Hanging in Flushing Queens during my high school years, it was only a matter of time before my friend asked if I wanted to try boba tea. “What is boba tea?” I asked, and they bought me one. Boba tea is a Taiwanese tea drink that contains tea, some variation of milk, sweetener, and tapioca balls which give boba tea its unique look and taste. My first foray into bubble tea was incredible! I never experienced anything like it before, and I was impressed with the taste.
Numi Jasmine Green Tea
How To Make Boba Tea
Ingredients:
1 cup dried tapioca pearls (boba)
1 1/2 tablespoons of honey
Enough water to cover the pearls in a pan
Steps:
1: Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan
2: Add the dried tapioca pearls, stir
3: Boil the tapiocas for 2-3 minutes / until they begin to float
4: Bring the flame down to a medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they are tender.
Tip: Don’t drain until you’re ready to use in your boba tea! The tapiocas will harden if left out of the water.
How To Make Boba Tea (AKA Bubble Tea)
Plain Boba Tea:
1: Brew the tea, in this example we’re using English Breakfast Black Tea.
2: Add as much ice as you like!
3: Add honey
4: Drain the tapioca pearls, add to the drink
5: Add your choice of milk
6: Enjoy!
A lot of times these drinks are served with thick straws so make sure you pick some up!
Fruit Boba Tea:
1 cup of brewed tea of choice. Jasmine or black tea recommended.
1 cup of fresh fruit chunked
1 cup of milk (your choice)
Use as much as ice you like!
Because Thai bubble tea is diluted with milk and ice, use a strong flavored tea. Jasmine or black tea are perfect examples as they are robust and will keep their flavor from getting lost.
Where To Buy Tapioca Pearls
Before we can make bubble tea, we’ll need tapioca pearls! You can pick them up at most Asian food markets or Amazon.
How To Cook Tapioca Pearls
Tapioca pearls are balls of starch made from the root of the cassava plant. Tapioca pearls are used in bubble tea to add texture to bubble tea. Make sure to cook only what you will use in the recipe! Tapioca pearls tend to stiffen up after draining from cooking!
We used Tapioca Pearls that are black sugar flavored. The key is that these are easy to cook with and only take about 5 minutes.
What Is Crystal Boba?
As we just discussed, boba tea comes in many varieties, one called crystal boba. What is it, you might ask? Crystal boba is named for its translucent appearance and is a gelatin-esque pearl made from the konjac plant, which is a Southeast Asian plant also known as devil’s tongue. Konjac plays an important role in Asian medicine and has numerous health claims, including detoxification, and is used in weight loss supplements.
Crystal Boba vs Boba
Regular boba pearls are made from the tapioca plant’s root, which gives the pearls their starchy yet gelatinous texture. Crystal boba is made from the konjac plant and similarly from the root, giving it a similar texture to regular boba.
Wrapping Up Making Boba Tea at Home
You’ve probably seen bubble tea shops, or maybe you’ve even tried it at Starbucks (they’re testing bubble tea recipes now!). Strawberry, black tea, jasmine, mango, and melon don’t scratch the surface! There are literally hundreds of flavors and variations available. We hope you found this article helpful in explaining how to make boba tea/bubble tea is. Also, we hope you try the recipes out for yourself! Thanks for reading.
