Step 1: Cook Your Pearls
This is the most important part. Bad pearls ruin the whole drink. Here's how to get them right every single time.
Boil a big pot of water
Use way more water than you think. The pearls need room to move around freely. For one portion (about 60g of dry pearls), use at least 6 cups of water. Get it to a rolling boil before adding anything.
Add the pearls
Pour them in all at once and stir immediately. They'll sink to the bottom and stick if you don't stir. Keep stirring gently until they float, which takes about 30 seconds.
Boil for 5 minutes
Keep the water at a rolling boil. Don't turn the heat down. The pearls need that aggressive heat to cook through evenly. Set a timer.
Turn off heat, cover, soak for 5 minutes
This is the step people skip and then wonder why their pearls have a hard centre. The residual heat finishes cooking the inside. Just put the lid on and wait.
Drain and add syrup
Pour the pearls into a strainer, rinse briefly with cold water, then transfer to a bowl. Add your brown sugar syrup while they're still warm. They absorb flavour best when hot. Let them sit for at least 2 minutes before using.
Step 2: Brew Your Tea
The tea is actually just as important as the pearls. A lot of boba shops use weak tea and hide it with sugar. We don't do that.
Heat water to the right temp
For black tea (Classic kit): 100C / full boil. For white tea (Fruit kit): 80C / just below boiling. Too hot and white tea gets bitter. If you don't have a thermometer, just let boiled water cool for 2 minutes.
Use more tea than normal
Since we're pouring over ice, the tea needs to be strong. Use about 1.5x what the packet says. For our Assam: 2 heaped teaspoons per cup. Steep for 4 minutes. No longer or it gets astringent.
Strain and cool slightly
Remove the leaves. You can pour the hot tea directly over a full glass of ice if you want it immediately, or let it cool in the fridge for 10 minutes for a less diluted result.
Step 3: Assemble Your Drink
This is the fun part. Here's the order that works best:
Pearls first
Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of syrupy pearls into the bottom of your glass. Use a tall glass (at least 500ml) so you have room for everything.
Ice next
Fill the glass about 2/3 full with ice. Standard ice cubes are fine. Crushed ice melts too fast and waters things down.
Pour the tea
Pour your brewed tea over the ice until the glass is about 3/4 full. Leave room for milk if you're adding it.
Add milk (for milk tea kits)
About 3-4 tablespoons of whole milk, oat milk, or our coconut milk powder mixed with water. Pour it slowly so it layers. Or stir it right in. Both are valid.
Straw, stir, drink
Insert your wide stainless steel straw, give it one good stir from the bottom, and you're done. Drink immediately for best texture.
Troubleshooting
My pearls are hard in the middle
You skipped the soaking step or didn't soak long enough. Next time, keep the lid on for the full 5 minutes after turning off the heat. If they're really underdone, put them back in boiling water for 2-3 more minutes.
My pearls are mushy
Boiled too long. The sweet spot is 5 minutes of boiling, not more. Also make sure your water is at a full rolling boil when you add them. If the water temp is too low, the pearls absorb too much water.
My tea tastes bitter
Steeped too long. For black tea, 4 minutes max. Pull the leaves out. If you're using the white tea (fruit kit), it needs lower temperature water: 80C, not boiling.
My drink is too watery
Too much ice, or the tea wasn't brewed strong enough. Next time use more tea leaves and slightly less ice. You want the tea concentrated because it will dilute as the ice melts.
Ready to make your first cup?
Grab a kit and follow these steps. You'll be a boba expert in 15 minutes.
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