BOBARITA

There's very little about college that I miss more than my daily to-go cup of Boba tea. For those of you who have no idea what Boba tea (or Bubble tea) is, it's an Asian flavored iced tea filled with Boba, or chewy little tapioca pearls. I think it's delicious, but it's not for everybody. After having forced anyone ever in my company to experience "Bubble tea," half of them cringed as they slurped down the chewy pearls, while half of them were ready for a second helping. If you're ever in Amherst, Massachusetts, you must stop by Souper Bowl (yes, for amazing soup, but also for the bubble tea - I've yet to experience better!). Some Boba, depending on where you go, tends to be less-Americanized than others. All this means is that the tea tastes more like, well, tea. Because I don't actually like tea, I'm quite partial to the fruitier juice bases. Long story short, I could not find any Boba tea places in Fairfield County closer to me than New Haven! I took it upon myself to craft my own version of Bubble tea, and I called my concoctions Bobaritas! (They're totally just smoothies... with tapioca pearls at the bottom)

I'd never seen tapioca pearls at my local supermarket before, but the truth is, I'd never really looked. I picked up my tapioca pearls at Caraluzzi's (in Wilton), but I'm pretty sure that these aren't typically stocked at your average grocery store. You can, however, buy tapioca pearls in bulk online (like Amazon!) or venture into Chinatown, New York City.

Following boiling-boba directions is simple, just a bit time consuming. I blended a strawberry-banana smoothie and poured my mix atop of a bed of boba in a glass.

The Verdict: My smoothie was no Souper Bowl, but it was certainly fun to make and did fix my craving... for now. Pssssst: If anyone knows of anywhere close enough where I can get a yummy glass of Bubble tea, please let me know!