Saturday, September 13, 2008

Mike's Perfect Boba


My husband became completely infatuated with boba recently. (You can read about it on his blog, here.)  For those who may not know, it's a drink with tapioca pearls in it, so when you drink, you also get to chew.  It's odd but highly addictive.  
After sampling most of the flavors at the new boba place in town, he decided it was much more economical to make it himself.  After perusing a dozen recipes in various places on the internet, and making a few test batches, here is the recipe for success.

Milk tea mixture:
(makes about 40 oz.) 
5 cups water
4 black tea bags
1 1/4 cups non-dairy creamer
1/2 cup simple syrup

Boil water in a medium saucepan.  
Steep tea bags in water for about 4 minutes.
Return to medium heat.
Stir in 1 1/4 cups non-dairy creamer until completely dissolved.
Add 1/2 cup simple syrup (equal ratio of sugar and water, heated until sugar dissolves)
Pour through mesh strainer into a pitcher.
Place in refrigerator to cool.



For one boba tea:
about 1/4 cup 5-minute boba pearls, cooked according to package instructions
a few tbsp flavored syrup (such as Torani) 
About 10 oz milk tea (from above recipe)

Cook and drain the boba pearls. 
Run under cold water, drain well.
Place the pearls in the bottom of a pint glass.  
Add just enough syrup to cover boba, then add milk tea mixture to fill the glass.
Serve with a large boba straw.

6 comments:

That Girl said...

SO many questions! We are obsessed with Boba, but it's just not as prevalent down here as LA and OC. Where do you get your Boba, online or in a store? What brand? Was it soft and mushy or nice and chewy?

Cate said...

We got it at an Asian grocery store (Lion Market) in San Jose. It is E-Fa brand, and it's definitely nice and chewy.

Steph said...

I used to be obsessed with bubble tea, but I actually havn't had some in the longest time. We used to make our own for fun, but it was never the same. The outside would always end up soggy and the inside hard.

Kira said...

Oh wow! We love boba tea but have never thought of making it ourselves. Great idea and very economical!

What's Cookin Chicago said...

I like boba tea, but prefer the fruity freezes. You should give those a try! My fave flavors are jackfruit, avocado, lychee and lychee/mango (not all mixed though!) I find them to taste very light and a great alternative to shakes. If you can also find them, give the mini tapioca pearls a try too. My husband likes the big boba while I prefer the small ones :)

Anonymous said...

Cate, thanks for giving me another reason to go to the Asian market. I'm now on the hunt for BoBa. :)