How to make bubble tea
Let's make café-style bubble tea(or boba tea) at home.
Who knew you could make bubble tea in your kitchen?
If this is your first exposure to bubble tea – you're in for quite the tea-reat. Originating in Taiwan during the 1980s, bubble tea is essentially iced tea with a layer of chewy tapioca pearls on the bottom, often topped with milk. The tapioca is boiled and steeped in sugary caramelized syrup for hours to give us those black slurpable pearls – and they're no match for your average straw.
Making your own bubble tea might seem overwhelming at first, and that's ok – that's what we're here for. Follow our visual how-to guide and you'll have it nailed in no time.
What you’ll need:
4 Perfect Spoons of loose leaf tea8 oz (1 cup) near-boiling water
¼ cup of tapioca (boba) pearls
Ice
Step 1: Measure your tea
Measure your favorite tea using the Davids Tea Perfect Spoon – a stainless steel spoon designed to help measure your loose leaf tea correctly. Just scoop 4 Perfect Spoons (approx. 3 tablespoons) of your loose leaf tea into the Davids Tea 16 oz Steeper.
Step 2: Pour in hot water
With your loose leaf ready to go, it's now time to fill your Steeper with 8 oz (1 cup) of near-boiling water from a kettle. So how hot should your water be? To make sure you get the best results, follow this simple steeping guide.
Step 3: Let it steep
This is where the magic happens.
Here's where you want to set a timer to give your tea the time it needs to release all of its wonderful flavors and aromas.
Step 4: Add boba pearls
Drop ¼ cup of cooked tapioca (boba) pearls into the bottom of a 16 oz mug. Where can you find these incredible little balls of magic? At your local grocery store, normally in the baking aisle, next to cake mixes and puddings.
Step 5: Dispense tea over ice
Fill your mug with ice, rest the Steeper right on top and watch as your infused tea pours out like magic through the easy-release valve. The filter will strain your tea directly into your ice-filled cup while keeping the tea leaves in the infuser. And when you're done, the valve closes automatically.
