How To Make Taiwanese Classic Bubble Milk Tea
What type of tea to use
There are many different versions of bubble tea. Earl grey tea, matcha tea, other green teas, oolong tea, jasmine tea and even tea bags with fruit flavors. Some of these are mixed with milk to make milk tea, and others are served plain.
Taiwanese milk tea is made with black tea. The strong tannin flavor in black tea is an important factor here.
Chinese breakfast tea is the usual choice for this bubble milk tea, likely due to its Taiwanese origins.
However, if you cant find Chinese breakfast tea, you can use a more robust black tea, such as Ceylon OP tea or Assam or a blend .
Avoid black teas that are weaker than Chinese breakfast tea, since the flavor of tea would be lost with the addition of milk.
Brewing the tea
You HAVE to brew the tea properly! This is critical for the best homemade bubble tea recipe. There are two ways to brew tea.
Hot brew tea This is the traditional way of brewing tea. For this drink, its important to brew tea that is stronger than regular tea. The hot water will help extract more of the tea flavor.
But take care not to brew it for too long and over-extract the flavor, which would result in the tea being too cloudy, and also having too much of the tannin flavor. The tea being too cloudy is not necessarily a deterrent to making milk tea however, because once you add milk, it wont make a difference.
What type of tapioca pearls to use?
How to sweeten your tea
Can I use other options besides milk?
Absolutely!
What Kind Of Tea Do You Use
The best kinds of tea to use are those that have a robust flavor, such as black or jasmine tea. Because you will water down the tea with milk and ice cubes, you want a strong tasting tea that will retain its flavor. I used Numis Chinese Breakfast Tea for the recipe, but any strong tea will work. Another tea blend I recommend is equal parts Assam and Ceylon tea leaves.
How To Make Bubble Tea With Fresh Milk
Making Bubble Milk Tea is a skill similar to being a barista or bartender and there are many different ways to make bubble milk tea. We already covered how to make bubble tea with powders so now were going to see how we can make it with fresh milk.
Most bubble milk tea is made with Assam or Ceylon Black Tea Leaves.
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What Is Bubble Tea
Bubble tea, also known as boba tea, is a Taiwanese tea drink flavored with milk or fruit with marble-sized tapioca balls at the bottom. It can be made with all sorts of teafrom plain black, jasmine or oolong tea to fruity herbal tea like strawberry, melon or mango. Its most known for its iconic bubbles that are soft, chewy and a little sweet. People enjoy other unexpected add-ins like grass jelly or cheese foam .
Bubble tea has all the health benefits of drinking tea, too.
What Kind Of Tapioca Pearls Do You Use For Bubble Tea Recipe
I typically use this brand of tapioca pearls, which cooks in about 5 minutes. I like that these pearls cook quickly, but the texture could be better. You can find these tapioca pearls in Asian supermarkets or on.
One important thing to note about these quick-cooking tapioca pearls is that you should only cook as many as you need. The pearls stiffen as they cool, so they do not keep well overnight. However, if you leave the pearls in their cooking water, the pearls retain their soft texture for a longer time. In other words, dont drain the hot water once you are done cooking the pearls. Instead, use a slotted spoon to remove the pearls from the saucepan, and leave any excess pearls in the saucepan.
WHAT KIND OF MILK DO YOU USE? CAN THIS BE DAIRY FREE?
I prefer using whole milk the most because the rich flavor makes the beverage tastier overall. I tried a version of the bubble tea with heavy cream. While the flavor of the tea was even better than the version I made with whole milk, it felt too decadent. Perhaps using half-and-half is a good compromise?
You can also make a dairy-free version with nut milks or soy milk. I tried using canned coconut milk once, and the coconut milk left a funny feeling in my mouth. It felt as if my mouth was coated with a thin layer of coconut fat.
WHAT KIND OF SWEETENER DO YOU USE?
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Where To Find Boba
Boba is a wildly popular drink, making it easy to find in mainstream tea chains including Starbucks and Peet’s. The wide range of different flavors the tea offers has also resulted in the rise of dedicated bubble tea shops such as Sencha. Our tea shops, located in the Twin Cities and Madion feature dozens of flavor options uniquely hand-crafted bubble tea creations that change seasonally.
Boba drinks are also simple to make so you can create your own bubble tea at home. Here, we’ve put together a simple boba tea recipe that you can dress-up with additions such as shaved ice, custard, and flavorings or just enjoy the classic flavor as-is. It’s naturally gluten-free and doesn’t contain any dairyunless you choose to add additional ingredients.
What Type Of Tea To Use
Bubble tea is traditionally made with a strong black tea with a distinct tannin flavour. My preference is Jasmine tea or Chinese breakfast tea, but you can also use Ceylon or Assam . English breakfast tea is also a good option.
For a milk bubble tea, simply add enough milk to taste.
I like it when you can actually taste the tea flavour in bubble tea, but I know many who prefer a more fruit-based drink, especially young kids.
For young kids, I typically use a fruit-flavoured iced tea, which means that all I have to cook are the tapioca pearls.
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Making Bubble Tea With Powder
Most bubble tea powders are 3 in 1 meaning that they have 3 ingredients already in them. For example, taro bubble tea powder will have the taro flavoring, non-dairy creamer and sugar already mixed together in the bag.
Once you have found quality powder and tapioca , now you need to get your method right. Bubble Tea can be made with many different bases Green Tea, Black Tea, Earl Grey Tea or even hot water. The base will change the taste of the drink and some flavored powders are better with certain bases than others. One of my favorites is Jasmine Green Tea with Taro Bubble Tea powder!
Tapioca Pearls takes the longest to cook so you should start that first:
Once your boba is cooked its now time to brew your tea . Its really important that you use HOT tea or HOT water when mixingyour Bubble Tea Powder. Otherwise it wont dissolve completely and will end up lumpy!
For a single serving, boil 350 ml of water and add 6 grams of Green Tea. Let it brew for 4 minutes.
This will make double strength tea because you will be mixing it with ice later which will dilute it.
How Do I Keep Boba Soft And Chewy
Just as you dont overcook pasta, you want to keep an eye on your boba as it cooks to make sure it maintains that nice chew. Once they float to the top, let them cook 1 minute more and then strain immediately. Give them a rinse with cool water, and immediately transfer them to a bowl or jar with simple syrup. Adding them to the simple syrup keeps them soft and chewy while also adding a nice sweetness.
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Megan Barrie For Taste Of Home
These can be found premade in Asian markets in the packaged goods aisle often near the teas. Because they come dehydrated and vacuum sealed youll need to cook them to enjoy. You can also find them on or Weee! and while youre at it, you can get a boba straw which allows you to slurp up the large tapioca pearls. You can also make your own tapioca pearls with a combination of tapioca flour, water and sugar .
What Is Iced Bubble Tea
Iced bubble tea is a drink made with tapioca pearls, tea, and milk. Of course, it can be made with other ingredients and there are a lot of variations.
Sometimes it’s made with milk and tea, just milk, or even fruit juice and milk. The fruit boba tea flavors are delicious, but I prefer iced boba tea with tea and milk.
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Option : Matcha Bubble Tea
A type of ground green tea originated from Japan, matcha offers a slightly sweet, earthy and refreshing flavour. Loving all things matcha, I wouldnt miss the opportunity to make a glass of matcha bubble tea.
How Long Will Cooked Tapioca Pearls Keep
Tapioca pearls are best consumed the day of cooking.
However Ive noticed that if I refrigerate the pearls in the syrup then I can reheat them in the microwave and use them in a hot bubble tea beverage and they will stay soft.
Ive tried reheating them then adding them to a cold tea and they just hardened up.
So I would only reuse if youre making a hot drink.
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Most Popular Bubble Tea Recipes
Surely, it will take some time before you settle into your fave boba combination. So you might want to take a look at the most popular bubble tea concoctions from the world over. Below are five:
Before you do this recipe, make sure you have your tapioca balls ready to use and your choice sweetener . To come up with two servings of this much sought-after classic bubble tea, you need:
- 5g Assam tea or any loose black tea
- Hot water
- Milk
- Sugar syrup
- Cooked tapioca pearls, preferably black
- Ice
- Tea preparation. Steep tea in prepped hot water, then let cool until water is lukewarm. If, however, youre using tea bags, put them aside before you go to the next step.
- Equally, divide the tea between your two glasses. A strainer should be handy for loose tea. Add milk and syrup to suit your taste. Gently stir until you have a good mix.
- Distribute the cooked tapioca pearls equally to the two glasses.
- Add ice cubes.
Below is a classic twist of the boba drink from the Middle East. You should be wowed by the exotic rose fragrance adding lots of fun to this sought-after drink. To get to two servings you’d need:
Almost every tea in Japan is green tea. So its no accident we have Japanese matcha as one of the most ordered cups in the Asian nation. Japans love for Matcha can be seen in its cakes and chocolates. For two servings of this boba, youd need:
Which Tea Is Best For Milk Tea
The best kind of tea used for milk tea has a strong robust flavor. You will need strong tea leaves that will brew a dark and rich cup of tea, that will have enough flavor to blend well with milk. We recommend Assam black tea! To make the most delicious cup of milk tea, it is best to use a bit more leaves and steep for a bit longer than usual.
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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 doesnt boil over. You can add more water if it starts to boil over.
Why Make It At Home
You might be wondering why you should make bubble tea at home. After all, there are dozens of vendors in Southeast Asia, and many chains in North America and Europe. Why would you need to make it at home? Well, there are many good reasons to do so!
For one, store-bought bubble tea may contain many harmful ingredients, such as hydrogenated palm oil and dangerous chemical sweeteners. Even traces of chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, have been found in some store-bought boba tea.
Another reason is saving money! Making boba pearls and the drink as a whole at home is much cheaper than buying them from shops.
In addition, homemade tapioca pearl drinks can be more versatile in flavour and type than those bought from shops.
However, we think that the most convincing reason is that you can control the calorie count that is in your cup of boba drink. When you are your own bobarista of your bubble tea drink, then you can fine-tune the ingredients and their amounts to best fit your taste buds, but also your current diet plans!
We at Honest Food Talks think that homemade is better than store-bought, which is why we have written this ultimate guide!
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Can You Make It Ahead Of Time
You can make the tea ahead of time, but we recommend only making the amount of boba pearls you are planning to consume. Tapioca pearls can be stored in sugar syrup for about 4-6 hours at room temperature. However, the longer it is out, the more mushy it will get. We don’t recommend putting it in the fridge because it will harden and won’t have the same soft, chewy, gummy like texture.
Traditional Milk Teaxresearch Source
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Bubble Tea With Powder Recipe
Shake Strain And Serve
Place your tapioca pearls in the bottom of a tall glass. In a shaker, add ice, brewed sweetened tea, and, if you want, some milk . If you want to go for fruity rather than creamy, skip the milk and pour in your favorite fruit juice or drink insteadit’ll taste delicious with the tea, too. Pour into the glass, pop in a big straw, and slurp and chew away.
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Three Ways To Make Bubble Tea
Happy June everyone! It’s officially summer which for me means bubble tea season. Who am I kidding? It’s bubble tea season for me all year round. However, my consumption of this stuff probably triples during the summer. Some would say it is a bit of an addiction… but I say it is a way of life. Long story short, I am super excited to share this easy bubble tea recipe with you today!
And for even more excitement, I am sharing three different ways to make bubble tea:
So why make bubble tea at home? For starters, it is super easy. Second, it is healthy! Especially for the fruity milk teas. Just think, real fruit vs. fruit syrup. It’s really a no brainer. Third, it is much cheaper than paying someone to mix a couple ingredients together. And lastly, the comfort of whipping up a batch of this from your own home means you can relax at home and soak in the sun on your balcony without stepping a foot out of your house or into your car.
What Ingredients Do I Need To Make This Mango Bubble Tea Recipe
- Black tea bags
I use Lipton tea bags.
You can find the mango nectar at your local grocery store.
I also sometimes buy it from my local Mexican grocery store.
As for the tapioca pearls I usually order them from amazon.
But the last two bags I bought were from an Asian grocery store nearby.
The kind I buy is shown below.
You can also make the pearls yourself here is a great guide on how to do that.
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Soaking The Pearls In Sugar Water