WHAT IS BOBA?
Today's definition of boba can get fairly confusing for newcomers as we use it very loosely and as a general term. The term 'boba' in this simple question "Do you want boba?" can actually have more than one meaning, so let's start by going over its definition and what they mean contextually.
DEFINITION #1 - THE TAPIOCA TOPPING
noun
soft, chewy tapioca spheres that typically made from starch and used as a topping for many sweet drinks or desserts in Southeast Asia
​From the most technical definition, boba can be defined as the sugary tapioca balls we include in some of our drinks, typically in milk tea. Boba itself a topping choice, so in the case of "Do you want boba?" someone could be asking if you wanted the topping included in your drink. This definition will be used most often when ordering a drink, just as common as when baristas ask if you want any add-ons to your drink.
a cup of pure boba
ootea boba
DEFINITION #2 - THE DRINK
noun
a general term to refer to a sugary drink (usually a milk tea) that usually contains the tapioca boba topping
synonyms: bubble tea
This is the more common definition used in casual conversation, and generally the one we will focus on for a good portion of this website. While it used to just refer to the tapioca topping, boba has expanded to being a largely general term where someone may refer to boba as the entire drink itself. This can get especially confusing because the drink does not even have to contain boba, but just has the association of a drink that usually contains boba, such as milk tea or thai tea. In the case of "Do you want boba?" someone could be asking if you wanted to grab a sugary drink.
WHAT COUNTS AS BOBA?
Given the second definition, the term boba can seem extremely vague, especially once we see that the drink doesn’t even need to contain the boba topping itself! To expand and clarify on the second definition, boba originally referred to a milk tea drink with the boba tapioca topping. However, as boba became more well known, people started experimenting with new flavors and new toppings. Once there were more choices, it wasn’t too uncommon for someone to order a drink at a boba shop without boba, but colloquially, it was simply easier to refer to the drink as boba, which explains why it’s so loosely used now. A good rule of thumb that if a drink is sold at a boba shop and people can usually add boba to it, then it can be considered as a boba drink.
So in reality, boba is the tapioca topping, but this definition isn't that strict since we can refer to the entire drink as boba too. Most people rely on context clues to determine if someone is referring to the drink or topping, but if you’re ever confused, just ask! There’s no harm in specifying, especially if the contents of your drink order relies on it.