Boba Milk Tea Recipe (Bubble Tea w/ Sea Salt Cream)
High quality, homemade boba milk tea with sea salt cream topping made to your spec right at home! This recipe makes two glasses, which is the bare minimum you should do effort-wise.
1/2cdry boba (tapioca pearls)WuFuYuan brand from 99 Ranch
1cbrown sugar
Jasmine Tea
2cwater
2tbsploose leaf jasmine teaSunflower brand from 99 Ranch
2tbsphalf and halfonly if omitting Sea Cream
6tbspsugar syrupthat the boba was soaking in
Sea Cream
1/2cheavy whipping cream
1/4tspfine salt
Instructions
Quick Guide (proper order for efficiency!)
Brew tea and chill in the fridge
Cook boba / tapioca pearls
Make the Sea Cream
Divide boba into your glasses and add ice
Add tea to the glass, half and half if not using Sea Cream, and sugar syrup to taste (from the boba soak)
Optional steps: Add Sea Cream topping, and dust with matcha powder
Boba / Bubbles / Tapioca Pearls
In a medium sized pot, boil water on high heat. This boba package calls for adding the boba slowly to boiling water as you stir to prevent sticking.
Once the boba floats to the top, reduce heat to medium and cover the pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
After 2 minutes, try a pearl to check for doneness. Keep cooking if needed until the texture just about reaches desired doneness--it will keep cooking a tiny bit more in the next steps.
In a separate medium sized bowl, mix brown sugar and 1/2 c boiling water (taken from the pot of boba) together to make a sugar syrup.
Drain the rest of the water and transfer boba pearls directly to the sugar syrup container. Cover for 10 minutes. The end result should be chewy and sweet boba. Keep the boba in the simple syrup until assembly. You will also be using the simple syrup from this to sweeten your tea.
Jasmine Tea
Boil water to 180 °F in a kettle, then pour into a tea pot with jasmine tea. Steep for 10 minutes (you want to be careful not to go over 180 to prevent bitterness--I use an instant read thermometer to check temps).
Pour tea into two cups.
If serving hot, add half and half now. Half and half is only necessary if you are not adding Sea Cream.
If you are serving this cold, chill the tea in the fridge for ~30 minutes before adding ice and boba. (Not adding simple syrup until assembly.)
Sea Cream
Mix cold heavy whipping cream and salt to combine.
Whip until frothy but still runny.
Notes
Please note the sweetness level is made to match boba shops (i.e. very sweet) so I insist you adjust to your taste.Lastly, make sure to drink shortly after making this--the pearls (from anywhere) have a short life once cooked.