Where to buy boba pearls in India: a buyer’s guide

The short answer

You can buy boba pearls online from a maker that delivers across India, or by the case if you run a café. Before you pay, check four things: the type of pearl, the pack size, the shelf life and how long the pearls take to cook. Then compare the price per kilo, not the price per pack. We make our tapioca pearls at our FSSC 22000 plant in Hyderabad and deliver them pan-India.

Boba pearls and tapioca pearls are the same thing

Boba pearls, tapioca pearls and bubble tea pearls are three names for one product: soft, chewy balls made from tapioca starch, which comes from the cassava root. When cooked, they turn glossy and develop the chew that makes bubble tea what it is. If the names confuse you, our guide to bubble tea vs boba sorts them out.

Popping boba is a different product. It is a juice-filled pearl that bursts when you bite it, and it needs no cooking. See tapioca vs popping boba vs nata de coco if you are choosing between toppings.

1. Pick the type of pearl

• Classic black. The large black pearl with a deep colour and full chew. It is the usual choice for milk-tea boba and brown sugar drinks. Our Classic Black pearls list tapioca starch, caramel (for colour) and water as ingredients.
• Taiwanese. A Taiwanese-style pearl with a refined bite and a clean finish. Cafés pick it for signature milk teas and brown sugar drinks. See our Taiwanese pearls.
• Instant. Ready pearls in single-serve sachets. You microwave a sachet for 2–3 minutes, tip it into the cup and pour the drink over. One sachet is one cup. We make it in Classic Black and Taiwanese.

“Brown sugar boba” usually means pearls served with brown sugar syrup, not a different pearl. Our brown sugar boba guide shows how cafés make it.

2. Boil-pack or instant?

Both give the same kind of chew. The difference is how you prepare them.

Boil-pack pearls are cooked at a ratio of 1 part pearls to 10 parts water. Cooked pearls are best served within 8 hours, so a busy counter cooks in batches through the day. The full method is in how to cook tapioca pearls.

3. Check the pack, the label and the shelf life

• Shelf life. Our boil-pack and instant pearls keep 6 months sealed. Store them in a cool, dry place below 25°C, away from heat, moisture and direct sunlight.
• After opening. Seal a boil-pack tightly and keep it dry. Use an instant sachet as soon as you open it.
• The label. A proper pack shows the FSSAI licence, batch number, net weight and the date. If a loose or unlabelled pack is cheaper, that is usually why.
• Buy what you will use. A home buyer who makes a few cups a week will find instant sachets easier. A café that cooks every day should buy boil-packs by the case.

4. Compare the price per kilo, not per pack

Sellers use different pack sizes, so the pack price alone tells you little. Work out the price per kilo of dry pearls. Our Classic Black and Taiwanese pearls are ₹249 per 500 g, so a kilo costs ₹498 at MRP. Instant pearls cost more per kilo because they come pre-cooked in single-serve sachets: you are paying for no boiling and no gas.

Also check whether the price includes GST and delivery. Our prices are MRP including GST. Cafés that buy a full case with a GSTIN get 10% off MRP. Orders of ₹19,999 and above get 20% off and free ground shipping within India.

5. Buying online or from a local shop

A local shop is quick, and you can see the pack before you buy. Check that it is sealed and look at the date, because you may not know how long it has been on the shelf. The range is usually small.

Buying online from the maker gives you the full range and stock straight from the factory. You wait a few days for delivery. If you searched for “boba pearls near me”, note that our pearls are made in Hyderabad and delivered across India, so a pack can reach you wherever you are.

For cafés: buying boba pearls in bulk

If pearls go into most of your drinks, buy by the case:

• Boil-pack pearls come 500 g × 30 to a case.
• Instant pearls come 10 packs to a carton.
• Tapioca pearls carry HSN 19030000 and 5% GST. Business discounts need a GSTIN invoice.

See tapioca pearls wholesale for case buying, or our wholesale page to price pearls with syrups, premixes and popping boba on one invoice. We also have pages for cafés in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi NCR. Choosing a supplier for the first time? Read bubble tea manufacturers in India.

For home: the easiest way to start

Pearls are only one part of the cup. Pair them with a flavour: a syrup and milk is the quickest way. Our bubble tea syrups guide explains which syrup suits which drink. If you want everything for a cup in one box, see the DIY bubble tea kit.