How To: Bubble Tea / Boba At Home

Boba Milk Tea at Home

(Due to the lighting and the quality of the imported video, the color of the drink appears almost white. It is actually a light brown.)

INGREDIENTS:

INGREDIENTS SHOWN:

• 3 Teabags
• 1 whole can of Condensed Milk
• 1/2 Cup of Milk 
• 1/4 Cup of 5 Min Tapioca Pearls (1/4 cup per serving)
• 1 Tbsp of Honey

INGREDIENTS NOT SHOWN:

• 6 Cups of Water (in total)
• 3/8 Cup of Brown Sugar (optional)
• 1 Cup of ice (optional)

Details:

As shown in the image above, I chose Earl Grey Black Tea. From my own experience, the brand of the tea can have an effect on the resulting flavor of the boba because some tea brands' tea tastes stronger than others. Furthermore, the kind of tea you want to use is completely up to your taste buds. I used a school milk cartoon for convenience, however, you can use your favorite kind of milk; although, the kind of milk you use might alter the resulting flavor as well. Finally, the tapioca pearls I used are simply colored and they do not have a unique flavor compared to the traditional black tapioca pearls.

Drink Review:
First of all, the ability to satisfy my daily craving of boba at home is incredibly convenient. With this recipe, anybody can make 3 large-sized servings of boba milk tea for less than $6! The only downsides of this recipe are that it can be time-consuming to make and experiment with. However, it can be quite enjoyable to spend time experimenting with your own drink. Maybe you might even personalize the recipe to match your own taste buds. Aside from the lengthy prep time, the end result is actually a delicious drink. The sweetness of the milk tea and the perfectly soft texture of the tapioca pearls prove that this drink may be worthy of being on a menu at a real bubble tea cafe. With the combination of inexpensive ingredients and a flavorful product, anyone in the right mind would consider this recipe a steal.

STEP 1:

First, we need to make the black tea. In my opinion, black tea provides the best flavor with the rest of the ingredients. It's also fairly inexpensive which makes it perfect for anyone making boba milk tea for the first time!

1. Boil 3 cups of water, then pour the water into a container (I used a mason jar) with 3 teabags.
2. Let the tea steep for 5-10 minutes

• The strength of the flavor of the black tea depends on how long you allow it to steep. If you would like a light flavor, then let it steep for five minutes. For a stronger flavor, let it steep for 10!

STEP 2:

Next, we will need to quickly cool down the tea. You may need a large large blender because we will be making almost 7 cups of boba milk tea.

1. Pour 3 Cups of ice cold water in the blender.
2. Next, pour the burning hot  tea in the blender following the ice cold water.

STEP 3:

Now, we add the sweet ingredients that create the milk tea!

1. Open a new can of Condensed Milk and pour the whole thing into the blender.
2. Next, you can add 3/8 cup of Brown Sugar for extra sweetness. Remember, this step is optional so don't worry about consuming too much sugar.
3. Pour in 1/2 cup of milk and watch the aesthetically pleasing mix come together!
4. Finally, blend it all together on the lowest setting and let it cool in a freezer or a refrigerator while you make the boba.

STEP 4:

Now that we have the milk tea, it's time to cook the boba! 

1. Pour about 3-4 cups of water into a small pot and boil it.
2. Once the water is boiling, pour 1/4 cup of the uncooked tapioca pearls in into the boiling water and let it cook for 5 minutes. Keep in mind that 1/4 cup of tapioca is for one serving, although you can pour more or less tapioca depending on your own preference!
3. After 5 minutes, turn off the heat and cover the pot of pearls. Let it sit for another 2-5 minutes.

The amount of time you let it sit will determine the texture of the tapioca. I like mine fairly chewy, so I let the boba sit for an extra 3 minutes after boiling.

STEP 5:

The boba is almost done!

1. Transfer the tapioca pearls into a strainer.
2. Wash the tapioca pearls in cold water to cool it down. You can run water over the tapioca for about 30 seconds.
3. Transfer the tapioca pearls into a small bowl and coat the boba with 1 Tbsp of Honey. You can also coat the boba in sugar, but I prefer honey.
4. The longer you let the boba soak in the honey, the more of the honey's sweet flavor will be absorbed by the boba. I let the chewy pearls sit for about 15 minutes minimum.

STEP 6:

Put it all together!

1. Pour the mix of honey and tapioca pearls into a mason jar.
2. Next pour 1 Cup of ice into the jar. (optional)
3. Then, pour in as much milk tea as you want into the jar and your done!