What is a fruity boba?

Until a decade ago, boba tea was still somewhat of a mystery. Today, it’s one of the most popular tea drinks worldwide. This doesn’t come as a surprise. Boba tea is unique, flavourful, chewy, and fun to drink. Traditional boba is made with tea, milk and tapioca pearls.

Unlike the traditional boba tea, fruity boba is made with fruit juice rather than milk. It’s lighter, often more refreshing, and just perfect for a hot summer day. Fruity boba often lacks the tea ingredient and contains juices and fruit powders instead.

Why Green Apple Boba?

Fruity bobas may be underestimated, but they are so much more than some sugary juice will a topping. This recipe will show you just how tasty a simple drink can be and why it’s definitely worth the effort.

This Green apple boba is super easy to make at home and incredibly delicious and refreshing. By using a homemade apple juice, your drink will have plenty of flavour that can’t be achieved with pre-made juices. If you ever made a homemade apple puree at home, you know exactly what we mean. Besides, you will avoid all preservatives and unnecessary ingredients, and you’ll be able to decide just how sweet you want it to be.

Ingredients for making Green Apple Boba

Green apples: This recipe is best with Granny Smith green apples with natural sourness, crispiness and light sweetness. Other types of green apples may be too tart (cooking apples) or too sweet (golden delicious).

Popping boba: Popping pearls are a great topping for juicy boba tea. They are not chewy like regular boba pearls, and a burst of juicy lychee flavour will add another flavour note to your apple boba tea. You can get Lychee popping pearls on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Sweetener: To keep the taste as fruity as possible, choose neutral, white granulated sugar. If you want a calorie-free option, Erythritol is a suitable substitute. Alternatively, stevia will work well too, but it will add additional flavour note.

Lemon juice: While this ingredient may look optional, it’s actually quite important. A few teaspoons of a freshly squeezed out lemon juice will intensify the sourness and keep apples green. This means you’ll end up with a beautiful bright yellow-green rather than a dark yellow drink.

Steps for making Green Apple Boba

Make an apple juice: To make an apple juice, you’ll need 150 grams of apples. This will equal 1-2 apples, depending on the size. Wash and peel them and chop into small chunks. Squeeze lemon juice over apple chunks. Simmer it on low heat only, as the juice will otherwise evaporate more quickly.

Assemble the drink: After making the green apple juice, the only thing you’ll need to do it to assemble the drink. Make sure to use lots of ice if your apple juice is still hot.

Additional step – add green tea

If you need a caffeine boost, add some green tea to your boba. Steep one teaspoon of green tea leaves in 100 ml of water for 3 minutes at 85 degrees Celsius. Stronger Gunpowder tea or lighter Mao Feng tea will both work well.  

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Green Apple Boba Recipe

Refreshing and Fruity Boba Tea

Course Drinks

Keyword Apple tea, Boba Tea, Caffeine free, Popping Boba

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Equipment

• saucepan
• Cheesecloth
• Serving glass

Ingredients

• 150 grams of Granny Smith green apple washed, peeled and chopped
• 300 ml of water ends up with 200 of apple juice
• 2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1-2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions

• Wash, peel and chop apples. Sprinkle them with lemon juice immediately.
• Simmer them in a small saucepan together with 300 ml of water for 20-30 minutes.
• Let it cool slightly to prevent burning yourself and strain using a cheesecloth. Cheesecloth is a better option than a kitchen strainer because you’ll be able to squeeze out as much juice as possible. You will end up with about 200 ml of apple juice. Add a sweetener into hot/warm tea so it dissolves easily.
• Fill a larger 300 ml glass with ice.
• Add apple juice. If you prefer extra sour flavour, you may add more lemon juice.
• Top up with lychee popping pearls.

The post Green Apple Boba Recipe – Fruity & Refreshing appeared first on All That Tea.

Learn what is butterfly pea tea and how to make this delicious boba tea at home.  

What is butterfly pea tea?

Butterfly pea tea or a blue tea is tea made from dried flowers of Clitoria ternatea plant. When brewed, these flowers give a beautiful blue infusion that’s unlike any other tea. While these flowers have a quite intense scent that may not appeal to all tea drinkers, they have a quite neutral taste. Plus, they are really versatile and go well with either milk or citruses. But what’s really special about blue tea is that once you change the pH value by adding citruses, the colour will change into purple. The more acidity you add, the more purple the colour will be.

Butterfly pea flowers are caffeine free, which makes them perfect for making refreshing summer drinks.

Ingredients for making Butterfly Pea Tea Boba

Butterfly pea flowers: Butterfly pea flowers are sold in tea shops and Amazon. However, not all are the same. With this ingredient, it really pays off to choose quality over price. Lower quality flowers may not always produce a beautiful blue colour.

Pomegranate: Although you can use a store-bought sugar free pomegranate juice, we recommend making it yourself. You’ll only need 3 tablespoons of fresh pomegranate seeds, a blender and a cheesecloth to strain it.

Lime: Fresh lime juice will add more complexity and distinct zestiness. It’s less sour than lemon, so don’t use lemons instead. Lychee popping boba: Popping boba pearls are available from many Asian stores and go super nice with this drink. Popping pearls are filled with liquid and will burst ones you bite into them. They are a wonderful topping for refreshing boba drinks. You can use pomegranate or raspberry popping pearls instead of lychee.

Sugar: You will need to add a sweetener to balance out the zestiness. Regular granulated sugar will work the best with this drink. Dissolve it in the hot tea, before adding ice. Alternatively, use a lighter honey.

Steps for making the drink

Make the tea: Start with bringing fresh water to a boil. Use about 10-12 dried flowers per cup of water. You can add a bit more or a bit less water, depending on your serving glass. Steep it for 5-7 minutes, or until you achieve a beautiful blue colour. Strain the tea into a clean, empty serving glass. Since butterfly pea flowers are quite big and often unbroken, you can also simply remove them with a clean teaspoon or a fork. Add sugar now because it will dissolve easier in hot tea. Add lots of ice.  

Prepare pomegranate juice: Use blender to blend about 3 heaped tablespoons of pomegranate seeds. Strain the juice into a serving glass with butterfly pea flower tea. You will get about 5 teaspoons of pure pomegranate juice.

Add lime and pooping boba: Squeeze in lime juice and add popping boba pearls. Stir and serve.

Want more butterfly pea flower drink ideas? Check out this Iced Butterfly Pea Flower tea and Milky Butterfly Pea Boba with Matcha Pudding.

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Butterfly Pea Tea Boba with Popping Pearls Recipe

Super refreshing boba

Course Drinks

Keyword Blue Tea, Boba Tea, Butterfly Pea Flower, Pomigranate

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Equipment

• Kettle and a cup for brewing the tea
• Blender and a cheesecloth for pomegranate juice

Ingredients

• 12 dry butterfly pea flowers
• 1 cup of water
• 1 glass of ice
• 3 tablespoons of pomegranate seeds
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• ½ lime
• 1-2 tablespoons of lychee popping boba

Instructions

• Bring fresh water to a boil.
• Steep butterfly pea flowers for 5-7 minutes in hot water.
• Strain the tea into a clean serving glass and add sugar. Stir until dissolved.
• Add ice.
• Blend 3 heaped tablespoons of pomegranate seeds in a blender. Strain the juice using a cheesecloth. Pour it into tea.
• Add lime juice.
• Add popping boba pearls.

The post Butterfly Pea Tea Boba with Lychee Popping Pearls – Super Refreshing! appeared first on All That Tea.

Why you should try strawberry lychee green tea boba

Let’s admit it. There might be dozens of super tasty seasonal fruits out there, but nothing will ever beat the classic strawberry. Especially when they are in season and taste like strawberries should taste – rich and sweet. Lychee is adding just enough uniqueness to this recipe not to be flat and common and green tea gives a healthy and complex base. This strawberry lychee milk tea is not too milky. It has just enough milk to add one more layer of flavour and improve the texture. And last, it’s chewy and fun to drink.

Need more inspiration? Find out how to make strawberry milk tea with black tea leaves.

Strawberry lychee boba tea ingredients

Fresh strawberries and lychee – To make this recipe, you will need at least 5 large fresh strawberries and 3 lychees to make a homemade version of a simple syrup. This is not a regular simple syrup, and it’s waterier and lighter on sugar. However, it’s filled with strawberry and lychee flavour. You won’t be able to get the same intense fruity flavour is you are using store-bought strawberry syrups, so it’s definitely worth investing some time to make it from a scratch. The instructions below are for making one serving.

Sugar – use regular white granulated sugar or light brown sugar to get a light nutty caramel note. You can replace it with a sugar alternative too. You will add sugar only to a homemade syrup; however, you can add more if you feel your drink needs some extra sweetness.

Green tea – green tea will give a perfect mellow and fresh base for this boba tea. Zhen mei (chun mei) green tea is strong enough to be blended with milk and fruits and still offers a recognisable green tea flavour. Other good choices are gunpowder, which is a tad stronger, and many Indian green teas. If you don’t have a suitable loose green tea, you may use green tea bags too. However, make sure it’s not overly bitter.

Coffee creamer – 1-2 teaspoons of coffee creamer will add a perfect milkiness while preserving all flavour notes. Alternatively, use half-and-half or evaporated milk. For a vegan strawberrylychee milk tea, use a vegan creamer alternative.

Lychee boba pearls – lychee flavoured boba pearls are less common than brown sugar tapioca pearls, but they are amazing for fruity boba teas. They are much more refreshing and just perfect for summer drinks. They are available in most Asian grocery stores and on Amazon.

Instruction for making boba tea

Make a lychee strawberry syrup first: wash and slice strawberries and peel lychees and remove the pit. Simmer them in a saucepan together with sugar and water over low heat until it thickens. You can add more sugar if needed. However, this will usually be enough if you love lightly sweetened drinks. You can add more fruits too. This is not a regular simple syrup, which is made with much more sugar.

Brew the tea – Use 2 heaped teaspoons of loose tea leaves per cup of water and steep longer than usual, about 5 minutes. This will help extract more flavour. Don’t over-steep it though, as the flavour will become too bitter and the colour too dark. You don’t need to cover it while steeping.

Cook tapioca pearls – follow the instruction on the packaging to cook the pearls. This will take less than 10 minutes. You’ll need a small saucepan, lid and water. To prevent overcooking, wash them in cold water once they are done and coat them with strawberry lychee syrup.

Assemble the drink: Once you have all the ingredients ready, including lychee boba pearls coated in a homemade syrup and brewed tea, start assembling strawberry lychee milk tea. Pour tea into the glass filled with ice first. Add your boba pearls with and all syrup, then add a creamer and stir.  

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Strawberry Lychee Milk Tea

Super tasty and refreshing milk tea for summer with fresh fruits, green tea and lychee boba pearls

Course Drinks

Keyword Boba Tea, Green Tea, Lychee, Strawberries

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Equipment

• Saucepan + lid
• Kitchen strainer
• Kettle
• Serving glass
• cup

Ingredients

Strawberry lychee syrup

• 5 large strawberries
• 3 lychees
• 2-4 teaspoons sugar
• 100 ml water

For cooking boba pearls

• 20 grams lychee boba pearls
• ½ litre water

For making green tea

• 220 ml freshly boiled water, 85°C or 185°F
• 2 heaped teaspoons green tea – zhen mei or similar tea

For assembling the drink

• 1 teaspoon coffee creamer
• Glass of ice
• sugar optional, if you need more sweetness

Instructions

Strawberry lychee syrup

• Wash and slice strawberries and add them to a small saucepan.
• Peel lychee and remove pits. Add lychee to a saucepan togther with strawberries.
• Add sugar and 100 ml of water and simmer on medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes with occasional stirring.
• Strain the syrup into a small glass or a cup. If you want to remove all the fruit bits, use a cheesecloth. Otherwise, regular strainer will be fine. If you are using a cheesecloth, let it cool down first to prevent burning yourself.

For cooking boba pearls

• In a small saucepan, bring about ½ litre of water to a boil.
• Add tapioca pearls and wait until they float to the surface.
• Cover and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Wash them with cold water immediately and coat with homemade strawberry syrup.

For making green tea

• In a kettle, bring water to a boil. Let it cool for 5 minutes.
• Steep 2 teaspoons of tea leaves in a cup of water (220 ml) for 5 minutes.

For assembling the drink

• Fill the large glass with ice.
• Strain the tea into a glass.
• Stir in cooked boba pearls together with a homemade strawberry syrup.
• Add one or two teaspoons of coffee creamer.
• Serve with a large straw or a latte spoon.

The post Strawberry Lychee Milk Tea – Milky Boba for Summer appeared first on All That Tea.

Every cup of tea should be a treat. Lychee green tea is one of those teas that are truly refreshing and a pure joy to drink. Add some gentle floral notes and you will get a tea that deserves to be a part of your daily self-care routine. Teardrop of Peony is just that – a delicious, gentle, and sophisticated lychee tea that’s a pure joy to drink.

What is Teardrop of Peony?

Teardrop of Peony is a flavoured green tea with an incredible floral and fruity scent blended with mao feng green tea, peony petals and lychee aroma. This unique tea comes from The Smallest House (Het Kleinste Huis), a Dutch tea shop based in Amsterdam. It’s a beautiful, quite simple and a completely unique tea. While lychee teas are not a novelty (especially lychee flavoured green tea), they are not as widely available at all. Lychee tea is often a simple, 2 ingredient blend that includes only green tea base and a lychee flavour. Unlike other fruit flavoured green teas, lychee bends don’t contain any lychee fruit pieces. The most common additional ingredient is rose, that goes really well with this fruit. But it’s not the appearance that makes it stand out – it’s the scent and flavour.

What does this lychee tea taste like?

Once you try lychee tea, you will remember it forever. This tea has a very intense fruity, sweet and rosy floral scent. It’s unmistakeably a lychee green tea, but with additional rosy floral notes.

Once brewed, the tea is not as intense as the scent of dry leaves. It’s a delicately flavoured mellow green tea with a lighter body. Since the base of this blend is Chinese mao feng green tea rather than more common gunpowder or chun mei teas, it is lighter and may be more appealing to tea drinkers that are just starting to explore teas.

Teardrop of Peony is very easy to brew, and it won’t become bitter even if you over-brew it. However, as with any green tea, it’s best to keep the water temperature at 74-80 degrees Celsius and steep the tea leaves for up to 3 minutes. You can re-steep the same leaves with a slightly hotter water.

Flavour profile makes this tea great for cold brewing too, but it may be a tad too light for making a proper iced or sweet tea. It’s best served with no condiments and enjoyed while still hot.

This tea is unique, but it’s so delicate and moreish, it could easily become your favourite daily tea. It would be a brilliant choice for tea drinkers that want to create a habit of drinking unsweetened green tea, without overwhelming flavours or bitterness. Because of its unique character and lightness, it can be appreciated by experienced tea drinkers that prefer drinking pure unflavoured teas as well.

Tea Recap

Water or milk? Water.

Day or night? Day or afternoon.

Hot or iced? Hot or cold-brewed.

Sweetened or pure? Pure.

Caffeine? Yes

What’s the price? Starting from 4.00 EUR.

Where to buy? Get Teardrop of Peony from The Smallest House website.

The post Teadrop of Peony – Alluring Lychee Tea appeared first on All That Tea.