Types of Boba Pearls and What Makes Good QQ Texture

There are five main types of boba pearls used in Singapore's thriving bubble tea scene: classic black tapioca, brown sugar pearls, konjac, aiyu jelly, and fruit popz. Knowing the difference matters — each brings a completely different mouthfeel to your drink, from the deep elastic chew of tapioca to the soft jelly pop of aiyu. The chewy QQ texture people love comes from tapioca starch — specifically the way amylopectin molecules form an elastic gel when properly cooked. Good pearls are firm on the outside, tender in the centre, and never gummy or hard.

What are the different types of boba pearls?

Not all pearls are the same. The word "boba" originally referred specifically to tapioca pearls — the dark, round spheres that defined bubble tea when it first arrived from Taiwan. But as the category evolved, so did the toppings. Here's what you'll actually find in a cup today.

Classic tapioca pearls. These are the originals — made from cassava root starch, cooked until they turn dark and chewy. They're about 8mm in diameter, roughly the size of a large marble. When done right, they have that firm-yet-tender bite that bubble tea enthusiasts describe as QQ. At I Love Taimei, these are listed simply as "Pearl" in the toppings section. Members get 30% off.

Brown sugar pearls. A Taiwan night market innovation that arrived in Singapore around 2018. These are tapioca pearls cooked and coated in caramelised brown sugar syrup, giving them a rich exterior and a softer interior than classic pearls. They're the star of Brown Sugar Milk Tea — I Love Taimei's signature drink. The brown sugar creates caramel ribbons up the side of the cup when poured fresh, which is the visual signature everyone photographs.

Konjac pearls. Much smaller than tapioca — about 3mm — and made from konjac root fibre rather than starch. They're lighter, slightly chewy, but not as dense or satisfying as tapioca for people who want that full QQ experience. Konjac is lower in calories, which matters to some customers, though the texture trade-off is real.

Aiyu jelly. Made from the aiyu fruit seed (a type of fig — Ficus pumila var. awkeotsang, native to Taiwan), this is a vegetarian jelly that's more tender than pearls. It has a soft, slightly springy bite — not the deep chew of tapioca, but pleasant in fruit teas where a lighter mouthfeel works better. I Love Taimei offers Aiyu Jelly as a topping alongside Grass Jelly.

Fruit popz and coloured pearl jellies. The newer generation of toppings — Mango Popz, Sakura Pearl Jelly, Grape Pearl Jelly — are smaller, fruit-flavoured, and usually made from gelatin or agar rather than tapioca. They add colour and flavour but don't replicate the QQ texture. At I Love Taimei, these are listed in the toppings section of the menu.

What is QQ and why do tapioca pearls get it?

QQ is a Taiwanese onomatopoeia — it sounds like the sensation itself. The word describes a specific mouthfeel: firm enough to resist your teeth at first, then yielding into a tender, elastic chew. It's not just "chewy" — it's chewy with a bounce.

The science is straightforward. Tapioca starch is almost pure amylopectin, a long-chain carbohydrate that behaves differently from the amylose found in regular potato or corn starch. When tapioca starch is heated in water above 60°C, the amylopectin molecules swell and form a three-dimensional gel network. This gel is what gives pearls their structure.

But cooking method matters more than people realise. Proper pearls are boiled for 25 to 30 minutes until fully swollen, then covered and rested for another 15 to 20 minutes. The resting phase — sometimes called "aging" in Taiwan — is when the starch network fully sets. Skip it, and the pearls are soft on the outside but hard in the centre. Overcook them, and they turn mushy and lose all bounce.

Source: Wikipedia's article on bubble tea covers the origins and tapioca starch science.

For more on how Taiwan night market culture shaped bubble tea, we've covered the full street food scene in Singapore.

What should good pearls taste and feel like?

Pearls that feel like chewing rubber bands or dissolve into a starchy paste are both failures — just in opposite directions.

Good pearls have three qualities:

First, the exterior should offer slight resistance — not a wall, but enough that you feel the chew before it gives way. Second, the centre should be tender and warm, never hard or chalky. Third, there should be a clean finish — the pearl dissolves between bites without leaving a pasty film on your tongue.

The biggest enemy of good pearls is time. Once cooked, tapioca pearls start to retrograde — the starch molecules reorganise and harden. After about 30 minutes, even perfectly cooked pearls lose their QQ. That's why shops that batch-cook pearls hours in advance serve cups with hard, disappointing bottoms. The pearls are technically still there, but the texture has moved on.

This is one of the less glamorous reasons why fresh preparation matters. I Love Taimei's kitchens cook pearls to order during peak hours — it's part of the Taiwan night market approach where food is made as you walk in, not pulled from a warmer. The same standard applies to the fried chicken and the full range of Taiwan street food favourites on the menu.

Which pearls should you order at I Love Taimei?

It depends on what texture you're after.

For the classic QQ experience, order any milk tea with Pearl topping. The Brown Sugar Milk Tea already includes brown sugar pearls, so it's the most complete version of the Taiwan original — one of the better values on the menu, especially with the member discount.

If you want QQ with a seasonal twist, the Golden Chrysanthemum Brown Sugar QQ Tea layers the familiar chew over a floral chrysanthemum base with moringa essence. It's a different mood from the standard milk tea, but the pearls do the same job. We've written about the Chrysanthemum series in detail if you want the full ingredient breakdown.

For lighter texture, Konjac or Aiyu Jelly work well in fruit teas and sparkling drinks where heavy tapioca would clash. The Mango Popz are fun for first-timers who haven't developed a pearl preference yet.

Adding a topping is a small upgrade — check the menu for current pricing and member perks. Pearl plus Aiyu Jelly, for instance, gives you both QQ chew and soft jelly in the same cup.

Where to find quality pearls in Singapore

I Love Taimei has 14 outlets island-wide, all serving the same pearl quality standards. If you're in the Bugis area, the outlet at 230 Victoria St, #B1-K11 to 11A, Bugis Junction is just steps from Bugis MRT — easy for a post-shopping or post-cinema stop.

Find your nearest I Love Taimei outlet or order from the full menu here.