Now that TikTok and Oscar Mayer have convinced us that hot dogs make decent straws for beer (who ever uses a straw for beer?), I’d like to return to a much more accessible drink-snack combo: bubble tea. Bubble tea, or boba tea, is a sweet beverage that’s both refreshing and comforting, and each sip leaves you with a satisfying bite to savor. You can buy this slurpable snack at a specialty store, and some Asian restaurants sell them too, but if you live in a bubble tea desert or just want to make your own bubble tea, here’s how to make some awesome bubble tea at home.

Bubble tea is a pretty flexible term because it’s more about the bubbles. That is, you can add bubbles, or boba pearls, to juice, tea, or coffee if you want. Boba pearls are usually made from tapioca starch, a little sugar, and water. You can add flavorings or food coloring to add a little kick. These ingredients form a soft dough and are rolled into pea-sized balls. You can make the pearls at home or buy them ready-made online or in some stores.

The starch balls appear opaque when raw, or lightly colored if you use brown sugar or food coloring, but after they’re cooked, the boba appear translucent and shiny. Toss them in a quick simple syrup or honey and spoon into your chilled beverage of choice.

In times of need, these are my bubble tea helpers: