Are you a bubble tea fan? Have you ever wished that you could make it at home? Costco has been carrying the Boba Bam Instant Boba Pack kits for a while now. Last year they had the Brown Sugar flavor and now they have this combo pack with Milk Tea and Mango flavors. Is the boba as good as what you can get from a bubble tea shop? Is it easy to make? Read on to find out!
Similar products from Costco are the J Way Boba Milk Tea Variety Set, Tropical Fields Boba Milk Tea Mochi, Shaomei Boba Lovers’ Treats Frozen Bars, Tropical Fields Boba Milk Tea Mochi Brown Sugar Flavor and the Shaomei Brown Sugar Boba Bars.
Location in Store
The instant boba packs can be found in the freezer aisle at Costco. The item number for the brown sugar boba was 1571731 and for the new mango milk tea pack the item number is 3617553.
Taste
Milk is required to make the instant boba packs. You can use non-dairy beverages or regular milk. I used 2% regular milk for the brown sugar boba and whole milk for the mango and milk tea. I think oat milk would also be fabulous.
Brown Sugar Boba Flavor
Both my husband and I thought the Costco brown sugar flavor instant boba packs are pretty delicious. If you’ve ever had bubble tea before this is a delicious homemade version. My husband found it a bit watery and would have used less ice but I found it super flavorful and creamy and would have preferred a bit more ice.
There’s a sweet, distinct brown sugar taste and the tapioca pearls are chewy, sweet and in my opinion, the perfect texture.
When I have bubble tea I like to get flavors like raspberry, mango and add things like lychee jellies so I prefer the Boba Bam pack that comes with mango and milk tea.
Mango Boba Flavor
The mango is my favorite, has a noticeable amazing aroma as soon as I opened the packet, and it tasted as good as it smelled! I always love mango, but some mango flavors are better than others. This bubble tea nails it. Both the syrup that dissolves into the liquid and the boba pearls are mango flavored. The liquid had a pleasant but mild mango taste, but the pearls are like mango candies and really add to the flavor.
Milk Tea Boba Flavor
When I tried the milk tea I noticed the aroma of the black tea as soon as I cut open the packet, and it’s the first thing you taste too. I’m kind of neutral on black tea – I don’t mind it, but I don’t love it. This black tea flavor is really good though. There’s a great balance of sweetness and tea flavor. The boba are chewy and quite sweet.
I used whole milk to make my bubble tea, so that helped add creaminess. I found that milk tea a little bit on the watery side, so I cut the ice back a bit on the mango one and liked it better. You’ll probably want to play around with the mix a bit to suit your taste.
Cost
The Boba Bam Instant Boba Pack brown sugar flavor cost $15.99 Canadian at Costco in 2022. For that you get 12 instant boba sachets and 12 straws. This is pretty expensive considering it’s not a complete drink but it’s so much cheaper than buying bubble tea. One bubble tea where I live is over five dollars.
The Boba Bam pack with mango and milk tea released in 2023 costs $16.99 Canadian. So it’s gone up a dollar. This includes 12 packs total, six of each flavor.
Convenience
The instant boba packs from Costco are really convenient to use. I prepared mine using both the stove top in boiling water method and the microwave method and both methods yield the same results. The brown sugar pack used plastic straws and the new mango milk tea pack has now switched to cardboard straws.
To prepare the instant boba pack you heat it then combine it in a glass with one cup of milk and one cup of ice, stir it up and then use the special straw that comes in the box!
The brown sugar pack used plastic straws and the new mango milk tea pack has now switched to paper straws. They seem to work pretty well for sucking up the boba pearls though. They have an angled end, so maybe that helps.
The packs need to be kept in the freezer and the best-before date is nine months from the date we purchased the brown sugar boba and 22 months from when we purchased the milk tea and mango boba pack. I recommend bubble tea for a snack or a dessert, especially a dessert because it’s so nice and sweet. This boba is a product of Taiwan.
I recommend bubble tea for a snack or a dessert, especially during a hot summer day because it’s so nice and sweet, almost like ice cream. This boba is a product of Taiwan.
Nutrition
Calories
Brown sugar boba – One package is 110 calories, zero grams of fat, 28 grams of carbohydrates, zero grams of fibre, 18 grams of sugar, zero grams of protein and five milligrams of sodium. Take note this doesn’t include the calories of the milk or milk alternate beverage you use. This is high in sugar and calories which is totally to be expected!
Milk tea boba – One package contains 130 calories, zero grams of fat, 31 grams of carbohydrates, one gram of fibre, 18 grams of sugar, zero grams of protein and 30 milligrams of sodium.
Mango boba- One package contains 120 calories, zero grams of fat, 29 grams of carbohydrates, zero grams of fibre, 20 grams of sugar, zero grams of protein and 50 milligrams of sodium.
Ingredients
There’s nothing of nutritional value on this ingredients list so I see this as more of a treat. The instant boba packs are gluten-free, vegan and nut-free. You can easily make a dairy-free bubble tea with a non-dairy beverage.
Also now that I have a little one myself, I’d be cautious about giving these to kids under five as the tapioca pearls are a choking hazard.
Scoring
Taste: 9/10 for the brown sugar. 9/10 for the mango and 8.5/10 for the milk tea.
Cost: 7/10
Convenience: 9/10
Nutrition: 0/10
Overall
Must buy!
These Costco Boba Bam Instant Boba Packs are super fun and delicious too! If you’re someone who really loves bubble tea, I totally recommend trying this. I prefer this pack over the J Way Boba Milk Tea Variety Set.
Have you tried this? Share your comments below!
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product).
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This is such a great post….BY Salima FERHAT-FLL
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BY Salima FERHAT-FLL