Boba (or bubble) tea is a delicious, sweetened black or green tea that has been mixed with chewy tapioca pearls.
The history of boba tea is a little fuzzy, but it is said that boba was created by a Taiwanese tea seller in the 1980’s.
Nowadays, this drink can be found all over Asia and the world. It has become really popular in America during the last ten years or so.
In some places, like California, there are at least one or two boba shops on every block! They are fun places to hang out with friends and have a refreshing drink on a hot summer day.
There are many different kinds of boba tea. In Taiwan, there are several different kinds of tea served with tapioca balls in them. The most common types are milk tea, pearl milk tea, and thai ice tea. You can also get cream drinks, fruity drinks, and smoothies with tapioca pearls in them.
In America, the most popular kind of boba is black tea with tapioca pearls and sugar or honey. Some places will call this drink a pearl milk tea or a bubble milk tea. It’s basically the same thing as the milk teas that are so popular in Asia, but it has also become very popular as a drink to be mixed with alcohol (usually vodka or rum).
In this article, I’ll be sharing my recipe for how to make the most basic kind of boba tea. It is a simple recipe for what I call “The Best Boba Tea Recipe”.
How to Make Boba/Tapioca Pearls
There are several ways that you can make the tapioca pearls that you’ll use to make your boba tea. You can buy them in a bag, or you can make them at home.
How to Make Boba Pearls at Home
Making your own boba pearls will allow you to make the exact flavor that you want. However, it is a little more work than buying them in a bag. It is probably more economical to just buy the pre-made tapioca pearls in a bag.
Here are the steps for how to make your own tapioca pearls:
Soak the Tapioca Pearls
The first thing that you need to do is soak the tapioca pearls. If you bought the pearls in a bag, take out the amount that you want to use and put them in a bowl of cold water. Let them sit for about an hour.
If you are making your own tapioca pearls, put them in a pot with water and let them soak overnight. The longer they soak, the more plump they will be when you cook them.
Boil the Tapioca Pearls
Next, bring a pot of water to a boil (this is usually enough water to cover the tapioca balls.) Add the tapioca pearls that have been soaked and cook them for about 10 minutes. The longer they cook, the chewier they will be.
Let the Tapioca Pearls Dry
After the pearls have been cooked, let them sit for a few minutes (until they cool down a bit.) Then drain out the water and let them dry on a cookie sheet for about an hour. Then you’ll be ready to make your boba tea!
How to make the tea
Boba tea is really easy to make. The only hard part is getting the tapioca pearls to be the right consistency (not too hard, and not too soft.)
Here are the steps for how to make your drink
Put the Tea in a Pot or Kettle
If you are using loose leaf tea, put 1-2 tablespoons of tea into a pot or kettle with about 1 cup of water. If you are using a bagged tea, use one bag of tea and fill it with water so that it brews in your pot or kettle. Heat up the pot on medium high heat. You want to make sure that the water doesn’t boil over. You can add more water if it starts to boil over.
Let the Tea Brew
When the water in the pot reaches a boil, wait for about 2-3 minutes and then take out the tea bag or pour out the loose tea leaves. Turn off the heat.
Add Sugar or Honey
You can add sugar or honey to your boba tea to make it sweet (you can use plain sugar or honey if you prefer.) Make sure that this is done after you turn off the heat so that you don’t burn yourself! There are usually 1-2 tablespoons of granulated sugar or about 1/4-1/2 cup of honey (depending on how sweet you like your drink.) You can add more to your taste.
Add the Tapioca Pearls
After you have added the sugar or honey, add the tapioca pearls to your drink and stir them in. Then cover the pot and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
Add Your Flavorings Now!
In this step, you can add any other flavor that you want to your drink. You can use things like vanilla extract, coconut extract, or almond extract (or whatever kind of flavoring that you prefer.) I like to add a little bit of caramel syrup to mine! The caramel syrup will make the color of your boba tea much richer and darker. You can also add different types of milk if you want.
Stir and Serve!
After you’ve let the tapioca pearls sit for a few minutes, it is time to stir them in. You can serve it in the same pot that you made it in, or you can pour it into a cup and serve it with a spoon. I like to use a spoon because then I can be sure that no pearls get stuck to the bottom of the cup!
You can also add toppings like crushed ice, condensed milk, or fruit (like strawberries or lychees.) Add whatever you like to your boba tea!
Enjoy your delicious boba tea!