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Bobas from Ding Tea in Bradenton.

Boba has existed in Sarasota for many years, but this beverage, commonly referred to as "bubble tea", seems to be reviving, with some new cafes offering this beverage. If you have never eaten it, boba is usually made from a mixture of tea, milk, ice and small balls or "pearls" made from tapioca starch.

According to Eater’s Leslie Nguyen-Okwu, “Tapioca pearls are white, hard and quite tasteless at first, then boiled in a huge bubbling vat and soaked in sugared caramel syrup for several hours” until they become Dark and chewy. Drinks are equipped with extra wide straws. When you sip, you inhale tapioca pearls and then chew them while tasting the liquid.

Although this may be the basic outline of boba, the combinations of flavors are almost limitless. Some have a strong tea fragrance, while others are more fruity. Even the pearl itself can burst in different ways, giving a variety of flavors.

Curious? There are seven local shops that make great boba.

4462 Cortez Road W., Bradenton, (941) 761-8886, facebook.com/dingteabradenton

This lively Bradenton coffee shop is part of a Taiwanese chain that has hundreds of branches in Asia and other regions. The menu includes a large selection of tea beverages, which can be customized using a variety of teas, juices, and original and flavored pearls. If you like a rich and refreshing tea flavor, try the Hokkaido black milk tea boba ($4.50). Meanwhile, the taro latte ($4.55) is sweet and starchy, with a gorgeous lavender color with milk streaks.

1926 Hillview St., Sarasota, (941) 373-1800, elixirteahouse.wordpress.com

Elixir is a comfortable meeting place in central Sarasota, offering dozens of teas, as well as afternoon tea service, food, beer and wine, and bobas. Their bubble tea options are more limited than others, only taro, green tea, matcha, milk tea, Thai tea and lavender ($5.50).

265 S. Tamiami Trail, Nokomis, (941) 587-1170, funkyfreshboba.com

This cool store opened in the Nokomis zone earlier this year and offers drinks rich in tapioca pearls or "popping bobas", which will pop in your mouth, releasing flavors such as lychee, rose or dragon fruit. The "Purple Tiger" ($6) is made with taro roots and sweetened with sugar and honey-definitely a highlight. Funky Fresh also makes coffee drinks; try a nitro cold brew ($5.50) sweetened with bobas and caramel or even peanut butter.

1813 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, (941) 960-1610, facebook.com/kamsbubbleteasushi

For many years, Kam's has been a frequent visitor to the local boba scene, making tea drinks and smoothies flavored with fruits such as lychees, peaches, mangoes and strawberries. Mango green tea boba ($4.75) can relax you in a hot afternoon, or you can choose to make green tea ($5.99) topped with fresh fruits such as papaya or pineapple.

8404 Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota, (941) 260-7868, kungfutea.com

Kung Fu tea is part of the Chi Chop restaurant, which specializes in Hibachi-style grilled meat and fried chicken, and Kung Fu Tea serves a large amount of bobas, including liquid milk tea and thicker “slushes”. Choose your specific sweetness level (from "zero" to "extra") and go crazy. Try strawberry lemonade tea with aloe vera-flavored jelly pearls (US$3.75 to US$4.65), or taro "slush" thickened with crushed Oreos (US$4.50 to US$5.15). For some reason, this store has hundreds of branches across the country.

11581 E. State Road 70, #109, Bradenton, (941) 739-8039, pacificcounter.com

If you haven't tried one of Pacific Counter's sushi rolls, we highly recommend them. To make your meal more sweet, please choose a 24 oz bubble tea ($5.99), made from iced tea or milk tea, plus fruit flavors and pearl flavors, which can be combined as you like.

6517 Superior Ave., Sarasota, (941) 312-5192, thebestboba.com

This interesting Baygate store opened in 2019. In addition to offering vile busty, it also hosts live music performances and impromptu karaoke competitions. Consider the matcha milk tea ($6.50) with lychee-flavored "popped boba". The dry flavor of green tea tastes good by itself, but the popularity of fruit flavor brings the whole packaging to another level.