Bobalicious - Boba Tea

Boba, what a concept. When I first encountered boba, my face contorted, and I was definitely confused. My midwestern roots had never mixed a solid in with a liquid for a cool, refreshing, tasty drink. I wasn't even a tea drinker. I thought it tasted like barn hay for the longest time. It wasn't until I was sick with a sore throat and my boyfriend made me a hot cup of green tea with a bunch of sugar in it that I came to like tea. It was such a comfort for a scratchy throat.

If you are a country bumpkin like I was, and don't know what I'm talking about, boba is a tapioca ball that is usually black in color and is stored in honey where it absorbs a sweet flavor. It is super chewy and becomes addictive.

You need giant straws to suck up the "pearls", as they call them. You can also order "popping boba" which are flavor-filled skins. These are different than the classic boba.

Classic boba on the left, popping boba on the right (they are red-colored)

When we moved to Miami, there was this little place in the mall called Chai Time (closed now, boo). We ordered Jasmine Green Milk Tea with Boba, and it was a magical moment for me. But those suckers are expensive!!! Like $4.50 a pop. I had to figure out how to make this at home. It started off tricky because the boba can be overdone or underdone, depending on the time spent boiling, but I found the magical recipe, which I will share with you now:

Boba Pearls:

• 1/4 C tapioca flour
• Food coloring (optional, but recommended)
• 4 Tbsp Boiling water
• A pot of water
• Boba straws (I just bought a bunch off amazon, 0.5" wide)

Tea:

• Tea bags of your choice, such as Jasmine
• Brown sugar
• 1 C boiling water
• Half n' half, milk, or cream, whatever you got. 
• Ice cubes

Start by boiling the water. Measure out the tapioca flour into a cereal bowl. Once the water is boiling, add a Tablespoon at a time to the flour until you have a dough.It should feel just like playdough. At this time you can add your foodcoloring. Go crazy, add all the colors, because you want black. I at least aim for a deep purple. 

Boil a larger pot of water. While that is heating, begin rolling your dough out into a snake shape. I ran out of room on my counter, so I divided the snake in half to make a bunch of baby snakes...ooer. With a knife, cut little pieces. They should be small enough to fit through a boba straw (to start, make them smaller than you think they should be). Once you have pieces, begin rolling each one in your palms to form little balls. This is the most time-intensive part of the recipe. You'll also notice the dough will begin to dry, making it difficult to shape. This is why I work with a quarter of the dough at a time. 

Once all the balls are rolled and the water is boiling, add the dough balls to the pot of water. Boil for 15 minutes. The boba will begin rising and falling in a lyrical dance of sorts. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off, place a lid on top of the pot and let the boba sit for another 10 minutes. 

Drain the boba and place them in a jar. Completely submerge the boba with honey (I prefer clover honey), and cap the jar. Leave at room temp to cool and soak in the honey for at least a half hour. 

The boba will taste best day-of, so begin making your tea. Start by placing a scoop of brown sugar in the bottom of a tall cup/glass/jar. Add the cup of boiling water to the sugar to dissolve. Stir, stir, stir. I steep 2 bags of jasmine tea for about 4 minutes to make it really strong so the milk doesn't overpower the flavor. After steeping, add however much cream/milk you prefer. Taste to test the sugar level you want. I always end up adding more sugar, sigh, I know. Once the tea is to your liking, place it in the fridge or freezer to cool down a bit. 

You can add icecubes to your tea to make it the full experience, unless you don't have an icecube tray to make them, then just cool it down to fridge temp. Add the boba pearls! Stick in a big, fat straw, put your feet up, and enjoy this luxurious treat. These are the chewiest, sweetest, most wonderful boba you just can't buy from the store. And YOU MADE IT. Winning. 

I hope you give it a try at least once because it takes one back to their childhood days, playing with playdough. And now I'm a believer in making your own boba because you know it will be done correctly and be oh-so-fresh!