How to Make Bubble Tea

Bubble tea originated in the 1980s in Taiwan where it's now as popular as soda in the U.S. A basic cold tea recipe was jazzed up with fruit flavorings, and one tea maker got creative and began adding chewy tapioca pearls, which would float to the bottom of the tea, giving a "bubbling" appearance. If you want to learn to make bubble tea, you have several recipes from which to choose.

Things You'll Need

• Black tea
• Large tapioca pearls
• Milk
• Ice
• Sweetener
• Fresh fruit, optional
• Cocktail or gravy shaker
• Thick straws

Instructions

1. Make a pot of regular black tea. While still hot, sweeten the tea with sugar or honey. Chill in the refrigerator.

2. Add one cup of tapioca pearls to a couple of cups of boiling water. The pearls should float, so keep them stirred up and don't let them stick to the bottom of the pan. The final consistency of the pearls will be similar to chewing gum.

3. Boil the tapioca for about 25 minutes and turn off the heat. Let the pearls sit covered in warm water for another 25 minutes.

4. Drain the tapioca and rinse with warm water. Add the pearls to the bottom of the tea cups you'll be using. Pour one part tea, one part milk and a tablespoon or two of ice into the shaker and shake until well mixed.

5. Pour the milk, tea, and ice blend (and fresh fruit, if you'd like) over the tapioca pearls. Top the drink with a few more pearls and place a straw in each drink before serving.

Tips & Warnings

• Tapioca pearls are usually black, but you should be able to find white or transparent ones as well.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Where to buy ingredients and supplies for bubble tea.
• This site has info about bubble tea and a great photo of the drink.