Originating in Taiwan in the 1980s Bubble Tea is an iced milk tea drink made with any kind of tea, milk, sugar and tapioca balls. It became wildly popular in Taiwan and now can be found worldwide.
The black tapioca balls are called boba, which is why Bubble Tea is sometimes known as Boba Tea. Boba is made from tapioca starch taken from the cassava root.
The drink is served on ice with a fat straw which allows you to suck up the edible boba whilst drinking the Bubble Tea.
Would you like to make Bubble Tea? Read on for an easy peasy recipe and enjoy a relaxing tea break in the comfort of your own home!
Recipe
Ingredients (Makes two large servings)
One Cup = 250ml/8floz
Black Tea / Your preferred tea
2.5 cups of water
2 tablespoons of loose tea (3 tea sachets or 6 tea bags)
Brown Simple Syrup
0.25 cup of brown sugar (you can use white sugar)
0.25 cup of water
Boba
4 cups of water
0.75 cup of boba
Frothy Cream
0.25 cup of double cream (you can use single cream if you like a less creamy drink)
2 teaspoons of granulated sugar
Step by Step Instructions
Brew Black (or preferred type) Tea
- Boil 2.75 cups of water
- Stew tea for 5 minutes
- Strain tea leaves and allow tea to cool
Make Brown Simple Syrup
- Stir the brown sugar into hot water until it dissolves (Use the remaining 0.25 cup of water with the 0.25 cup of brown sugar)
Cook the Boba
- Boil 4 cups of water on your hob then add the boba. In two minutes, the boba will float to the surface. Cover your pot and simmer at a medium heat for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Strain the boba.
- Mix the boba and brown simple syrup together in the pot. Let the mixture cool down until warm.
Prepare Frothy Cream
- Lightly whip the double (or single) cream and sugar with a handheld milk frother for 10 seconds. The cream should thicken slightly and be pourable.
Assemble your Drink
- Take two large glasses. Spoon half the boba in brown simple syrup into each glass. Pour in your chosen tea and top with frothy cream. Stir before drinking!
Top Tips for Making the Perfect Bubble Tea
Follow these six tips to get the best results from your homemade Bubble Tea.
- Use filtered water (it tastes better!)
- Loose tea or tea sachets make better tea (than tea bags)
- Don’t make your boba more than one or two hours before consuming. After four hours they will harden and become inedible.
- Add the boba to the glass whilst still warm, this way they’ll be soft but chewy in the centre.
- If you roll the syrup around the glass when you add the boba, you’ll achieve the iconic “Tiger Stripes” – great for Instagram pictures!
- You can prepare the tea, syrup and cream and keep them refrigerated beforehand. The cream keeps for 3 days; the tea for 4 days; and the syrup for 2 weeks.
Make Tea Breaks easier and healthier with HumaniTea
HumaniTea have made the UK’s first ever Iced Vegan Tea Latte!
You can now simply make your boba and syrup and add one of our delicious lattes to make vegan friendly Bubble Tea at home!
Not only will this save you the time and effort of preparing your own tea, milk and sweetener it also results in a much healthier drink.
Available as an Earl Grey Classic Latte or a Matcha Green Tea Latte, HumaniTea are 100% plant based and vegan friendly, dairy free (we use oat milk) and low in sugar.
They provide a natural energy boost to replace that afternoon coffee caffeine crash and only contain ethically sourced, quality ingredients.
So why not try one of our ready to drink, made with actual brewed tea (never from concentrate) latte – they’re the drink that’s good for humanity!