New year means a new recipe! Like a true American-born Taiwanese, boba milk tea has always been my “go-to” comfort drink.
Boba milk tea is also known as “bubble tea” or “pearl tea.” The drink was actually invented in the 1980s in Taiwan. Since the 1980s, there have been many variations of boba milk tea such as almond boba milk tea, green tea boba milk tea, fruit smoothie boba, etc.
The boba is basically just “starch balls.” Now, I know that doesn’t sound very appetizing, but I personally love it.
This drink can be found at the Taiwanese night markets and can be purchased for pennies. In the U.S., perfecting this drink has become somewhat of an art form–getting the perfect boba texture, the most ideal tea blend, etc…Boba prices here are kind of crazy–$4-5/8.5oz. As much as I love the drink, I’m pretty tired of paying an arm and a leg for food I can make myself.
My personal favorite version of this drink has always been the traditional boba milk tea with the black tea base. Thanks to Seongkyoung Longest from Asian at Home, I now have a new recipe in my arsenal.
Ingredients
3 to 5 black tea bags
1/4 cup quick cooking boba
1 Tbs honey
2 Tbs sweet condensed milk
2 Tbs milk
Directions
- Brew 3-5 tea bags in 1 cup of water and let steep for ~5 minutes. Remove tea bags and allow to cool completely. I used Lipton yellow label tea and 3 bags were more than enough. The goal here is to create a “tea concentrate” because later on we’re going to dilute this down with milk and ice.
2. Cook the boba! Be sure to prep it according to the directions on the back of the package. The texture of the boba matters. If you don’t do it right, it will come out rock solid in the middle or overly mushy. However, thankfully this is super easy to prep. I opted for instant 5-minute boba. Place 1/4 cup (1 serving) into 2 cups of boiling water (medium heat). When all of the boba floats to the surface, put a lid on the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the flame and allow to sit for another 2 minutes. When you’re done, strain the boba and shock it in a ice bath for about 1 minute. 
3. Prep the syrup. At this point, your boba will have no taste, so we want to infuse it with a sweet syrup. Place 1 table spoon of honey in a bowl, place the boba into the bowl and mix well.
4. Make the milk tea. Place 1-2 tablespoon of condensed milk into the bottom of a mason jar or anything you can shake your drink in. Then pour in your 1 cup of tea. Add in the boba with the honey water. Add in your milk. Fill the rest of the jar with ice cubes and leave a little bit of space.
5. Shake until everything is equally distributed and there is no more condensed milk at the bottom.
6. Add a boba straw and enjoy!
Food for Pennies... 