Many of us enjoy an occasional takeaway bubble tea from our favourite boba shop. But, if you are a real bubble tea enthusiast, chances are you have tried making this delicious drink at home – or at least considered it! This can be a convenient and cost-efficient way of enjoying your favourite bubble tea more often, as well as trying new recipes – and maybe even inventing some along the way!
Tea
Of course, it all starts with tea – but what kind of tea do you use for best results? As you will also be adding milk and ice cubes to the drink, it makes sense to choose a tea with a strong, robust flavour. Many people use black tea, and jasmine tea is another popular option. (You can also use any other green tea of your choice.) You can easily pre-brew your tea and store it in the fridge for up to two days.
Pearls
Fast cooking tapioca pearls can easily be ready to use in about 5 minutes, but you need to cook them just before making your drink. Always make sure that your tapioca pearls are cooked properly, as the undercooked pearls remain hard. The cooked pearls will also harden as they cool – so you cannot refrigerate the cooked pearls or store them overnight. But you can leave the cooked pearls in the pot if you plan to use them within an hour, as they’ll retain their chewy texture while kept in warm water. You can also store the cooked pearls at room temperature in honey syrup (in an airtight container) for up to 4 hours. After that, the pearls will become stickier, gradually losing their chewy and bouncy texture.
Milk
While using full cream milk is the most popular option, there is no reason why you shouldn't experiment. For example, you can add your favourite plant milk – almond, soy, or any other – to your boba. Adding cream is also an option, but the resulting drink might feel a bit overindulgent.
Sweetener
Sugar is an obvious, easy choice – but you can also use honey or any other sweetener. You need your tea to be quite hot for the honey or sugar to dissolve in it completely – so, if you are using refrigerated pre-brewed tea for your recipe, it also makes sense to prepare a syrup (using water and your sweetener of choice) beforehand. Then, you can just have this syrup ready for whenever you feel like bubble tea.
Other Toppings
There are many other toppings you can use to add flavour to your bubble tea: fruit (cut or blended), fruit juice, chocolate – the list goes on.
As you get more confident with simple bubble tea recipes, it’s only natural to start experimenting with more and more toppings and flavours – and, before long, you’ll find yourself really enjoying your customised homemade bubble tea experience!
Check out our full range of bubble tea toppings here!