Through your personal journey of life, whether it's reaching big milestones or small daily goals, how many times do you feel overwhelmed or unmotivated? That's why it's important to take breaks and reward yourself to help refuel. For me as an entrepreneur, when I reach my weekly goals, I like to celebrate by sipping one of my favorite iced drinks - boba! In fact I love it so much that I decided to create this blog post and help you discover something that can be your reward too.

If you're not familiar with boba, here's a little background. Boba (also known as black pearls, bubble drink, tapioca balls) is a drink germane to Taiwan which became popular in Asian communities in the United States during the 1990's. Boba is often referenced as the tapioca balls that sit at the bottom of a cold milk and/or tea-based beverage. The name, boba, is believed to be a slang term for breasts in Chinese - a reference to the spherical shape of the tapioca balls. (that's a crazy bit of trivia, right?!)

The drink itself may come in a variety of assorted teas and flavors. Some can be coffee-like while others can be fruity. The boba, being tapioca balls, come from the cassava root and is extracted as a type of starch. Preparation includes boiling and mixing them with brown sugar which gives them a dark color. Once cooked, the boba is spooned into one's cup before pouring in the tea or flavored beverage. When they are made well with the right amount of chewiness and combined with a wonderful blend of sweet tea and the right amount of ice...ahh how sweet the day has become!

There are many wonderful boba cafes that have recently opened around the Los Angeles area, so I decided to visit them for research 😁 (we have no affiliation with any of them). Here are the top 5 boba drinks that left me with a lasting impression that you may want to try at your local cafe or tea house.

#5. Top Fruit Tea with Boba

This flavored tea was offered by Ding Tea. This was my first time trying a non-milk boba tea drink, and boy, this one packed in the floral flavors!

#4. Red Bean Combo

Almost every tea house will have a classic milk tea boba with the option of adding jellies, coconut milk, lychee, red bean and more. The toppings can go on and on! The one pictured above is the Red Bean Combo by Bambu Dessert and Drinks. Sometimes the boba drink is so filling that it is like drinking a meal! Yum!

#3. Sago Milk Tea Boba

Coco is a cafe with a special focus on serving boba drinks. What is great about Coco is how you can specify the sugar levels and customize your drink. You can have it at the regular sweetness level or HALF the sweetness! As you can see, this boba is much smaller in size and can even resemble tiny fish eggs. Regardless, these tiny bobas are still sweet and chewy!

#2. Taro Milk Tea Boba

Taro Milk Tea Boba is one of my favorites for its natural sweetness and definitely for its color. Taro comes from the taro root and its color is a varying purple. The taste is more of a milky, visceral texture and the boba sits lovely at the bottom. This one is from Angel's Brew & Tea and it's a well blended, hand-shaken drink.

#1. Tiramisu Milk Tea Boba - my favorite!

As someone who likes a tasty dessert, this special Tiramisu drink from Prolece was so memorable with its marshmallow toppings, chocolate shavings and lady finger - all sitting on top of a creamy milk tea. Of course on the bottom was a bed of light and fresh boba. This may not be a house classic but I definitely enjoyed the unique mashup of flavors and textures - giving the traditional boba drink a different twist! 😊

Rewarding yourself after you have reached that milestone is truly an important tactic in persevering. Sometimes these rewards can be delicious reminders to enjoy the journey. It's ok to indulge once in awhile. You deserve it!

What motivates you to keep your energy going? Please feel free to enter your comments below.