I have a serious bubble tea addiction, and living in the Bay Area, there is no shortage of tea shops serving the treat. I’ve been to Taipei once, and I couldn’t get enough bubble tea while I was there. It was in Taipei that I learned the how to order my tea so it’s just right (light ice, 25% sweet, with boba).
I finally started making the tea at home so I don’t go broke guzzling bubble tea. It’s really quite simple (the pearls are available on Amazon) – but not particularly quick. Plus, I like being able to tweak the tea based on what sounds good that day. Sometimes I use jasmine green tea, sometimes straight black tea, and other times I’ll go with something from my favorite tea purveyor, Metolius Artisan Tea.
I make mine with honey syrup, because I usually drink my tea with honey anyway. The recipe linked below makes way too much honey syrup, especially if you don’t like your tea very sweet, but I’ll usually just store extra in the fridge for next time (or for cocktails…). I’ve adjusted the recipe for my tastes, based on already-brewed tea.
- ¼ cup dried black boba pearls
- ¾ cup honey
- ¾ cup brewed tea
- ½ cup whole milk
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add boba and continue to boil, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 12 to 15 more minutes.
- Combine ¾ cup of water with honey in a saucepan and heat gently over low heat, stirring. Remove it from heat when the honey is dissolved. Set it aside until the pearls are ready.
- When the pearls are ready, drain them, place them in a narrow container (such as a small mason jar) and then gently stir in enough syrup to cover the pearls. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Add the pearls to a drinking glass and then combine the tea, the milk, and 2 T of the honey syrup in a cocktail shaker with a few cubes of ice.
- Shake the tea vigorously and then pour it into a glass. Pour over the pearls. Add additional honey syrup to taste, and reserve any leftover syrup for another use.
- Bubble Tea (Food 52)
