Going out for bubble tea is a decidedly summertime treat for me. Not because I don’t want it in the winter, but because I don’t do as much aimless outdoor meandering—a delightful activity that can only be improved with a tasty drink in hand. Instead, I just make my favorite iced Thai milk tea with tapioca pearls at home. This way saves me cash, and I can modify the flavor and sweetness to fit my bubble tea personality. Read on for what I consider to be the best homemade bubble tea ratio, so you can have a taste of summer in the winter too.
What is bubble tea?
Bubble tea, also called boba tea, is a drink that originated in Taiwan and is as much a refreshing drink as it is an activity. It usually consists of tea, (optional) milk, sweetener, ice, and bubbles—but not the gas-filled kind. The bubbles are interchangeably called boba or tapioca pearls, the latter being the most descriptive. They’re little spheres about the size of chickpeas, made from tapioca flour, sugar, and water. Boil these little beads and they soften into chewy, slightly sweet starch balls. You can even make your own at home, which is a little time consuming, but you can certainly save even more money that way.
The soft, chewy pearls are added to a cup, topped with ice, and the glass is filled with sweet milk tea. As you drink the tea with a large straw, you pick up a few boba in every sip. Drink the tea, chew the gummies, and enjoy your surroundings. Don’t try to talk. You’ll lose bubbles like that.
The perfect ratio for bubble tea
It took me a few tries to nail the perfect ratio of bubble tea at home. I kept making it too weak in every way. Too watery, not sweet enough, and not enough boba. Finally, I settled on a ratio that brings me happiness. It’s important to note that the first sip is always intense because I’m expecting it to dilute over time as the ice melts. That’s what happens when I buy it from the store, and that’s how I like it. The trick is to brew double-strength tea directly in the milk.
The ratio for the best at-home bubble tea is 2:1 sweet tea to bubbles. For one serving, I do two-thirds of a cup of sweet milk tea, and a one-third cup dry measure of uncooked tapioca pearls.
1. Brew your tea
The tea part is a great place to get creative. You can use any tea you like, with or without milk. However, if you are making a milk tea, I recommend steeping the tea in 100% of whatever milk you’re using. Don’t cut it with water. Don’t use tea that was brewed separately first with water. That makes for a diluted flavor.
I use almond milk, so I pour two-thirds of a cup into a small pot and heat it to scalding. That’s when little bubbles start accumulating on the sides of the pot. Alternatively you could heat your milk in the microwave.
I’ve discovered double strength tea is best for bubble tea. Take the liquid off the heat and add two bags of your preferred tea to the hot milk, or water if you’re not using milk. Steep according to the directions of your tea, usually about five minutes. After they’re finished steeping, remove the bags and squeeze them between two spoons to get all the concentrated tea out of the bags. For Thai milk tea I use ChaTraMue brand.
2. Add the sweetener
I like to add sweetener now so it dissolves easily in the warm liquid. You can use white sugar, brown sugar, non-sugar sweetener, honey, or sweetened condensed milk. Alternatively, go completely unsweetened. It’s up to you, and if needed you can always add some later but it will take some stirring to dissolve it. I added one tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk, but sometimes I do honey. Stir and let the liquid cool to room temperature, or keep it in the fridge to chill for the next day.
3. Boil your bubbles
About 10 minutes before I want bubble tea, I boil the tapioca pearls. I use this pre-made bubble brand because the boba tastes good and the texture doesn’t get too soft. Whichever brand you use, boil the pearls according to the package directions.
This brand instructs to boil the pearls for three to five minutes covered, and then somehow to simmer with the heat off for three to five minutes. Since a simmer won’t hold if the heat is off, I just turn off the heat and let them sit, covered on the hot burner for five minutes and that does the trick. The pearls will initially sink and quickly start to float, but when they’re finished cooking they have a fully translucent color and they will all sink again.
4. Build your tea
Drain the pearls and cool them according to the package’s directions. Mine got a quick dunk in cold water to cool them off. Pour the drained pearls into a drinking glass. Fill the glass with ice, or as much as you like, and pour the sweet milk tea over the ice. If you like a fancy ombré look like I did in the picture just gently spoon a tablespoon of plain milk over the top.
Enjoy your tea with a big boba straw, or if you don’t have one, just use a long spoon to scoop up some boba every now and then. I encourage you to experiment with other tea flavors; you’d be surprised what tastes great as a milk tea. Celestial Seasonings has a great collection of fruity herbal teas that I enjoy if I’m in the mood for something brighter with my boba.
Perfect Thai Bubble Tea Recipe
Ingredients:
2/3 cup milk
2 bags of Thai tea
1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup dry tapioca pearls, boiled to package directions
Ice to fill the glass
1. In a small pot, heat the milk until scalding. Add the bags of tea and steep according to the package’s directions, about five minutes. Squeeze the tea bags after they’ve steeped to get all of the tea out. Stir in the condensed milk and allow the tea to cool to room temperature or put it in the fridge overnight.
2. Add the cooked tapioca pearls to a glass. Fill the glass with ice, and pour the cooled tea into the glass. Stir, and enjoy your bubble tea.
