Do you love bubble tea? Personally, I can't walk past a bubble tea shop without suddenly craving one of their sweet ice-cold beverages dotted with chewy boba tapioca pearls. It's the most thirst-quenching snack I can think of! Fortunately for my addiction, bubble tea is super easy to make at home. This is a drink that originated in Taiwan in the 1980's and spread throughout Southeast Asia before finding its way to the US. Most of us think of bubble tea as being synonymous with boba tapioca pearls, but bubble tea was originally just a cold milk tea that was shaken until frothy. Sometimes boba were added, but basil seeds or cubes of jelly were also used. You can find boba at almost any Asian grocery store or online. These marble-sized spheres are made from tapioca, just like the smaller pearls we use for tapioca pudding. They come in a range of colors, but all boba have a fairly neutral flavor. Once cooked, it's best to mix them with some sugar syrup -- this gives them some sweetness and also helps preserve any pearls you're not using right away. Boba are at their very chewiest best if used within a few hours of cooking. However, the longer cooking method I outline below helps the boba stay soft and moist for several days if kept refrigerated in simple syrup. They will gradually start to harden and become crunchy in the middles. For a quick-fix bubble tea when you know you'll eat