Yes yes yes! I have always wanted to learn how to make my own boba teas at home. I became even more inspired to make my own when I saw a fellow blogger make iced coffee with boba, which sounds just as delicious! I figured I might as well try out my own, which was surprisingly more easy than I had thought. My sister and I sort of became obsessed with boba teas a few years back, and we often frequent our local bubble tea place called Fusion Cafe. She and I actually tend to get fruit teas more often, with popping bubbles instead of tapioca pearls. However, we also love the good ol' classic milk teas with black tapioca pearls, which are yummy and refreshing (especially on hot days like today)! Really, I just wanted to learn how to make bubble teas for convenience. If I can quicly make a tea before running out the door instead of having to make an extra stop, then I'm in! |
So now I'll just go through my process. Start with chilled, plain black tea. Emphasis on the chilled part. You can also use a flavored and/or green tea, but for the more classic milk tea black tea works best.
Then for the boba. I went to Kialee Market, my local Asian imports store, to buy boba. I just got the plain, dry tapioca pearls. There was also a rainbow version that I saw there that I will have to try soon, along with canned jellies that are pretty popular for bubble tea drinks. It really depends on you and what you like. I know some people are repulsed by having anything to have to chew in their drink, so if that's you just skip it altogether. But there are plenty of fans of the bobas, jellies, etc. that are so often seen in bubble tea cafes. I chose this type because it was my first time making it, but I am definitely open to the other, more colorful options. I happen to be lucky enough to have plenty of resources in order to buy them, but if you do not have an imports store near you then I would suggest buying off of Amazon or another reliable internet source.
Straws!! I bought the boba-sized straws at our imports store as well, but again if you don't have that type of a place nearbye then buy online. It's not a must-have to make the tea, but it's definitely recommended to drink it down more easily.
Okay, so to get started making the pearls (this is after you have made and chilled your tea, otherwise your boba will get dry in the meantime) you need to bring your water to a boil. I just eyeballed the amount, it really doesn't matter. Once it is boiling, add in your pearls.
Add in as much as you need to make your drink(s). I used about a half of a cup for two tea drinks, and that was more than enough. Once you pour that in, stir and then cover for about five minutes. Then remove the lid, stir again, and immediately remove the pearls and transfer to a colander. They should look something like this:
The mistake I made was not immediately adding sweetener/sugar to the pearls. If you don't do that, the pearls will be pretty tasteless. So I would recommend using your sweetener of choice (I used simple syrup made with raw sugar and water) right away by pouring it over the pearls in the cup you plan on using. Then add black tea and milk to taste. My finished product looked like this:
Very yummy and very easy to make! Definitely beats the normal $4/5 a cup business. Again, everything is to taste and really up to you on how you would normally drink your bubble tea. I am sure if you experimented with it you could come up with some pretty tasty combinations. Then again, classic milk tea with black boba is pretty hard to beat.
This one is Abby-approved! Definitely easy to take to her when she got out of school today. By the way, my little sister finished her first day of Sophomore year and I am so proud of her!
Well I hope you enjoyed my little bit on my learning how to make bubble tea at home. It's super simple, easy, and tasty!
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