Caffeine Content In Milk Tea
The amount of caffeine in milk tea is dependent on the type of tea used in the drink, which often is a type of black tea. Per 8-ounce cup, chai tea ranges from 60 to 120 milligrams of caffeine, while Assam black tea comes in at 80 milligrams and Darjeeling tea at 50 milligrams. It is safe to assume, though, that adding milk to a cup of tea means that the amount of actual tea consumed is less, thus lowering caffeine intake.
The Best Times To Take Royal Milk Tea
You can enjoy the Hokkaido milk drink at any time. But the best time to take the beverage is in the morning, especially after you wake up. The milk tea freshens your mind to get you ready for your daily tasks. You can also take the beverage in the evening to boost your energy level after a busy day.
The aroma and taste of the Hokkaido milk drink can increase your motivation to continue working. The Japanese enjoy homemade royal milk tea, but they head out to various tea shops to get a diverse taste and flavor. In Japan, they use the Hokkaido milk drink for cakes, pastries, and puddings.
How To Make Bubble Tea
Quick Links:What kind of tapioca pearls to useMake ahead tips
Bubble tea is one of my favorite things to sip on during the summer. Originating from Taiwan, bubble tea usually consists of sweetened tea with milk and the characteristic chewy tapioca balls, also known as boba . Bubble tea comes in many flavors: plain tea flavors such as black or jasmine tea fruit flavors such as strawberry or honeydew and even taro, which is a root vegetable commonly used in Asian dishes. .
While I enjoy drinking bubble tea, I dont particularly like the ones sold in the teahouse chains because they contain too much sugar. The good thing is that you can make bubble tea at home easily! In this bubble tea recipe, all you really need is tea, tapioca pearls, milk, and a sweetener.
Recommended Reading: How Many Calories In Raspberry Twisted Tea
Everything And Anything You Need To Know About Boba Tea
Get more Spoon in your feed.
The fast-growing drink trend, called boba, that originated in small tea shops from Taiwan during the 1980s has made its way across the Pacific Ocean to America and is gaining popularity rapidly.
But what exactly is boba? The boba is made from tapioca, which is a gluten-free starch extracted from the root of a cassava plant. The actual drink is made from a tea base mixed with milk and flavoring.
One of the best things about boba? You can add it to tons of different drinks . There are also a variety of flavors ranging from fruity options, like watermelon or grape, to ones that satisfy the dessert lovers, like chocolate or honey. Feeling adventurous? Try flavors like taro or lychee that are native to Asian countries. Its like a vacation for your tastebuds.
It seems important to mention that some people are still skeptical of the drink because of health concerns: in 2012, a German study suggested that boba may contain traces of carcinogenic chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, but nothing has been confirmed yet. People have questioned the results from the study because it didnt explain how the test was administered or how many PCBs were found. So innocent until proven guilty, right? Regardless of potential carcinogens, bubble tea is loaded with calories and carbs. So, like any other delicious sugary treat, you should enjoy in moderation.
Check out these other related articles:
Side Effects Of Bubble Tea
Bubble tea is highly sweet due to the excess amount of sugar that contributes to health issues. For example, excessive sugar and high-calorie intake result in weight gain for most people. A cup of bubble tea, including fruit syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and boba, contains at least 350 calories. This many calories with one cup and consuming it regularly isnt beneficial for your health.
The tapioca balls are a source of carbohydrates, which then combine with sugar. So, naturally, such beverages are likely to cause diabetes if they’re not consumed in moderation! Thats why this tea is not suitable for people who already have diabetes or are prone to this disease.
You May Like: Does Hibiscus Tea Help You Sleep
How To Make Milk Tea
What Does Tiger Milk Tea Taste Like
Since the main ingredient in tiger milk tea that gives it flavor is the brown sugar syrup, this milk drink can be compared to the taste of a caramel. It may also have tea notes if black or green tea has been added as one of the ingredients. Overall, tiger milk tea is a very sweet drink that works just as well as a dessert.
You May Like: What Ingredients Are In Long Island Iced Tea
Is Brown Sugar Milk Tea Good
The brown sugar milk tea is a little more on the sweeter side, so if youre looking for something thats not too sweet but still has some sweetness to it then this would be your best bet.
It also tastes like regular iced coffee with cream and sugar, which is a nice alternative to the usual iced coffee flavors.
Top Variations To Try
Here are some of the top variations you can do with this recipe.
- Add a tea blend of your choice to the fresh milk. We recommend starting with black teas such as Ceylon. Once youre comfortable you can go wild! Try matcha, taro fresh milk or even rose milk tea! We recommend the hot tea mixture is cooled before you assemble the drink together. Otherwise, the sweet brown syrup will melt almost immediately.
- Add another topping. Try coconut jelly or coffee jelly toppings in this drink.
- Top it off with a hard layer of caramel
- Experiment with the consistency of the sweet brown syrup. Try adding more water, or letting it simmer for longer. This will give you a different consistency and vary the lava lamp effect for the Mudflip version! You will need a mason jar with a lid to try this one out.
Read Also: Can I Take The Teas Test Anywhere
How To Make Tiger Milk Tea
Making tiger milk tea is easy, so you can have a glass of this tasty Taiwanese treat any time you like. Follow these instructions to make tiger milk tea like a pro :
- Cook your tapioca boba pearls according to the package instructions. This usually involves boiling the tapioca pearls on the stovetop in a saucepan for five minutes before draining and cooling.
- Add brown sugar syrup to the saucepan of tapioca pearls and stir until the syrup is thick and dark. Reserve the tapioca pearls and syrup to a bowl and cool while you bring out glasses for serving.
- Spoon tapioca pearls and brown sugar syrup into each glass, tipping the glass to allow drizzles of brown sugar syrup to coat the sides.
- Add ice and milk before stirring the tiger milk tea with a straw. This will give the drink its iconic tiger stripe look.
As you can see, there isnt much involved with fixing up a delicious glass of tiger milk tea. You dont have to brew tea or anything. Since boba pearls and brown sugar syrup are both available commercially, none of the ingredients even has to be made from scratch.
Tapioca Pearls Or Boba
The boba or tapioca pearls are marble-sized balls made from tapioca, a starch extracted from cassava root. Its gluten-free and made into flour before being shaped into pearls. Boba is flavorless and added to tea prepared by a special processcooked in boiling water and soaked in sweet syrup. The pearls keep soaking until they are chewy.
Then, these are put in the base, filling the cup with different flavors and kinds of drinks.
Also Check: Fit Tea Vs Teatox
What Is Green Tea Club
Sign up free to Green Tea Club to get tips and exclusive articles about how to use your matcha and green tea for a healthy lifestyle. Green Tea Club is hosted by Kei Nishida, Author of Cook with Matcha and Green Tea and CEO of Japanese Green Tea Company.
Get free E-book “Green Tea Science 12 Scientific Tips for Brewing Green Tea To Taste Better” By Kei Nishida – Value $9.99
Get free E-book “Matcha Lover’s 21st Century Recipe Collection” By Kei Nishida – Value $9.99
Get immediate access to 10% Off coupon for your first order and access to Exclusive Coupons and Specials – Value $50+
Monthly Giveaways – Value $50+
What Is Mudflip Tea
Mudflip Tea is another fun twist on the original drink which was invented by YiFang. Instead of drizzling the syrup on the cup-like tiger patterns, it is simply poured in and carefully topped with fresh milk.
Customers are encouraged to flip their drink around and watch the layers mix together slowly. The hands-on action and lava lamp effect makes this drink popular.
Also Check: Where To Buy Loose Leaf Tea Online
History Of Tiger Milk Tea
Tiger milk tea was first introduced in Taiwan by the Taiwanese boba tea company Tiger Sugar. Despite the name, the original recipe for tiger milk tea doesnt contain any tea at all. While later variations on the recipe include black tea, the tiger milk tea sold by Tiger Sugar only contained milk, brown sugar syrup, and boba pearls.
Adding Tapioca Pearls To The Drink
If you want to add tapioca balls to the royal milk tea, you can do so easily. It is as simple as making the Hokkaido milk drink itself. You can either make your homemade tapioca pearls or purchase them at the shop.
If you buy the tapioca pearls, read the instructions at the back. You will find the cooking instructions for making the tapioca balls. It will generally take five to ten minutes to cook the store-bought tapioca balls, depending on the brand.
You can add brown sugar syrup to spice the tapioca pearls up. You can soak it in the syrup for about 5-10 minutes before you serve. It will give the already tapioca pearls an extra flavor element.
Recommended Reading: How Many Calories In Twisted Tea Half And Half
How To Make Tapioca Pearls Aka Boba Pearls
Making and using these boba pearls requires two techniques. First, you have to make the tapioca pearl dough and form the dried tapioca pearls. Once these are ready, you then have to cook them before they can be used in your drink of choice.
The Ingredients:
- Brown sugar
- Hot water
Note* For a more authentic taste, you can try to find Taiwanese brown sugar . However, if youre unable to find this, then any dark brown sugar will work.
Needed to make the Brown Sugar Boba Drink
- Extra brown sugar
- Your favourite tea/iced tea, flavoured milk or even juice/smoothie
The Flavor Of The Hokkaido Milk Tea
Nidashi milk tea has a strong bubble tea flavor balanced with a creamy texture. The milk tea provides roasted and earthy flavors due to the availability of black tea leaves. It is a creamy milk tea that provides a pleasant, full-bodied texture, including its rich tea flavor.
Like taro boba tea or taro milk tea, the royal milk tea can be dressed as a fruit tea when you add additional ingredients. Some tea shops add a little bit of ice cream or coconut oil to the milk tea even more indulgent.
Don’t Miss: Montebello Long Island Iced Tea Alcohol Content
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 About Milk Tea
Although most milk teas are made by mixing fresh milk with black tea, many people mix milk with green tea or sweets, which can be served hot or cold.
Green tea is often considered a healthier option than coffee and can be very refreshing on hot summer days. Green Tea Bubble Tea is shaken iced green tea.
Most shops in Taiwan will start with hot green tea, adding ice, and then shaking it in a shaker machine for about six to eight seconds to create the bubbles on top.
One of my personal favorites is a matcha bubble tea latte. This option combines matcha powder, fresh milk, and tapioca pearls to make an unforgettable drink.
Bubble Milk Tea in the US is usually made using a flavored powder. For example, to make taro bubble tea, most shops will use taro bubble tea powder. Surprisingly, some bubble tea shops mix this powder with water, so there isnt any tea in your bubble tea! We recommend mixing taro powder with hot green tea to accentuate the flavor.
Read Also: What Tea Helps Lower Blood Sugar
What Are Tapioca Pearls
These boba tapioca pearls are small, chewy dark brown/black balls that get spooned into the bottom of the bubble teas and made using tapioca starch from the cassava root, brown sugar and hot water. Along with these boba pearls, drinks can also include popping boba , different jellies, puddings and more.
Let me know in the comments if youd like me to do DIYs for other boba milk tea toppings too!
Within this post, Im going to take you through a simple DIY for how to make tapioca pearls, including how to cook tapioca pearls and then even a simple bubble milk tea recipe.
You May Experience Bloating If You Drink Milk Tea Every Day
Unbearable bloating is something you’ll undoubtedly want to avoid. Due to the dairy found in milk tea, though, bloating may be an inevitable side effect as it can inflame some people’s digestive tracts. “Dairy is delicious,” Kelly Schmidt, registered dietitian, told Women’s Health. “But many people are intolerant to whey, lactose, and casein.” Surprisingly, 75 percent of people across the world are unable to properly break down lactose when consuming milk or any other type of dairy product, according to Healthline.
If you have a sensitive stomach, drinking milk tea every day may just not be the whey for you. Luckily, there are many kinds of milk available to hide the bitter taste of black tea. If you find that bloating is brought on by your daily habit of drinking milk tea, try adding soy, almond, or coconut milk instead for a delicious new take on the classic drink.
Recommended Reading: Does Twisted Tea Have Sugar
Where Can You Buy Tapioca Pearls
To make things easier, I would suggest checking your favorite online retailer for buying pearls, such as Amazon or Walmart. That way youll have plenty of options to choose from for classic tapioca pearls .
As for specific suggestions, I used E-FA Brand pearls when making this recipe. I have also heard good things about this Tapioca Pearl brand.
Whats The Best Tea To Use
Milk tea is usually made with either black tea, oolong tea or green tea. I personally like my drink made with darker teas like black tea, but its really a matter of personal preference.
- Black Tea is a great option to make a delicious glass of milk tea. Earl Grey is an example of black tea thats easy to find in any grocery store. The breakfast teas are also made with black tea. In China, Hong Kong, and Japan, black tea is known as red tea.
- Oolong Tea is probably the next most popular choice. Oolong tea is easy to find and is most likely already lurking in your pantry.
- Green Tea is another popular choice, especially Jasmine green tea, along with green tea powders like matcha.
You May Like: Tea Lower Blood Sugar