I love treating myself a milk boba tea. Creamy, sweet, caffeinated, and doused in chewy fun – it's the perfect dessert-and-beverage-in-one. I previously shared some recipes
found on the web for creating this sweet concoction. However, I found that
most of these recipes and cafe-bought milk boba tea tends to be ultra
rich {from the dairy creamer used} and super sweet {from the pre-mixed
syrups}. So I now whip up my own version at home and have come up with my own process which
I find to be much easier, less heavy, and equally as tasty which I am
sharing with you today.

You'll need:
Loose tea
Tapioca pearls
Honey or sugar
Tea stick or coffee press
Milk tea powder
Jumbo straws

Here's how:

1. Make boba using the packaged tapioca pearls found at Asian grocery stores. I like the WuFuYuan
brand in the classic black tapioca color. {Note: this brand's tapioca pearls are already partially cooked so they won't take as long to make as this kind.}  Follow the directions on the
package which basically involves boiling the pearls for 5-10 minutes,
straining, then soaking in honey or sugar until ready to use. The full 8 oz. bag
makes 4-6 servings of Boba. So, if you're making just one or two
servings, I would use 1/4 of the bag.

2. While the boba is boiling, make your tea. I prefer black tea and use a fresh loose black coconut tea from Premium Steap,
but any loose tea of your choice will do. Because you'll be adding a
good portion of milk, the tea needs to be made in concentrated form.
For each serving, you'll need about 3-4 teaspoons of loose tea and 1/4
cup of hot water. You could use a tea stick or a Vietnamese coffee press
{available at Asian grocery stores} to brew your tea. Brew for 3-5 minutes until dark in color and rich without being bitter.

3. Add 3-4 teaspoons of black milk tea powder
to your concentrated tea brew. This adds sweetness and extra creamy
black tea flavor. Then add milk to your mixture. {The ratio is about
1/3 tea mixture to 2/3 milk.} Full fat milk will obviously be the
tastiest but low fat works well too. Non-fat and skim milk may be a bit
too watery here, but it's your choice. {If you want a simple tea boba with no milk then skip
this step all together.}

4. Finally, pour boba into a glass, add ice, and pour your milk tea mixture on top. Don't forget to add the straw!

{photos by Oh Joy. napkin by DwellStudio, vintage chalkboard from Blue Bell Bazaar.}