Original and colourful, bubble teas (or "boba tea") are all the rage when the sunny days arrive. They indeed appear all over social media at the first ray of sun, but do you know how to make them yourself?
Traditional or more offbeat, bubble teas can take on every flavour — enough to make yourself super-refreshing cocktails!
A little history of bubble tea
The first bubble teas come from the island of Taiwan. More precisely, it's a recipe developed by a tea house in the city of Taichung around 1980. The story goes that the drink very quickly became a success in the area — it was even the meeting spot for all the schoolchildren after class. Initially based on green or black tea, the little tea house decided to vary the pleasures in the face of the general craze and thus offered different, sweeter flavours.
But did you know that the name "bubble tea" doesn't come from the pearls inside? Originally, the drink was named this way because of the bubbles that formed on the surface when the tea was shaken to prepare it. It was moreover customary to shake your drink before drinking it to see as many bubbles as possible appear.
The tapioca pearls were only introduced about ten years later. They add chew, and their unusual texture only amplified the original aspect of this drink. It's moreover now called "boba tea" in some parts of Taiwan, because that's the name of these large cassava pearls.
Today, you can find ready-to-use pearls in specialist shops. All you have to do is drop them into the drink of your choice. These pearls are no longer just tapioca seeds but can contain different syrups.
Our selection of recipes
If you struggle to find the ingredients below in supermarkets, don't hesitate to turn to Asian grocery stores, which are full of incredible ingredients.
Finally, for cooking the tapioca pearls, the instructions can vary, but mainly refer to the directions on the packet you bought.
The essential — Matcha bubble tea
👥 serves 2
🥣 10 min preparation
🕒 15 min cooking
Ingredients
60 g large tapioca pearls
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons matcha powder
50 cl cold sencha green tea
2 tablespoons soy milk
ice cubes
Method
- Boil 50 cl of water
- Add the tapioca pearls and cook for 15 min, stirring regularly
- Let rest for 10 min before draining
- Mix 1 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp water with the pearls and let cool
- Vigorously mix the matcha, the cold tea, the soy milk, the ice cubes and the rest of the honey in another container
- Place the pearls in 2 glasses
- Pour the mixture over the pearls
Find the full recipe on ELLE.
The refreshing one — Peach bubble tea
👥 serves 2
🥣 10 min preparation
🕒 20 min cooking
Ingredients
60 g large tapioca pearls
40 cl peach nectar
10 cl milk
20 cl cold black tea
5 tablespoons brown sugar
ice cubes
Method
- Cook the tapioca pearls for 20 min in boiling water
- Rinse the pearls in cold water
- Mix the tea, milk and sugar in a container
- Add the nectar and the ice cubes
- Place the pearls in 2 glasses
- Pour the mixture over the pearls
Find the full recipe on 750g.
The comforting one — Hot chocolate bubble tea
👥 serves 4
🥣 10 min preparation
🕒 35 min cooking
Ingredients
6 teaspoons small tapioca pearls
3 teaspoons instant coffee
15 cl hot cinnamon tea
1 litre milk
1 bar of dark chocolate
2 tablespoons thick crème fraîche
2 tablespoons sugar
vanilla extract
vanilla ice cream
Method
- Cook the pearls for 35 min in 75 cl of water with the instant coffee, stirring regularly
- Let drain
- Warm the milk in a saucepan
- Add the chocolate and mix to get a smooth mixture
- Stir in the tea, the crème fraîche, the sugar and a few drops of vanilla extract
- Place the pearls in 4 cups
- Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the pearls
- Pour the hot mixture over everything
Find the full recipe on Tipiak.
Now grab your cups and your big straws (to let the pearls through) — all that's left is to enjoy!
