Hey guys!

I tried my first boba a couple months back and since then I've pretty much been hooked on it, drinking it multiple times a week (rip to my blood sugar). I tried making my own boba and it worked out quite well until the cooking phase. The boba did hold its shape, which is what I was initially worried about, but the problem was actually the texture.

I boiled for 20 min (straight from the freezer) and let it rest covered for 10 min. I soaked it in an ice bath for a couple mins, but not that long. The texture was less bouncy and more soft and chewy, like a high gelatin gummy almost.

I was wondering whether it would be possible to replicate the texture of the boba shops without buying the pearls since they're pretty hard to get where I live and it's almost never in stock in stores.

I read somewhere that less water and less cooking time would help, but that's contradicting every video recipe I've watched which says to add much more water - ranging from a 4:1 all the way to a 10:1 ratio of water to pearls.

I'd appreciate any suggestions on how to fix this.

Thank you!