How to make
bubble tea
Let's make café-style
bubble tea
(or boba tea) at
home.
Who knew you could make bubble tea in your kitchen?
If this is your first exposure to bubble tea – you're in for quite the tea-reat. Originating in Taiwan during the 1980s, bubble tea is essentially iced tea with a layer of chewy tapioca pearls on the bottom, often topped with milk. The tapioca is boiled and steeped in sugary caramelized syrup for hours to give us those black slurpable pearls – and they're no match for your average straw.
Making your own bubble tea might seem overwhelming at first, and that's ok – that's what we're here for. Follow our visual how-to guide and you'll have it nailed in no time.
What you’ll
need
- 4 Perfect Spoons of loose leaf tea
- 8 oz (1 cup) near-boiling water
- ¼ cup of tapioca (boba) pearls
- Ice
- Steeper
- 16 oz mug
Step 1
Measure your tea
Measure your favourite tea using the DavidsTea Perfect Spoon – a stainless steel spoon designed to help measure your loose leaf tea correctly. Just scoop 4 Perfect Spoons (approx. 3 tablespoons) of your loose leaf tea into the DavidsTea 16 oz Steeper.
Step 2
Pour in hot water
With your loose leaf ready to go, it's now time to fill your Steeper with 8 oz (1 cup) of near-boiling water from a kettle. So how hot should your water be? To make sure you get the best results, follow this simple steeping guide.
Step 3
Let it steep
This is where the magic happens.
Here's where you want to set a timer to give your tea the time it needs to release all of its wonderful flavours and aromas.
Step 4
Add boba pearls
Drop ¼ cup of cooked tapioca (boba) pearls into the bottom of a 16 oz mug. Where can you find these incredible little balls of magic? At your local grocery store, normally in the baking aisle, next to cake mixes and puddings.
Step 5
Dispense tea over ice
Fill your mug with ice, rest the Steeper right on top and watch as your infused tea pours out like magic through the easy-release valve. The filter will strain your tea directly into your ice-filled cup while keeping the tea leaves in the infuser. And when you're done, the valve closes automatically.
Steeping guide
White tea
video
The purest, least processed tea, with a delicate and smooth flavour.
Steep Temp:
90°C/195°F
Steep Time:
3-5 min.
Green tea
video
Bright, invigorating and delicate – green tea leaves are either steamed or pan-fired.
Steep Temp:
Japanese green tea:
80°C/175°F
Chinese green tea:
85°C/185°F
Steep Time:
2-4 min.
Oolong tea
video
Partly oxidized tea that’s deep, complex, and fragrant – a step along the way to black.
Steep Temp:
90°C/195°F
Steep Time:
4-5 min.
Black tea
video
Fully oxidized during processing, it needs a lot of heat to help extract its dark, rich flavours.
Steep Temp:
95°C/200°F
Steep Time:
3-5 min.
Pu’erh tea
video
An aged tea that’s naturally fermented for a sweet, mellow and distinctively earthy brew.
Steep Temp:
95°C/200°F
Steep Time:
4-5 min.
Maté
video
Get the perfect balance of toasty and earthy sweetness from this smooth South American herb.
Steep Temp:
95°C/200°F
Steep Time:
3-5 min.
Rooibos
video
A naturally sweet, hydrating and caffeine-free herb that comes from the South African rooibos bush.
Steep Temp:
95°C/200°F
Steep Time:
4-5 min.
Herbal & Fruit Infusions
video
Not actually tea at all, but fresh or dried herbs, spices, fruit pieces, flowers and grains.
Steep Temp:
95°C/200°F
Steep Time:
5+ min.
Don’t have a thermometer?
Use the boil-and-wait method.
95°C - 90°C:
Once your kettle has boiled, let sit for about 1-3 min with the lid open.
80°C - 85°C:
Once your kettle has boiled, let sit for about 7-8 min with the lid open.
75°C:
Once your kettle has boiled, let sit for about 10 min with the lid open.
More How-Tos
