The balls in boba tea are made from tapioca starch, an extract of the South American cassava plant. These balls are commonly referred to as pearls or boba. They are typically five to ten millimeters in diameter and are translucent spheres. Tapioca pearls can be made to vary in color and texture by adding different ingredients like water, sugar, or some other type of sweetener like honey. They are commonly soaked in sugar syrup to make them sweet and chewy. When used as an ingredient in bubble tea, tapioca pearls are added for their texture, with the flavor being provided by the drink itself. The drink is served in see-through cups with a fat straw so that the tapioca balls come shooting up and can be chewed as you swallow down the delicious liquid.