Boba coffee is coffee with chewy tapioca pearls: usually an iced coffee or coffee milk drink served with a wide straw. Its best-known version, the dirty boba latte, layers brown sugar syrup, milk and a shot of espresso over pearls. This guide covers what boba coffee is and three ways a café can put it on the menu.
Boba coffee is a coffee drink with tapioca pearls (or another bubble tea topping) in the cup. It brings coffee drinkers to the boba counter and boba drinkers to coffee. The simplest cafe version uses a coffee boba premix; the showier one, the dirty boba latte, uses brown sugar syrup, milk and espresso.
What it is. Coffee plus a chewy topping. Dirty boba latte. Brown sugar syrup streaked up the glass, milk, ice and a shot of espresso on top of pearls. Three cafe routes. A coffee mocha boba premix, brown sugar syrup with your own coffee, or coffee-flavoured toppings.
"Dirty" means a shot of espresso poured on top of a milk drink, so it streaks down through the milk. In a dirty boba latte the glass is coated with brown sugar syrup, filled with cooked tapioca pearls, milk and ice, and finished with the espresso. It looks striking and tastes like a caramel latte with a chew. Browse our dirty series recipes for versions across many flavours.
Our Coffee Mocha Boba Premix is a ready coffee-milk base. The printed method: dissolve 15–30 g in 100 ml of warm milk, stir smooth, pour over 5–10 ice cubes and add 30–40 g of tapioca pearls. No espresso machine needed, and every cup tastes the same.
Our Brown Sugar Syrup is dosed at 15–30 ml with 100 ml of milk and 5–10 ice cubes. Coat the cup with the syrup, add pearls, milk and ice, then pour your espresso or strong coffee on top for a dirty boba latte. The coffee is yours; we supply the syrup and the pearls.
Swap the pearls for coffee popping boba or coffee nata de coco in an iced coffee or a milk tea. Neither needs cooking: drain and add.
| Coffee mocha premix | Brown sugar syrup + your coffee | Coffee toppings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needs an espresso machine | No | Yes, or strong brewed coffee | No |
| Speed | Fastest | Slower, more theatre | Fast |
| Best for | Kiosks, consistent menus | Coffee bars, showpiece drinks | Adding coffee to existing drinks |
Tapioca pearls are cooked at a 1:10 ratio of pearls to water and served within hours. The full method is in how to cook tapioca pearls. For the no-cook options, compare toppings in tapioca vs popping boba vs nata de coco.
The coffee mocha premix comes in 1 kg pouches, ten to a case, and keeps 12 months sealed. Brown sugar syrup comes in 700 ml bottles, nine to a case. All are made at our FSSC 22000 certified plant in Hyderabad.
Boba coffee is a coffee drink, usually iced coffee or a coffee milk drink, with tapioca pearls or another bubble tea topping in the cup.
A milk drink over brown sugar syrup and tapioca pearls, with a shot of espresso poured on top so it streaks down through the milk. It tastes like a caramel latte with a chew.
Use a coffee boba premix. With our Coffee Mocha Boba Premix: dissolve 15–30 g in 100 ml of warm milk, pour over 5–10 ice cubes and add 30–40 g of tapioca pearls.
Our Brown Sugar Syrup is dosed at 15–30 ml with 100 ml of milk and 5–10 ice cubes.
Yes. Coffee popping boba and coffee nata de coco need no cooking and can go straight into an iced coffee or milk tea.
No. For a dirty boba latte the espresso comes from your own machine; we supply the syrup, pearls, toppings and coffee premixes.
Boba premixes, syrups, tapioca pearls and popping boba, made in India since 2011 and shipped to cafés, cloud kitchens and importers. Tell us what you want to serve and your volumes.
Outside India? See export & international. Or email sales@theteaplanet.com.