Have you had bubble tea? I really love to drink them. You might know it as boba tea or pearl tea. It's basically a cold (could be hot but generally cold) milk tea served with large black tapioca pearls. I've always been curious about what it would take to make my own at home so I gave it a shot.
An import out of Taiwan, I remember when this drink began bubbling up (pun intended) here in the U.S. around the mid-90's...at least that's when I started drinking them. You can get boba (the tapioca pearls) with many kinds of flavored drinks or coffee but the black milk tea is the classic and my favorite. Maybe it's my love of carbs but I simply cannot resist that slightly springy chewiness of well-cooked tapioca pearls mixed with a nice cold milk tea. I wish I could cut down on my consumption of these drinks because let's face it, there's too much sugar and other questionable ingredients in these beverages we buy but I just can't resist having one whenever I get a chance.
I remember falling in love with this drink and buying these large 20-oz. cups of bubble tea back in the 90's and wondering if it was just a fad. Fast forward all these years later, bubble or boba tea is a mainstay that can be found all over Chinatowns and Asian restaurants and I'm still drinking them. Before we got married, my husband and I used to go to one particular Chinese cafe in Brooklyn (I've talked about my love of Chinese cafes or tea shops before) all the time to drink bubble tea and eat snacks or lunch and chat. I just loved doing that. My husband liked it too but no where near as much as I do but since he likes to indulge me, we went often for afternoon tea and sometimes even right after lunch. The place is no longer there now so I'm glad we took advantage of it when we had the chance.
I remember falling in love with this drink and buying these large 20-oz. cups of bubble tea back in the 90's and wondering if it was just a fad. Fast forward all these years later, bubble or boba tea is a mainstay that can be found all over Chinatowns and Asian restaurants and I'm still drinking them. Before we got married, my husband and I used to go to one particular Chinese cafe in Brooklyn (I've talked about my love of Chinese cafes or tea shops before) all the time to drink bubble tea and eat snacks or lunch and chat. I just loved doing that. My husband liked it too but no where near as much as I do but since he likes to indulge me, we went often for afternoon tea and sometimes even right after lunch. The place is no longer there now so I'm glad we took advantage of it when we had the chance.
Living in New Jersey now, I can still get my bubble tea "fix" in a couple of places nearby and I do. But I always wonder what it'd take to make the drink myself and figured it'd be cool to be able to control what I put in it (some places use powdered mixes for the tea). I remember reading this post about making your own bubble tea from thekitch.com but it sounded too good to be true. From what I hear, the homemade version usually falls short of expectations and getting those tapioca pearls just right can be a challenge. Plus, I don't know anyone personally who's made it at home. I had a lingering suspicion that making a cup of bubble tea requires more work and technique than we realize but I'd never know unless I try.
So after having actually done it, I have tell you that it is indeed a lot more work than I'm willing to invest in regularly! Surprisingly, getting the right texture of tapioca pearls wasn't the biggest issue (though it was very time consuming). Turns out, getting the tea just right is a tricky thing that takes practice. So all in all, while it is very gratifying to successfully make something with your own two hands, it is quite a commitment to brew your own tea in advance, watch a pot of boiling tapioca pearls for 2 hours, and make your own sugar syrup before you can assemble this drink. It came out quite good and tasting similar to the tea from one of my favorite places to get it but given the amount of time and effort, I think I'll just gladly hand over my $3.50 and let someone else do the work.
Check out what it takes to "do-it-yourself" after the jump...
So after having actually done it, I have tell you that it is indeed a lot more work than I'm willing to invest in regularly! Surprisingly, getting the right texture of tapioca pearls wasn't the biggest issue (though it was very time consuming). Turns out, getting the tea just right is a tricky thing that takes practice. So all in all, while it is very gratifying to successfully make something with your own two hands, it is quite a commitment to brew your own tea in advance, watch a pot of boiling tapioca pearls for 2 hours, and make your own sugar syrup before you can assemble this drink. It came out quite good and tasting similar to the tea from one of my favorite places to get it but given the amount of time and effort, I think I'll just gladly hand over my $3.50 and let someone else do the work.
Check out what it takes to "do-it-yourself" after the jump...
