How to Make Bubble Tea

Native to Taiwan and commonly used in some of the southeast Asian countries, bubble tea is now getting popular in other parts too. It is a beverage that is basically made of milk, tea, sweetener and tapioca pearls. This tea became popular in the late nineties, and the credit for inventing bubble tea is claimed by two tea houses in Taiwan. Earlier, this drink was prepared with hot black tea, sweetener, condensed milk and tapioca pearls. But, nowadays, it is available in several variations with ingredients like flavored syrups, fruit juices, coffee, different types of tea, milk, etc. It is sold in both hot and cold versions. Initially, white tapioca pearls were mainly used for preparing bubble teas, however, now brown ones are more popular.

Homemade Bubble Tea

Preparing bubble tea is one of the easiest and simple tasks, if you have all the required ingredients. At tea shops this tea can cost you a hefty sum and so, making bubble tea at home can save you some money. As mentioned above, there are many different variations of bubble tea. First of all, you have to make bubble tea pearls and sugar syrup. Once these basic things are done, you can make bubble tea as per different recipes.

Making Tapioca Pearls and Sugar Syrup
Bubble tea tapioca pearls (boba) are available in different colors like white, brown, rainbow, black, etc. Get some tapioca pearls and cook them in water. The correct ratio of water to tapioca pearls is 7:1. So, take seven parts of water for one part of tapioca pearls. One cup of boba will be sufficient for around seven to ten servings of bubble tea. So, take seven cups of water in a large pot and bring it to boil. Add boba to the boiling water and cook for around thirty minutes on medium heat. Make sure to stir occasionally, so that the pearls do not stick to the pot. Once cooked, tapioca pearls will become transparent and float on the top.

Some people soak boba beforehand which helps in faster cooking, this makes the pearls tender. Remove the pot from heat and keep it aside with the lid on, for another twenty minutes. After that, rinse the pearls with water and drain. The next step is to cover these cooked tapioca pearls with sugar syrup, which can be prepared by boiling two cups of water, along with a cup each of brown sugar and white sugar. The mixture has to be cooked in medium heat, till it boils. Let it cool, before adding to the cooked tapioca pearls. You may refrigerate this mixture, if you intend to make cold bubble tea. You may also store them separately.

How to Make Bubble Tea with Milk
In order to prepare this bubble tea, you have to make the base tea, which can prepared with green tea, black tea or any other type of tea. All you have to do is to combine a gallon of water with four ounces of tea and bring it to boil in a large pot. Once it starts boiling, check the time and wait for another eight minutes to remove from heat. After that remove from heat, strain and let it cool. In order to prepare single serving of bubble tea, add a tablespoon of sugar syrup, two tablespoons of cream and ¾ cup of base tea to a shaker and combine them well. Add one cup of ice and shake it till froth is formed. Now, take a tall glass and add three to four tablespoons of cooked tapioca pearls and pour the blended tea mixture over them. Your bubble tea is ready.

The above said is one of the classic bubble tea recipes. You may also go for hot versions of this beverage by using bubble tea flavored powder, milk, base tea and cooked tapioca pearls. For a single serving, take four tablespoons of flavored powder, ¼ cup milk, 1½ cup hot base tea and three tablespoons of boba. Mix the flavored powder with hot tea and combine them well, before adding milk. Place the cooked tapioca pearls in a cup and pour the tea mixture over them. Serve with a fat straw. You may also use coffee or fruit juice instead of base tea. There is an endless choice of ingredients, as far as bubble tea preparation is concerned. So, try the above said guidelines and try different bubble tea recipes.