Description
This classic Bubble Tea (Boba Milk Tea) recipe includes detailed methods for hot brewed and cold brewed black tea combined with chewy boba pearls and a sweetened sugar syrup, resulting in a refreshing and creamy beverage perfect for homemade enjoyment.
Ingredients
Tea
- 720 mL water (3 cups) for hot brew
- 24 g black tea (5 tbsp large loose tea or 12 tea bags) for hot brew
- 720 mL water (3 cups, room temperature, preferably filtered) for cold brew
- 36 g black tea (7 tbsp large loose tea or 18 tea bags) for cold brew
Boba Pearls
- 1 cup easy cook boba pearls
Sugar Syrup
- 150 g brown sugar (¾ cup or white sugar)
- 60 mL water (¼ cup)
Milk and Serving
- 960 mL whole milk (4 cups or plant based milk)
- Ice (optional, as needed)
Instructions
- Hot brewed tea: Place 720 mL water in a saucepan, bring it to a boil with the lid on. Once boiling, turn off heat or reduce to simmer. Add 24 g black tea leaves or bags and steep for 10-15 minutes, stirring to infuse. Strain tea leaves gently to extract liquid without squeezing too hard. You should have about 2 to 2¼ cups of strong tea. Refrigerate to cool; expect cloudiness due to tannins.
- Cold brewed tea: Place 36 g black tea leaves in a French press. Pour 720 mL room temperature water over leaves and stir to saturate. Press the plunger until leaves are submerged. Let steep at room temperature for 12 hours. Strain and refrigerate tea to cool.
- Prepare boba pearls: For homemade boba, follow a separate detailed recipe. For quick cook pearls, follow package instructions. After cooking, drain pearls and place them in a bowl with some cooking water to prevent sticking.
- Make sugar syrup: Combine 150 g brown sugar and 60 mL water in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until sugar melts. Bring to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. Add the warm boba pearls using a slotted spoon to the syrup. Stir gently and simmer an additional 1-2 minutes if needed to achieve syrup consistency.
- Assemble the bubble tea: In an 11-12 oz glass, add ¼ cup of tapioca pearls with some sugar syrup. Pour ½ cup chilled or room temperature brewed tea over pearls. Add ice if desired. Top with 1 cup of milk (whole or plant-based). Stir to combine and adjust sweetness with additional sugar syrup if preferred.
Notes
- Strongly brewed tea will have a strong tannin flavor and may appear cloudy when chilled due to tannins.
- Use filtered water for best tea flavor.
- Boba pearls must be kept in some water after cooking to prevent clumping.
- Adjust sugar syrup quantity to taste based on desired sweetness.
- Milk alternatives work well for a vegan version.
- Cold brewed tea requires advance planning due to long steep time but delivers a smoother flavor.
- Hot brewed tea can be cooled quickly in the fridge to speed up preparation.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Taiwanese