What if some of the Asian snacks that you might have grown up with as a kid were made or inspired to create new boba flavors?Â
The team @talkboba were talking about boba (what else would we be talking about) and someone thought of the idea where Pocky would be a perfect boba flavor. As we began to discuss more, we thought to ourselves, what other Asian snacks have we grown up with over the years that can make for a great boba flavor? As we shouted out more and more Asian snacks from different Asian cultures we realized this would be the perfect article topic!Â
Here we are now, the top 10 Asian snacks that should be created into a boba flavor! Keep in mind we’re only going to reference ones we think would be a great boba flavor, i’m sure if you’re Asian you’ve had shrimp chips or dried squid as snacks. But let’s be realistic for a second, would that be tasty for a boba flavor, probably not!Â
White Rabbit CandyÂ
Starting off with one of the classics that can be found in many Asian households, the white rabbit candy, we’ve also mentioned this in a previous article. Similar in texture with a tootsie roll or salt water taffy, this type of candy has a sweet milky taste to it. Making it a strong contender for a boba flavor!Â
In fact, some boba cafes have already experimented and made this into a boba flavor. Did you know that? We have featured one of them @talkboba in case you want to know more about it.Â
Though we haven’t tried this boba flavor yet, we’d assume it’s very similar in taste with the candy if not the same exact flavor profile. It’s milky and sweet, and generally boba flavors are just that. What do you think, would you try white rabbit candy boba or bubble tea?Â
Kasugai Gummy CandyÂ
Who remembers those very addicting and delicious Asian fruit gummy candies from the Japanese brand Kasugai? There are many flavors from apple, grape, lychee (our favorite), pineapple, peach, watermelon, strawberry, lemon, kiwi, mango… the list goes on forever! They probably have a durian one too!Â
Though there are already fresh fruit boba flavors with the above fruit gummy list, but what if a boba cafe was able to make it very similar in taste with the Asian gummy candy itself? Talk about nostalgia in a cup! Just looking at the Asian gummy candy image above makes us want to go to the store now…Â
Hi Chews
Just like the Kasugai gummy candy we just mentioned, Hi-Chews were just as popular as an Asian snack or candy growing up. Also like the gummy candy, it has just as many flavors if not more! It seems that Asian snacks or candies always stem from fruity flavors…
If a boba flavor were to be made inspired by Hi-Chews we’d only hope that the flavor or taste doesn’t disappear as fast as Hi-Chews do. Did anyone else hate that when snacking on these? It’s almost like Juicy Fruit gum where the flavor disappears after the 5th chew… who agrees?Â
Pocky
Of course we have to talk about the most popular Asian snack there ever was, Pocky. Now made with more flavors than ever, you can have a whole line of boba flavors inspired by the different Pocky flavors.
We remember when it was only the strawberry and chocolate Pocky flavors, plus the tomato Pretz (who remembers that one?). Now there’s so many flavors very similar to the selection of bubble tea flavors such as matcha or oreo.
If you ever need inspiration in creating a boba flavor at home, just think Pocky.Â
Yan Yan
Similar to Pocky, Yan Yan’s also only have 2 flavors that were distinct, the strawberry and chocolate. We personally liked the chocolate one but some of the team were very creative as a child. They would get both chocolate and strawberry dipping the breadsticks in both, what a combination!Â
Nowadays just like Pocky, Yan Yan breadstick snacks have more flavors like matcha and oreo. So like the Pocky sticks, you can easily be inspired for creating boba flavors with these snacks too! Maybe a combination of strawberry and chocolate boba flavor inspired by our creative teammate might be the next best boba flavor! What do you think?Â
Hello Panda
Okay we’re beginning to realize that all Asian snacks growing up were quite similar, strawberry or chocolate. At least now the kids growing up with these snacks have more variety, poor ‘90s babies, they didn’t have that many options!Â
Did anyone else think Hello Panda snacks weren’t as delicious as Pocky or Yan Yan’s? What you do think is better: Pocky, Yan Yan or Hello Panda snacks?Â
Haw Flakes
Do people still eat these? The taste or flavor profile of these snacks are hard to describe, they weren’t too sweet nor were they savory. But nonetheless they were absolutely delicious for a snack!Â
These coin shaped discs were so delicious to snack on. Some of the team members would snack on 2 or 3 stacks before the parents would realize they were eating a bit too much before dinner!Â
For those that remember the flavor of these haw flakes, do you think it’d be a great boba flavor? We think it would be quite interesting actually but maybe not the one that sticks around too long. Who knows!Â
Guava Candy
These candies are just so addicting! If you haven’t grown up with these candies in your household, you might’ve snacked on them somewhere else. Generally you can find these guava candies at all you can eat sushi places or even your favorite Korean barbecue spots.Â
Now, can you imagine the fruity flavor in some type of drink? (Maybe a little less sweet though, we can’t imagine having a very sweet and fruit drink like this unless it was less sweet). How cool would a flavor like this be? We think the best way to approach this flavor would be to be inspired by the candy and make a version of it.
A version of this guava candy created into a boba flavor that is subtle in sweetness and very delicious in flavor, guava specifically. That sounds like a very refreshing boba flavor in the summer if you ask us!
Choco Pie
We don’t have to do much more explaining for this right? This as a boba flavor would be amazingly delicious don’t you think!? Seriously, the flavor profile of a choco pie, especially as a kid, is absolutely inviting for your taste buds!Â
Its chocolatey outer covering and marshmallow texture in the middle makes this the perfect and closest thing to an Asian smore. We think this would be an amazing flavor boba flavor with the following idea in mind. Chocolatey base with a marshmallow foam on top, obviously with boba pearls too or jelly! What do you think?Â
Goodluck Candy
This might be the most unique or promising flavors of all the ones above. These Chinese lucky candies you receive on Chinese New Years are all the rage during this time! Who else ate 3 at a time during the new year?Â
Inspired from these candies we’re thinking a great milky and subtle strawberry flavor in bubble tea would go well for a boba flavor. We can’t forget to add the boba toppings too or jelly if you’re that type of boba drinker. Not quite your typical strawberry smoothie if that’s what you’re thinking. Maybe even melt some of the candies into a syrup and using that as the sweetness factor, yum!Â
We can’t wait to have these candies again for the next year!Â
Did these snacks bring some memories back for our Asian readers? We believe we chose some of the most popular asian snacks that we think will do well for a boba flavor. Is there any snacks you think we might’ve missed? Like we mentioned before, we know popular snacks like dried squid is delicious but it definitely wouldn’t sell well as a boba flavor, at least we don’t think it would!Â
Anyways, thanks for reading 10 Asian snacks that should be a boba flavor with us and be sure to join more than 14,000 boba lovers talking about boba @talkboba. We’re growing fast and we’re not here to stop anytime soon! If you like to contribute articles with us, check out our write for us page here. Remember, just talk about boba, duh!Â
