After trying boba tea once, I was immediately hooked on this fun alternative to the usual cold summer beverages - iced coffee, smoothies or juice. Boba tea, also known as bubble tea, is a Taiwanese drink with a base of brewed black or green tea and cooked tapioca pearls. (full recipe at the end of this post)
The tapioca pearls add a nice texture and once cooked, can be sweetened with additions such as sugar, agave, honey or fruit nectar.
Coat the cooked tapioca pearls with your choice of sweetener while they are still hot for the best absorption.
LYCHEE BOBA TEA (yields 2 servings)
2 cups brewed black tea, chilled
1/2 cup dry boba pearls
3 & 1/2 cups water
1 tsp sugar (honey, agave or fruit nectar can also be used)
1 cup milk
1 cup lychee juice
ice
Instructions:
Bring 3 & 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Add the 1/2 cup of dry tapioca pearls and let boil for 5 minutes. If you'd like to increase the recipe amount, you would use a ratio of 7:1 for water to tapioca pearls.
Drain the pearls well and while still hot, coat with your choice of sweetener. I used natural sugar.
Place half of the cooked and sweetened pearls into each of 2 glasses. Add the chilled brewed tea, milk and lychee juice. If you prefer a different juice flavor, you can simply substitute. If you prefer a basic tea, you can omit the juice all together. Top with ice & enjoy!
SHOP -----> tapioca pearls | colander | ikat bowl | tumblers | dish towel | jumbo straws
