Jasmine Boba Milk Tea Recipe

serves 4

Boil a pot full of water.

Add, stirring gently:

1 c. WuFuYuan black tapioca boba (“ready in 5 minutes”) pearls

Wait until the pearls float. Cover. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit another 6 minutes. Strain. Submerge for 20 seconds in cold water. Strain again. Pour into a medium mixing bowl.

Squirt onto pearls:

1/4 c. honey

Separately, heat until sugars dissolve:

1 c. water

2/3 c. sugar*

1/3 c. dark brown sugar

Pour 1/2 c. of this over the honey/boba mixture and let sit for 1.5 hours.

Meanwhile, boil:

4 c. water

Remove from heat, and let sit for 1 minute.

Add:

1/2 c. dried jasmine (or 1/4 c. green jasmine loose leaf tea).

Cover and steep 15 minutes (ONLY 8 for tea!!). Strain infusion into a pitcher. Add the remainder of the sugar water.

Add:

1.5 c. half and half.

Refrigerate.

When ready to serve, mix:

1/4 c. boba

2 T. of the accompanying syrup

1.5 c. milk tea from the pitcher

some ice cubes (to complete the cooling).

Drink with a straw wide enough for the pearls.

*I used Moreno cane sugar, which is coarser.  Some bloggers making their own bubble (boba) tea said they use raw sugar, which has more flavor – not just sweet. 

I purchased my tapioca pearls at a nearby Asian market after doing some quick research on Amazon.  The brand I got usually had more the 4 stars online, so I felt confident in giving it a try.  It seems like every brand of the tapioca boba pearls is different, and they have instructions on the packages usually, but I extended the cooking time for mine past what the package said, as a compromise between the package and the recipes I was seeing (and also convenience, since I wasn’t organized enough to strain them when the package instructions said).

The dried jasmine was hard to find, but one of the Asian markets in the Denver metro area does carry it.  A good quality jasmine-infused green tea will work fine.  

Some recipes call for sweetened condensed milk instead of half and half. I might try it if I want the tea as a dessert instead of a with-(curry)-dinner drink.

What I've read says that the boba doesn't keep very well in the refrigerator after it’s been cooked (not more than a day), so you may want to cut the recipe down if you're only making one or two servings.

To God be all glory.