Boba Tea

Texas Bubble Tea

Inspired by a request from a Wiess sophomore, I explored Jusgo Supermarket, the Asian grocery store at 9280 Bellaire Boulevard (by Lai Lai Dumplings) in search of tapioca pearls for bubble  or Boba tea. WOW! They have like a dozen different kinds and sizes of tapioca pearls!  And I had already fallen in love with the teas at Path of Tea on West Alabama.  Can you say Dragon Jasmine?

Here is a modified recipe for cooking the tapioca pearls and using them in a milky tea over ice.  Truthfully, you should just go to Teahouse or your favorite Boba tea shop.  But if you are stuck out in the middle of nowhere and can get someone to ship you tapioca pearls and fat straws, here’s a recipe for doing it yourself.  It takes almost an hour to prepare so plan ahead.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup pre-cooked regular-size tapioca pearls (chilled in 1/4 cup sugar syrup, then drained)
  • 1 cup crushed ice
  • 1 cup very strong, sweet black tea, made at least 30 minutes earlier and chilled
  • 1 cup 2% milk  (if you are seriously in search of a sugar rush for late night studies, try 1 cup half-and half OR 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk)

Directions:

  1. Cook tapioca pearls ahead of time and chill in thin sugar syrup
  2. Make tea ahead of time and chill.  To make sweet strong tea, bring hot water to boiling, then steep tea (bags or loose) for 3-4 minutes (1-2 minutes longer than recommended time).  Remove tea bags or strainer and sweeten the hot tea by adding 2 teaspoons sugar or honey to 8 oz tea. Stir to combine thoroughly.  Cool the sweetened tea to room temperature and store in refrigerator until you are ready for Boba Tea.  Sweetened tea can last up to 48 hours in the refrigerator, then discard.
  3. Crush ice if you can’t buy it already crushed. Take 1 heaping cup of large ice cubes and place inside two Ziploc freezer bags.  Squeeze out the excess air then seal each bag. Hit the cubes through the bags with a meat mallet or bang against a hard surface like a tile floor to crush.
  4. Place the pearls at the bottom of a large clear glass.
  5. Combine 1 cup milk, 1 cup chilled sweet tea and 1 cup crushed iced.  It is best to shake this drink in a cocktail shaker but you can make do with the Ziploc bags if they don’t have holes.
  6. Pour iced, milky tea over tapioca pearls and serve with extra-thick straws.

Makes one 16-oz drink

How To Cook Regular-size Tapioca Pearls

Ingredients:

  • 7 cups boiling water
  • 1 cup tapioca pearls
  • 1/4 cup thin sugar syrup, like pancake syrup to store if not using immediately

Directions:
Bring water to boil in large pot over high heat. Slowly stir in the tapioca pearls so that they do not stick together. They drop to the bottom of the boiling water when you add them, then begin to float as they cook.  After adding all the pearls and boiling 1 minute, reduce heat to medium, cover pot with tight-fitting lid and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, remove covered pot from heat, and let the tapioca pearls sit in the hot water for an additional 15 minutes (don’t peak! leave the lid on). After 15 minutes of standing time, pour pearls and water out of pot in to wire colander or strainer. Rinse the tapioca pearls with cold water; drain well and use immediately or store in 1/4 cup thin, sugar syrup.

If you don’t use the tapioca pearls immediately, store for up to 8 hours in a thin sugar syrup like pancake syrup or honey, or make your own. Example 1: mix 2 TBSP white Karo with 2 TBSP water. Example 2:  2 Tablespoons white sugar, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar and 1/4 cup water and microwave on high for 30 seconds; stir, heat again on high for 30 seconds then cool before adding cooked tapioca pearls.

How To Cook Baby Tapioca Pearls

  • 3-1/2 to 4 cups boiling water
  • 1/2 cup baby tapioca pearls
  • 2 Tablespoons thin sugar syrup like pancake syrup to store if not using immediately

Add dry pearls to boiling water in medium pot. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and and allow to stand for about 5 minutes. Rinse in cold water. Drain and use within 8 hours. Store in thin sugar syrup if not using immediately.  Can keep up to 8 hours, then discard.