Boba Milk Tea

Boba, bubble tea, tapioca pearl milk tea... whatever you call it, it's one of my favorite things of all time - and also something I've been making at home more often since I'm almost always at home! 

In this post, I'll share my go-to recipe for a classic black milk tea with boba, but the boba cooking method is a great base recipe to keep in mind (seriously, go wild - add boba to everything!!) After some trial and error, I've landed on my favorite way to make my version of this classic drink.

I was getting ready for a boba matcha latte in this shot!

The basic approach I use when making drinks is always this:

Cook the pearls (15min if you use the same brand as me - otherwise, follow package instructions).

While pearls are cooking, make a brown sugar syrup and brew the tea.

Once the pearls are done, drain and add them to the syrup.

When you're ready, layer it up: mix boba, ice, tea, and your choice of milk or creamer to complete your boba milk tea!

This is my pick for favorite pearl brand so far - I usually get them on Amazon!

The final step is fairly flexible in terms of timing - I prefer to let my pearls sit for 2-3 hours before using them. This really helps them soak in the brown sugar flavor that I've come to expect from boba shops, but I get that not everyone wants to plan so far ahead for a beverage. You can serve the pearls hot too! They just won't be as strongly flavored on their own. (Another method I've seen is to finish cooking them in syrup, but I haven't tried that just yet!)

Boba Milk Tea (Iced Black Tea Latte with Tapioca Pearls)

adapted from Oh How Civilized

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup dry tapioca pearls

1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

2 tbsp looseleaf black tea (or 6 tea bags)

Choice of milk/creamer to taste, about 3-4 tablespoons

Instructions

1. Cook the boba: Boil about 4 cups of water in a pot and then add in the tapioca pearls. Cover the pot and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If you're not using E-Fa Brand pearls, go ahead and follow whatever the package directions say instead.)

2. Make the syrup: While the boba is cooking, mix the dark brown sugar with 1/4 cup hot water in a medium-sized bowl. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. 

3. Make the tea: Boil about 2 1/2 cups water and pour over black tea to brew. Let tea steep for 5 minutes, then strain out the tea leaves or bags and let the tea cool. 

4. Once the tapioca pearls are cooked, strain the pearls and add them to the bowl with the brown sugar syrup. Stir to combine. Let pearls soak in syrup at room temperature for anywhere between 5 minutes and 3 hours, depending on preference. (Don't leave the pearls for much longer than 3 hours, since cooked tapioca can't really be stored without the texture becoming unpleasantly hard/stale.)

5. To assemble the drinks, split the pearls between two glasses. Add ice if desired, then pour equal amounts of tea into each cup and top off with your choice of milk, cream, half and half, creamer, etc. Stir well and enjoy using an extra wide straw!