Does Starbucks have Boba? Starbucks does not have Boba on its menu. This is because of the complex nature of making the drink, a method that would be quite expensive to roll out in every Starbucks chain location. You can make your own Boba tea using Starbucks iced tea if you already know where to get tapioca pearls.
What kind of tea is Boba tea?
Boba tea also called bubble tea and pearl milk tea, is a famous drink that has been the subject of various social media challenges. The drink has its origins in the island nation of Taiwan and consists of tea served with chewy tapioca balls.
This combination is what gives the tea its name, as the tapioca balls are said to appear like bubbles. Boba is a very famous drink and Starbucks is often being asked if they have it.
The word “boba” can refer to either a wide category of chunky drinks including everything from iced tea with tapioca pearls to fresh juice loaded with fruity bits — or black tapioca pearls themselves. Whatever you call it, in its most prime form, the drink consists of black tea, milk, ice, and chewy tapioca pearls, all shaken together like a martini and served with that popular fat straw to accommodate the marbles of tapioca that cluster at the bottom of the cup.
The pearls are basically made from tapioca starch, an extract of the South American cassava plant, which came to Taiwan from Brazil through Southeast Asia during the period of Japanese rule between 1895 and 1945. Tapioca pearls start white, hard, and rather tasteless, and then are boiled inside huge, bubbling vats and steeped in sugary caramelized syrup for hours until eventually they are changed into those black, springy tapioca pearls we have come to know and slurp.
Here are few steps to follow if you want to have some Boba tea, and Starbucks is your only option for tea:
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Download the Starbucks app. This will allow you to order more conveniently what you need in the next steps. You will also avoid the awkwardness of dealing directly with a barista who may find themselves unimpressed with your Boba tea antics.
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Once in the App you are going to want to scroll to the iced tea section of the Starbucks menu.
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Select ‘Iced Black Tea’ from the iced tea section of the Starbucks menu. The size of the beverage is up to you.
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Customize your beverage by heading to the ‘Add-ons’ section of the beverage customization page. This will help make the beverage more suitable to being made into a faux Boba.
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When given the option for how much water to include, select ‘none’.
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The choice of milk is up to you, though Half & Half is a common choice when performing this hack.
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Now head to the ‘Flavors’ section of the beverage customization page and remove the liquid cane sugar that usually comes with this beverage.
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In place of the liquid cane sugar, add Toffee Nut Syrup.
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The beverage is now ready to order, but before you go and get it you will need to prepare the tapioca pearls for consumption.
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Boil the tapioca pearls for as long as the instructions for your brand of pearls says.
Now they are ready to be plopped into your drink to make your own Boba tea! Simply head to Starbucks, pick up your drink, drop in the prepared pearls and you have finished the process!
Why Doesn’t Starbucks offer Boba?
Given the fame of Boba tea, for both its taste and presence in social media stunts, it seems odd that Starbucks does not carry it.
Making Boba tea professionally requires machinery and training that might not be seen as cost-effective. This dedicated machinery would also take up space that could be used to help prepare a huge range of beverages. Storing the tapioca pearls would also be somewhat problematic, as they are used only for Boba tea unless Starbucks begins to innovate with them and develops a Frankenstein monster of a beverage.
This storage space would be better used to store ingredients that are more broadly used. Another reason is that Boba tea may simply be seen as beyond the scope of the Starbucks brand. While the company has strayed away from serving only coffee, it is still broadly recognized as the best source for coffee.
Adding such an iconic beverage that is not coffee may detract from the Starbucks brand identity, something that company higher-ups would like to avoid.
Alternative Places to Buy Boba Tea
While Starbucks may have declined to hop on the Boba tea bandwagon, there are many other businesses that have either added the drink to their menu or are based around the beverage.
One of these places is Kokee Tea, though this is only a regional chain that is locked to the East Coast of the United States.
Still, it is an example of a tea chain that carries the ingredients necessary for Boba tea in spades. There are other examples, such as Kung Tea.
Does Starbucks have Boba tea in 2020?
Starbucks latest winter menu offers a range of beverages and fan-favorite foods to help customers bring in the New Year with the right choices for their lifestyle and taste preferences. Beginning January 5, customers can enjoy the new Honey Almond milk Cold Brew, Pistachio Latte, Kale and Portabella Mushroom Sous Vide Egg Bites, and Earth Cake Pop as well as celebrate the return of the Honey Almond milk Flat White and Red Velvet Loaf. Even now Starbucks doesn’t have Boba tea on their menu.
Now serving
Honey Almond milk Cold Brew
Cold coffee and cold beverages continue to be a hot trend at Starbucks. This non-dairy beverage is made with slow-steeped Starbucks® Cold Brew, combined with honey and then topped with almond milk for a creamy finish.
Pistachio Latte
Sweet flavors of pistachio pairs with Starbucks® Signature Espresso and steamed milk and then finished with a salted brown buttery topping for a cozy beverage crafted to comfort. The Pistachio Latte can also be ordered as a blended beverage or iced.
Honey Almond milk Flat White
This flat white intentionally pairs almond milk and Starbucks® Blonde espresso with honey, making a perfect amount of creamy, nutty sweetness. Customers looking for more non-dairy milk choices rejoice as this tasty treat is part of Starbucks permanent menu.
Kale and Portabella Mushroom Sous Vide Egg Bites
Delicious chopped kale and portabella mushrooms delicately folded into cage-free eggs with Monterey Jack cheese and cooked using the French “sous vide” technique resulting in a velvety texture bursting with flavor. Joining the menu permanently, this delightful high-protein breakfast has 15 grams of protein and is under 250 calories.
Earth Cake Pop
Rich chocolate cake dipped in blue chocolaty icing and finished with green and white sprinkles to resemble the earth, a globe of goodness.
Red Velvet Loaf
Delicious vanilla cake swirled with classic red velvet cake and topped with white chocolaty icing—a sweet spot of red velvety-yum.
Best Drinks on the Starbucks Menu
1. Caffè Mocha
Nutritional info: 360 calories, 35 grams sugar
It is one of the best dang drinks at Starbucks right now.
2. Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
Nutritional info: 250 calories, 31 grams sugar
The pumpkin flavor comes from two ingredients: a spice blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, and the pumpkin cream cold foam, which is layered above the cold brew coffee that makes up the majority of the drink. The cold foam has just enough pumpkin flavor to make you feel like it’s fall, but not enough where it completely overpowers the coffee.
You can taste the smooth cold brew, and the finish is all coffee. It’s an ice-cold take on a fall classic; a coffee drink fully reimagined for the Starbucks lover who drinks cold brew year-round. And it’s one of the best drinks the company has ever put out.
3. Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso
Nutritional info: 120 calories, 13 grams sugar
Plain old oat milk is delicious in coffee. But the oat milk that “Oatly” produces is next-level, and it’s an ideal pairing for Starbucks java. If you have never tried Oatly before, expect waves of creaminess that don’t overpower the strong coffee and brown sugar notes with a hint of cinnamon. We dare you to find a non-dairy milk aftertaste in this drink, one that’s ruined many an iced almond or soy milk latte.
With only 13 grams of sugar and 255 milligrams of caffeine (that’s about 2.5 cups of drip coffee!), this drink squarely fits in the category of Perfect Afternoon Drink to Make Sure you don’t fall asleep during your Boss’s Mandatory 4 pm Zoom.
4. Caffè Latte
Nutritional info: 190 calories, 18 grams sugar
Steamed milk, espresso. You get a layer of foam on top. I love when the foam hits your top lip, supporting it like a little milk pillow as you draw warm espresso into your mouth. I’m a little shocked I liked this more than some of their flavored lattes, especially considering my well-documented childlike love for sugary flavors, but this simple drink delivers.
5. Iced Peach Green Tea Lemonade
Nutritional info: 130 calories, 32 grams sugar
This is delightfully peachy. It’s like taking a bite of a peach and then eating a few spoonful of sugar to help that peach go down
6. Apple Crisp Macchiato
Nutritional info: 300 calories, 45 grams sugar
The best winter drinks at Starbucks announce themselves before you have even taken a sip. And the Apple Crisp certainly does that, inviting you to inhale all the mouth-watering notes of brown sugar and cinnamon. Things get even better when you put the cup to your lips, as coffee and apple flavors join the party. Starbucks has taken the pairing of a slice of apple pie and a cup of coffee to its logical endpoint, whipping up a new fall drink that should stand the test of time. If you are ever in the mood for a warm apple cider, but you also need a hit of caffeine, this is your new favorite treat.
7. Honey Citrus Mint Tea
Nutritional tea: 130 calories, 30 grams sugar
I didn’t invent it, but I’m glad someone did because this is a wondrous tea concoction that benefits from the delightful interplay of lemonade and honey. And drinking it when you feel like a cold is coming on feels like a smart idea.
8. Honey Almond milk Cold Brew
Nutritional info: 50 calories, 10 grams sugar
This vegetarian-friendly concoction should have a warning label on it: “Do Not Drink before Stirring the Living ■■■■ out of this.” I made the mistake of taking a sip when it was half-stirred at best by a busy barista, giving me a mouthful of almond milk aftertaste and no sign of coffee or honey.
When I had a chance to stir it for a couple seconds, the drink transformed into a lovely blend of almond milk, coffee, and a touch of sweetness. There’s not much complexity to it, but there’s also not much sugar in it, either. That’s a win in my book.
9. Flat White
Nutritional info: 220 calories, 17 grams sugar
While this tastes like a glass of warm milk with coffee flavoring to me, it actually has plenty of espresso—two ristretto shots and steamed whole milk. Whatever’s in it, it’s delicious. You also get a smooth and not-at-all bitter coffee finish. So much warm milk you’ll want to go to bed after drinking this. Also, my colleague was shown how Starbucks makes these, which is pretty cool.
10. Dragon Drink
Nutritional info: 130 calories, 23 grams sugar
This drink looks like a secret menu drink based on a Hello Kitty color pattern. And it tastes like it looks—saccharine sweet, but with a not unpleasant mango and coconut milk finish. It’s more mango-forward than you’d expect for something that looks like this to be. Perfect for mango lovers and fans of a Lilly Pulitzer aesthetic.
11. Vanilla Sweet Cream Nitro Cold Brew
Nutritional info: 110 calories, 14 grams sugar
It is incredible what a little splash of Starbucks’ sweet cream can do to elevate its regular cold brew. That sweetness cuts through the bitterness, but isn’t overpowering. As an added bonus, it’s pretty trippy to watch the cream spread out in the ultra-dark coffee.
12. Blonde Roast
Nutritional info: 5 calories, 0 grams sugar
This roast also changes seasonally. It’s tasty, but it makes me want a Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew.
13. Medium Roast
Nutritional info: 5 calories, 0 grams sugar
This roast is always reserved for Pike Place. This is my favorite of the drip coffees (though in the afternoon, there’s a location near me that switches to pour-over). Starbucks says it has “subtly rich flavors of cocoa and toasted nuts.” It makes me want a Caffè Mocha.
14. Caffè Americano
Nutritional info: 20 calories, 0 grams sugar
Starbucks coffee greatly benefits from a splash of milk and a little sugar.
15. Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino
Nutritional info: 370 calories, 53 grams sugar
I think I used to be more of a vanilla person growing up, but now I’m squarely in the chocolate camp. 10-year-old me would’ve lost his mind over this. Significantly older, current me (who has successfully gone through puberty!) thinks this is vanilla overload.
16. Nitro Cold Brew
Nutritional info: 5 calories, 0 grams sugar
Starbucks cans this drink and sells it in supermarkets and convenience stores. It’s tasty! So what’re you doing ordering this in one of its coffee shops?! Go nuts and get it topped with vanilla sweet cream.
17. Mango Dragon fruit Starbucks Refreshers
Nutritional info: 90 calories, 19 grams sugar
This is not a drink as much as a beacon in a cup with ice and a straw. It says to everyone who walks by you, “I just bought a wine-colored drink from Starbucks that has fruit in it!” It begs to be Instagrammed.
Oh, and there are seeds from the dragon fruit (and actual dragon fruit!) floating around in there. You can’t miss them. The flavor is tropical as the look and name of the drink promises. Despite the fact that dragon fruit has its fruit prints all over this, mango is what lingers on your palate before fading away.
18. Kiwi Starfruit Starbucks Refreshers
Nutritional info: 90 calories, 18 grams sugar
Look down at this drink and you might find yourself wondering: What are those black spots doing in my beautiful, key lime-hued drink? Why, those are chunks of kiwi, friend! But before you start flashing back to hating orange juice with pulp back in your younger days, know that this is a different drink altogether!
It’s crisp, sweet and tropical, and you won’t even mind encountering those tasty kiwi bites. And while starfruit gets top billing along with kiwi here, know that it’s the kiwi flavors that’ll linger delightfully on your palate.
19. Honey Oatmilk Latte
Nutritional info: 270 calories, 28 grams sugar
For anyone who wants to switch up the non-dairy milk in their daily Starbucks drink, this honey-tinged latte featuring Oatly oat milk is a solid option. But since you only have one mouth, you should save it for an Iced Brown Sugar Oat milk Shaken Espresso, which for some reason isn’t on the menu right now! But don’t worry, just ask a barista for one and they’ll whip it up.
20. Starbucks Cold Brew
Nutritional info: 5 calories, 0 grams sugar
This is fine. It tastes perfectly smooth. But there are so many fun variations on this drink—especially where it’s topped with cold foam—that to not order this might actually be a waste of a trip to Starbucks.
Starbucks Coffee and Tea pricelist:
Espresso Coffee and Tea
Caffe Latte Tall | $2.95 |
Caffe Latte Grande | $3.65 |
Caffe Latte Venti | $4.15 |
Caffe Mocha Tall | $3.45 |
Caffe Mocha Grande | $4.15 |
Freshly Brewed Coffee Tall | $1.85 |
Cinnamon Dolce Latte Grande | $4.65 |
Caramel Macchiato Tall | $3.75 |
Caramel Flan Latte Tall | $3.75 |
Teavana Oprah Cinnamon Chai Tea Latte Tall | $3.65 |
Teavana Oprah Cinnamon Chai Tea Latte Grande | $4.25 |
Teavana Oprah Cinnamon Chai Tea Latte Venti | $4.65 |
How do I order Starbucks online?
After you open the app and enable location services, tap the “Order” icon at the bottom of the screen. From there, you can customize your order with your favorite Starbucks® drinks and food and add to your shopping bag. Next, select the store for your pick-up. The app estimates wait time.
In addition to the order ahead and pay feature, the Starbucks app allows for contactless digital payments in the store.
If ordering in the store, click on the “scan” button then go into the “scan & pay” tab. Choose how you want to pay, then scan to earn Stars and pay seamlessly in one step. In the app you can also add funds to your Starbucks Card or save a credit/debit card or PayPal account.
Additionally, Members can simply scan the QR code on the “Scan only” tab, then pay separately with a credit/debit card, cash, or mobile wallet to earn Stars without preloading or saving a payment method. Customers can also use their contactless credit/debit cards to pay at the register in-stores by simply tapping their card on the payment terminal, eliminating the need to insert their card.
For more assistance
Customers with a disability or who may need assistance may place their order in the following ways:
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Call the store to place an order over the phone and a partner will bring your order to the store’s front door or vehicle.
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Order ahead using the Starbucks app. Call the store upon arrival and a partner will bring your order to the store’s front door or your vehicle.
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When ordering at the drive-thru, customers may skip the speaker box and pull forward to the window.
Frequently Asked Questions
1- Does Starbucks have pearls?
Following the introduction of the popular Teavana Iced Teas this summer, customers will be able to explore 10 hot brewed teas, including jasmine pearls, green, black and white teas, as well as three Tea Lattes. Teavana’s hot and iced teas are now available at participating Starbucks stores globally.
2- Does Starbucks in Japan have boba?
The new drink was given an early debut treatment in select branches in Tokyo on May 4, but official sales across the country will begin on May 15. Unfortunately, it will only be available until July 18, so anyone excited about trying it out should waste no time
3- Is there Boba at Dunkin?
Dunkin’ Donuts is adding some ‘pop’ to their drinks with their new boba-inspired product. The bobas are strawberry flavored, and all drinks served with the boba come with a wide paper straw so they don’t get stuck. No chance at getting this with your hot coffee though, as they are only offered for cold drinks.
4- What does boba taste like?
Bubble tea tastes like a well-balanced and sweet milky beverage with a slight twist, boba pearls. Though sweet, it’s not overpoweringly sweet since teas counteract the sweetness and creaminess of boba flavors. Generally, boba cafes will make a concentrate of tea and use this as the base of their milk teas.
5- What is Starbucks ’ pink drink?
Our crisp, Strawberry Açaí Refreshers® Beverage, with its accents of passion fruit, is combined with creamy coconut milk. A fruity and refreshing sip of spring, no matter what time of year.
6- Does all Boba taste the same?
Clear boba is relatively tasteless on its own, which is why it’s used in most milk-based bubble teas. The tapioca pearls are able to absorb the milk and flavor of the tea, thus becoming one with the flavor of your tea. Therefore, if you order chai bubble tea, the black or clear boba pearls will taste like chai too.
7- Does Starbucks Japan have almond milk?
Starbucks across the nation has added oat and almond milk to their menus as of March 2020. This means visitors and residents of Japan can now enjoy Starbuck’s delicious milk-based beverages their way by spiking espresso with a triumvirate of dairy-free options: almond, oat, and soy milk.
8- How much is Starbucks coffee in Japan?
To give you an idea of pricing, a standard short drip coffee comes up to be 280 yen, while tall, grande, and venti is 320, 360, and 400 yen respectively. Also find teas, espresso, blended drinks, an array of juices as well as options such as soy milk, caramel, and syrup which generally set you back an additional 50 yen.
9- How much is boba tea?
We have even heard of locations selling over 1,000 servings a day! On average, a store charges $3.00-$3.50 USD for a serving of bubble tea (16oz or 20oz serving). However, the approximate cost for materials is approximately $0.75 USD to make.
10- Can kids drink Boba?
If your (older) kids like bubble tea or want to try it, an occasional cup is fine. First, bubble tea may contain caffeine, since it’s made with black or green tea and is served in hefty portions.
Conclusion:
Starbucks does not have Boba tea on its menu. However, you can make your own Boba tea using Starbucks iced tea if you already know where to get tapioca pearls.
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