Bubble Tea is originally from Taiwan, my hometown. It’s very common in Taiwan and there are several bubble tea stores in every street. The preparation of Bubble Milk Tea, also called Boba Tea, is very simple and easy, so you can enjoy it with the whole family. The secret is to soak the pearls in brown sugar syrup after boiling. This black pearl bubble tea is full of brown sugar flavor and tastes the best.
Bubble tea recipe
What I want to share with you is this Black Pearl Bubble (Milk) Tea recipe. The pearls are soaked in the brown sugar syrup so when you bite into them, they smell like brown sugar and taste sweet. Besides the aroma of the tea, you can also taste the sweetness of the black pearls, which give the tea a special flavor.
If you add white sugar instead of steeping the pearls like in the store, the pearl won’t taste sweet, the sweetness will only come from the milk tea.
How to make bubble tea
- Bring water to a boil in a large pot and steep the tea bags in it. Let the tea steep until it cools to room temperature. Then put it in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process. Once it's cooled, take out the tea bags.
- Heat the water to a boil and add brown sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let it cool.
- Bring water to a boil and add the tapioca pearls. Stir the pearls, turn the heat to low.
- Cover the pot, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Then cover the pot, and let the pearls steep in hot water for another 30 minutes.
- At this point, you need to taste a few pearls to see if they're cooked all the way through. If they're not, they'll be powdery in the middle when you bite into them. If they aren't fully cooked, let them cook for 10 minutes and then simmer for 10 minutes. Then it should be almost done.
- Rinse the tapioca pearls under cold water make sure all the tapioca pearls have cooled. So that they get a chewy consistency.
- Add the tapioca pearls to the brown sugar syrup and stir for 1 minute, then set aside for at least 5 to 20 minutes. Soaking will allow the whole pearl to be absorbed by the brown sugar and add more flavor.
- Add tapioca pearls, ice, then black tea, and milk into glasses. Stir together before drinking. Add more milk, brown simple syrup, or tea, to taste.
5 Tips for Cooking Tapioca Pearls.
- The ratio of cooking tapioca pearls to water is 1:6～1:8 to prevent them from sticking together in the pot.
- Stirring continuously to make tapioca pearls cook evenly and avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Drain and rinse pearls under cold water after you cooked. So pearls will become chewier.
- Soaking tapioca pearls into brown sugar syrup to add more flavor.
- Don’t keep tapioca pearls in the refrigerator or overnight, they’ll harden and get rubbery.
Matcha bubble tea
Matcha Bubble Tea – Combine 4 cups of cold filtered water and 2 tablespoons of matcha in a cocktail shaker or bottle. Shaking cold water and matcha is the easiest and best way to make iced matcha. The other steps are the same as for black pearl bubble tea.
You can also try a healthy version of taro milk tea. Please check out my earlier post 9 Healthy Benefits of Taro Milk Tea.
vegan bubble tea
If you don’t do dairy, there are also non-dairy choices that make great bubble tea.
- Soy milk
- Coconut milk
- Nut milk like almond and cashew
- Non-dairy creamer
Types of sweeteners
Most types of sweeteners work.
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Honey
- Maple syrup
- Simple Syrup
However, if you use brown sugar, the flavor would be more appropriate.
Types of tea
There are lots of varieties of tea that can be used to make Boba:
- Oolong Tea
- Green Tea
- Jasmine Tea
- Chai Tea
Just remember to steep your tea and let it come to room temperature.
But Black tea (red tea) is by far the most popular choice for boba tea.
Ingredients
TAPIOCA PEARLS:
- 1200 ml water
- 200 g tapioca pearls
BLACK TEA:
- 8 bags black tea
- 450 ml water
BROWN SUGAR SYRUP:
- 100 g brown sugar (or regular sugar)
- 300 ml water
Whole milk to serve (or your choice of milk)
Instructions
PREPARE THE TEA:
- Bring 450ml of water to a boil in a large pot and steep the tea bags in it. Let the tea steep until it cools to room temperature.
- Then put it in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process. Once it's cooled, take out the tea bags.
PREPARE BROWN SYRUP:
- Heat the water to a boil and add brown sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let it cool.
PREPARE TAPIOCA PEARLS:
- Bring water to a boil and add the tapioca pearls. Stir the pearls, turn the heat to low and cover the pot, simmer for about 30 minutes. (Notes 1 & 2)
- After 30 minutes, remove from heat, cover the pot and let the pearls steep in hot water for another 30 minutes, or until they've the desired bite. (Notes 3)
- Rinse the tapioca pearls under cold water and place them in a bowl. Make sure all the tapioca pearls have cooled. So that they get a chewy consistency.
SOAKING TAPIOCA PEARLS:
- Add the tapioca pearls to the brown sugar syrup and stir for 1 minute, then set aside for at least 5 to 20 minutes. Stir the pearls to prevent them from sticking together. Soaking will allow the whole pearl to be absorbed by the brown sugar and add more flavor.
- Don't keep tapioca pearls in the refrigerator or overnight, they'll harden and get rubbery.
TO ASSEMBLE DRINKS:
- Divide cooked tapioca pearls from brown simple syrup into 4 large glasses.
- Add ice, if desired, then black tea, and 2 tablespoons (or more) of milk into each glass.
- Stir together before drinking. Add more milk, brown simple syrup, or tea, to taste.
Tips & Notes:
- The ratio of tapioca pearls to water is 1:6～1:8. The amount of water used to cook tapioca pearls should be enough to prevent them from sticking together in the pot.
- The cooked tapioca pearls must be put in after the water has boiled, otherwise, the tapioca pearls will be broken and not formed. Keep stirring while boiling the tapioca pearls so that they don’t stick together.
- At this point, you need to taste a few pearls to see if they’re cooked all the way through. If they’re not, they’ll be powdery in the middle when you bite into them. If they aren’t fully cooked, let them cook for 10 minutes and then simmer for 10 minutes. Then it should be almost done.
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