Starbucks Experiments With Boba In A Limited Run Of Coffee Popping Pearls

Boba, or bubble tea, is most associated with, well, tea. Usually made with tapioca pearls, the name of the drink itself conjures up an image of a milky tea base with additional toppings. 

What if it was made with not tea, but coffee? 

TikTok user kirbyssister posted a few videos of a new sign at some Starbucks locations featuring new drinks, which include “coffee popping pearls.” 

@kirbyssister (an "in the dark" ended up being a cold brew based drink) #starbucks #boba ♬ in the dark - Bring Me The Horizon

One of them is an iced chai tea latte with the coffee pearls—the best of both worlds—and the other is called ‘In the Dark,’ which turns out to be a cold-brew drink. Apart from these, customers can also opt to add the pearls into other drinks.

According to them, the pearls are “oddly salty-sweet,” which aren’t usually flavors associated with neither coffee nor traditional tapioca pearls. They also appear to be liquid-based, containing coffee, rather than the conventional solid, chewy pearls. 

@kirbyssister I found out the city for the Washington location today as well, and will post again if I'm able to find the exact store. #starbucks #boba #coachella ♬ sugar honey ice & tea - Bring Me The Horizon

A spokesperson for Starbucks has also confirmed to Insider that the chain is currently testing out these two beverages “made with coffee pearls” at two stores for a limited time. 

The store shown in the TikTok videos is in Palm Desert, California, and the other store carrying out testing of the new pearls is in Washington state. 

Similar products have made a limited-time appearance in international markets, such as in Southeast Asia, but this is the first time they’ve been brought to the US. 

[via Insider, cover image via Grand Warszawski / Shutterstock.com]