Boba has been around in Sarasota for years, but the drink, often called a “bubble tea,” has recently exploded in popularity, with a handful of newish cafés offering the beverage, and some sit-down restaurants even beginning to carry it.

If you’ve never had one, boba is typically made with some combination of tea, milk, ice and small balls, or “pearls,” of tapioca starch that have been boiled and then steeped in a sweet syrup until they become dense and chewy. The drink is served with an extra-wide straw, so that while you sip, you suck in the pearls and nibble on them as you savor the liquid.

While that may be the basic outline of boba, the combinations of flavors are almost limitless. Some have a strong tea flavor, while others are more fruit-forward, and even the pearls themselves can be flavored in multiple ways and made to pop when you bite down, releasing an interesting combination along the way.

Intrigued? Here’s where to go to get your boba fix.

Downtown Sarasota

Kam’s Bubble Tea & Sushi

Kam’s makes tea drinks as well as smoothies flavored with fruits like lychee, peach, mango and strawberry. A mango green tea boba ($5.99) has the power to chill you out on a hot afternoon, or you could opt for a green bubble tea topped
with fresh fruit like papaya or pineapple ($7.49). 1813 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, (941) 960-1610, kamsbubbleteasushi.square.site $

RoyalTea

One of the newer additions to Sarasota’s boba scene, RoyalTea serves a phalanx of high-quality teas out of a cozy Rosemary District storefront on Central Avenue. You can find Japanese matcha, Thai milk tea and even a  crème brûlée boba, plus a wide assortment of fruity flavors. We love the strawberry lychee ($6.75), which is packed with freshly cut fruit and toothsome lychee jellies. (Full disclosure: RoyalTea is part of Sarasota Magazine’s parent company, DreamLarge.) 580 Central Ave., Sarasota, (941) 777-2882, royalteasarasota.com $

Mid-Sarasota

The Elixir Tea House

A cozy mid-Sarasota hangout, Elixir offers dozens of varieties of tea, as well as a high tea service, food, beer and wine, plus bobas. Their bubble tea flavor selection includes highlights like lavender, lychee, watermelon, matcha and more ($6). 1926 Hillview St., Sarasota, (941) 373-1800, elixirteahouse.wordpress.com $

Bradenton

Ding Tea

This buzzing café with multiple area outposts is part of a chain based in Taiwan that boasts hundreds of locations around Asia and beyond. The menu includes a huge selection of drinks that can be customized with all kinds of teas, fruit juices and both plain and flavored pearls. Try a Hokkaido black milk tea boba ($5.25) if you like a strong, refreshing tea flavor. A taro latte ($5.15), meanwhile, is sweet and starchy, with a gorgeous lavender color streaked with milk. 4462 Cortez Road W., Bradenton, (941) 761-8886, facebook.com/dingteabradenton; 5231 University Parkway, #105, University Park, (941) 702-6066; 2728 Stickney Point Road, Sarasota, (941) 924-0220, dingteasarasota.com; 14949 Tamiami Trail, North Port, (941) 876-4457, facebook.com/dingteanorthport $

DIY Boba Tea

Located near State College of Florida and Bayshore High, this Bradenton strip mall spot offers a clever twist on the boba formula: You get to make your own. First, scoop as many bobas as you like into your cup, then choose from 18 different tea flavors to top it off. The format allows you to play mad scientist and encourages wild combinations. A rose and oolong combo accented with various fruit-flavored popping bobas recently hit the spot. 3541 53rd Ave. W., Bradenton, (941) 345-4295, diybobatea.com. $

Nokomis

Funky Fresh Boba Tea Co.

This cool shop offers rich beverages stocked with tapioca pearls or pearls that pop in your mouth and release flavors like lychee, rose or dragon fruit. The “Purple Tiger” ($6) is made with taro and sweetened with sugar and honey—definitely a highlight. Funky Fresh also makes coffee drinks; try a nitro cold brew ($5.50) studded with bobas and sweetened with caramel or even Nutella. 265 S. Tamiami Trail, Nokomis, (941) 587-1170, funkyfreshboba.com $

North Sarasota

Kung Fu Tea

Situated inside the ramen shop Token Ramen, Kung Fu Tea serves a big mix of bobas, with both liquid milk teas and thicker “slushes.” Pick your specific sweetness level (from “zero” to “extra”) and go nuts. Try a strawberry and lemonade tea mixed with aloe-flavored jelly pearls ($5.35-$6.15) or a taro “slush” thickened with crushed Oreos ($5.95-$6.45). The shop has hundreds of locations around the country. 8404 Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota, (941) 260-7868, kungfutea.com $

Lakewood Ranch

Pacific Counter 

If you haven’t tried one of Pacific Counter’s sushi burritos yet, we highly recommend them. For a sweet finish to your meal, pick a 24-ounce bubble tea ($8.49) made with either iced tea or milk tea, plus fruit and a mix of pearl flavors that can be combined however you like. 11581 E. State Road 70, #109, Bradenton, (941) 739-8039; 4942 S. Tamiami Trail, #500, Sarasota, (941) 217-6016; pacificcounter.com $

South Sarasota

Stardust Cafe

This fun Gulf Gate shop, which opened in 2019, hosts live music sessions, as well as impromptu karaoke contests, in addition to serving a mean boba. Consider a matcha milk tea ($5) paired with a lychee-flavored “bursting boba.” The dry flavor of the green tea tastes great on its own, but the pop of fruit takes the whole package to another level. 6517 Superior Ave., Sarasota, (941) 312-5192, stardustcafefl.com $