Chewy, milky and sweet boba or bubble tea is not as difficult to make as it may seem. Maybe you already tried, and it didn't quite turn out as expected. We know how that feels. But once you master the ratios and ingredients, your homemade boba tea will always be delicious. This Strawberry Black Tea Boba is very easy to make and you can make it even if you can't find any fresh strawberries.
What is Boba Tea?
Boba tea is a popular Taiwanese milk tea served with tapioca pearls. Boba tea can be served both hot and cold, but cold boba is a preferred style worldwide. Recently, boba tea shops have been appearing at every corner, offering any possible flavour you can think of.
Do You Need to Make Boba Pearls?
All our recipes keep your time in mind, so we used store bought pre-made boba pearls rather than making them yourself. They are readily available in Asian stores and on Amazon. It will take about 10 minutes to boil them, and one pouch will be enough for 5-8 homemade boba teas. Plus, they come in different favours, so you can easily experiment with making different drinks until finding the one you love the most.
How Many Boba Pearls Should You Use?
You can use as many pearls as you want. We recommend boiling just enough to make the drink(s) you want, rather than saving them for later. Always keep an eye on boba pearls when you are boiling them because you don't want to overcook them. Cover them with honey or simple syrup immediately because they will start drying out fast.
Do You Need to Use a Sweetener?
Boba tea is traditionally sweet, so you can avoid extra sweeteners. Honey or simple syrup you use for coating boiled boba pearls will give some sweetness too. If you are using condensed milk, avoid extra sweeteners.
What is the Best Tea for Making Strawberry Black Tea Boba?
Any strong black tea with broken leaves will be good. But don't use the tea you wouldn't drink on its own. It's always a better idea to use high-quality teas to get a better tasting drink. Also, choose teas that won't be too bitter. You will need to make a stronger infusion because both ice and milk will dilute it. Bitter tea will never give a nice homemade boba. In this recipe we used strawberry flavoured black tea.
What To Use if You Don't Have a Strawberry Flavoured Black Tea?
If you don't have a strawberry flavoured black tea, you can always make your own. In fact, the following technique is great for adding more fruitiness, even to strawberry black tea blends. Wash and slice a few ripe fresh strawberries and steep them together with black tea. Even only a few will give a very delicious flavour. Assam or Nilgiri Indian black teas, Kenyan black teas or Ceylon black teas will all be great for this recipe.
What to Use if You Don't Have Fresh Strawberries either?
If you don't have fresh strawberries, you can use strawberry aroma or freeze-dried strawberries. Both are a great option if the strawberry season is over, and you can't find fresh strawberries in shops. Alternatively, you can make a simple syrup using frozen strawberries and use it to coat boba pearls and as a sweetener.
How to Make Strawberry Black Tea Boba Less Watery?
To make your boba tea less watery, you can cool down the tea and use less ice and choose milk with a higher fat percentage. Or, you can use either only evaporated milk, or the heavy whipping cream like in this recipe. And last, make a strong tea base. Not all teas will be suitable for making a milk tea. If the tea is using has a deep dark colour, it's likely good for making boba tea at home.
Strawberry Black Tea Boba
Equipment
- saucepan for cooking tapioca pearls
- tea filer, teapot or an infuser for brewing tea
- strainer for straining tapioca pearls
- Glass for serving
- electric hand frother
- small cup
Ingredients
- 1 cup of ice (about 6 large ice cubes)
- 50 ml of whole milk
- 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream
- 30-50 grams of boba pearls (about a handful)
- 1-2 tablespoons of honey
- 1 cup of water (around 200 ml)
- 2 heaped teaspoons of strawberry flavoured black tea OR 2 heaped teaspoons of strong black tea and a handful of fresh strawberries
- A few sliced fresh strawberries for garnish
- 1 litre of water for cooking tapioca pearls
Instructions
- Bring fresh water to a boil.
- If you are using fresh strawberries, wash and slice them and add them into a cup together with 2 teaspoons of tea leaves (strawberry flavoured or unflavoured).
- Steep the tea (and if using, fresh strawberries) for ten minutes. Alternatively, to make an even richer tea, boil tea leaves and strawberries in a saucepan for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, boil tapioca pearls following the instructions on the packaging. They only need a couple of minutes to boil and a couple of minutes of simmering. Have a bowl of cold water ready to wash them immediately once they are done. Coat them in a spoon of honey or simple syrup.
- Fill a large 300-350ml glass with ice.
- Once the tea is ready, if you are using honey as a sweetener, add more honey. If you are using a simple syrup or a sweetener that's easily dissolvable in cold water, you can add it later.
- Pour the tea over ice.
- In a small cup, mix milk and whipping cream and use a frother to froth it for a few seconds. You don't want a thick cream, only to blend both milk and cream together.
- Add frothed milk and cream to tea.
- Add tapioca pearls.
- Serve immediately with a large straw or a long teaspoon.