, chamomile extract and caramel while black tapioca pearls include starch, brown sugar, and sweet potato. Although these two types of boba balls are the most common, the regular tapioca pearls can be dyed any other color by soaking them in different syrups.

WHAT IS BUBBLE TEA?!

According to Healthline, boba or bubble tea is a type of drink that is referred to as nonalcoholic, non-carbonated drink that can have a wide variety of different flavors and types. Some of these flavors can consist of jasmine green tea, Thai tea, taro, avocado, mango, or just about any flavor your heart desires. They can come as a milk tea base or blended like a smoothie! These drinks are usually flavored by different types of natural or artificial sweeteners and are combined with a handful of tapioca pearls of your choice.

*FUN HEALTH FACTOR*: Although there is not much significant nutritional value to boba tea, it is most enjoyed for it’s rich combination of exotic tea flavors with tapioca pearls! So, it is highly advised to purchase, create and drink at your own risk as much as you’d possibly humanly like!

If you want to read more about how bubble/boba tea came into being and how it was created, click HERE to read more!

WHAT DOES ICE BOX OFFER?!?

Ice Box is a local establishment in South San Diego that offers a variety of either milk tea based or blended based flavors that is in the form of self-serve (almost similar to self serve yogurt, but BOBA!). This is how it works:

You buy a cup for $5 flat with cash or $5 plus tax with card
Choose your flavor (can taste little flavors out of purchased cup before choosing & mix and match your flavors like me or just choose one flavor)
Top off with unlimited toppings and/or syrups
Bring your mixed bubble tea drink to the front counter to have it sealed, grab a straw and….
TA-DA! You’re all done! Stab that seal with the colored straw of your choice and ENJOY 🙂

So, this is probably the first place I’ve ever been to that serves their boba tea drinks in a self-serving fashion and I couldn’t agree love this concept more than ever. Since their signature flavors are very unique and change on a daily basis, you will always get a good variety of different tea and blend based flavors with every visit.

For future reference, this was the one I created:

From bottom to top: Taro, Green Matcha Tea, boba balls, & fruity pebbles

With all the great variety of flavors that can be chosen and mixed together with the unlimited selection of toppings, I will definitely be visiting this place again. Also, how could I not come back when I have such a hole for a stomach and greater love and appreciation for bubble tea in general!? If you ever happen to be in the San Diego area and have never tried bubble tea or Boba before, I highly recommend to stop by Ice Box in National City. Also, if you do visit, please don’t hesitate to post about them and share all your drink combinations on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook and be sure to leave them a nice little YELP review as well!

USE THEIR HASHTAG: #SDICEBOX