What is Boba or Bubble tea?

Boba tea, a Taiwanese tea that uses chewy tapioca balls in its base, is made from Taiwanese tea. It is commonly known as bubble tea in Hong Kong and China, pearl milk tea in Taiwan and New York, and boba in California and New York. It is derived from Taichung and Tainan, two cities in Taiwan. Boba tea was first introduced to Taiwan in 1980. From Chinatown to Thai street food markets and high-end tea estates, you can find it everywhere. This Taiwanese tea has grown in popularity over the past 10 years in Europe and the United States.

Where to Find Boba

Boba is a popular tea in significant coffee shops like Starbucks and Peet’s. Sencha, a dedicated bubble tea shop, has grown due to the wide variety of tea flavours. The Twin Cities and Madison have a variety of hand-crafted bubble teas, which change according to the season.

Simple Bubble Tea Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup boba tapioca pearls
• 7 cups of water
• 2 tablespoons honey, sugar syrup
• 1 cup of tea
• Ice

Step 1: Cook Tapioca Pearls

Bring the water to boil on high heat. Cook the boba pearls in the boiling water for 10 minutes or until they are soft. The cooked tapioca pearls can be saved for later. Turn the heat to medium and allow the pearls to cook in hot water for 30 more minutes.

Step 2 – Rinse the Pearls

To preserve the texture and taste of tapioca pearls, rinse them after being boiled. Before placing them in a small bowl, use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the pearls. You can store extra pearls by cooling them to room temperature and sealing the container. Add the honey or sugar syrup.

Step 3: Add Tea

Teabags, loose leaf tea or water are all you need to make tea. You can brew black and white teas at 200 to 212 F. For green and teas at 160 to 180 F. Allow the tea to cool down before adding the pearls.

Step 4: Garnish

To a tall glass, add 3 to 4 ice cubes. This recipe can be quadrupled to make more significant portions or large pitchers. If you are serving the drink at outdoor brunch, add a full cup of ice. Garnish your boba with a sliced lemon to add some flair. Enjoy the soft, chewy boba pearls and the sweet flavour of the tea by sipping through a wide straw.

Bubble Milk Tea Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup boba tapioca pearls
• 7 cups of water
• 2 tablespoons honey, sugar syrup (or any other sweetener such as brown sugar syrup or agave)
• 1 cup green or black tea
• 1/2 cup milk (whole, almond, or soy milk)
• Ice

Step 1 – Cook and rinse tapioca pearls.

To cook and rinse the tapioca ball, follow the instructions in the simple boba recipe.

Step 2 – Add Tea and Milk

You can brew and add tea the same way with boba tea. Regular milk can be used or alternative pints of milk such as almond milk, rice milk, coconut or rice milk. Condensed milk is used to sweeten many boba teas. This variety has a richer flavour and texture. It’s more like a shake, but it is more affluent.

Step 3 – Serve and Enjoy

Serve the boba milk in tall glasses with ice.

Fruit Infused Champagne Tea

Add fruit to your favourite bubble tea recipe to take it to the next level. There are many options. You can make orange bubble tea, strawberry or mango bubble tea. Follow the below recipe to make fruity bubble tea in just minutes. If you prefer, you can substitute fruit juice with natural fruit and add ice to make it into a smoothie. You can add energy to your morning fruit juice by adding ice to it. Mix milk and team for a fruity start to your day!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup boba tapioca pearls
• 7 cups water
• 2 tablespoons honey or sugar syrup
• 1 cup of tea (try Ginger Cirus Guayusa, Rainforest Mint to get a high-caffeine boost and delicious taste)
• 1 cup fresh fruit
• 1 cup milk
• Ice

Step 1 – Cook and rinse Boba Pearls.

To prepare the tapioca pearls, follow the instructions.

Step 2: Blend Ingredients

Blend fruit, honey and milk with tea in a blender.

Step 3 – Garnish and Serve

Add ice to a tall glass. Add a few pieces of fruit to the glass and garnish with a mint leaf.