And the milk tea, lightly sweetened by brown sugar, was pleasant enough. But we couldn’t get past the tapioca pearls, which were tough and chewy, as if they hadn’t been sufficiently boiled ...

With even Jack in the Box selling boba and milk tea, the Taiwanese drink isn’t hard to find. But for those wanting to try one ...

The ratio for the best at-home bubble tea is 2:1 sweet tea to bubbles. For one serving, I do two-thirds of a cup of sweet milk tea, and a one-third cup dry measure of uncooked tapioca pearls.

Allow the tea to steep for about 3-5 minutes, depending on how strong you like it. Remove the tea bags and let the tea cool to room temperature, or refrigerate it to cool faster.

Flavors include green tea, coconut, avocado, black tea, taro, watermelon, papaya, honeydew, iced coffee, and mango. Address: 7200 Harrison Ave., Cherry Valley (Inside CherryVale Mall) ...

Around a dozen "Hocaa Specials" include popular picks such as watermelon coconut milk tea and Oreo creme brulee milk tea. Medium sizes start at $4.75, and large sizes start at $5.65.

Originating in Taiwan in the 1980s, bubble tea (or boba) shops have been popping up across the U.S., most recently in the last decade.

You can read her piece "Chronicles Of A Bubble Tea Addict," as well as her previous pieces, on The New Yorker website. Jiayang Fan, thank you so much for joining us.