HOMEMADE BUBBLE TEA

HOMEMADE BUBBLE TEA INGREDIENTS 2 tea bags of your choice – such as black tea, lapsang souchong, Ceylon or green tea 1 cup boiling water ¼ cup tapioca pearls 2–3 tablespoons soy milk or unsweetened almond milk 2 tablespoons – or more – simple syrup (recipe below), stevia or honey Ice cubes If you’re using a bubble tea powder mix: 3 tablespoons bubble tea powder mix (I’m using honeydew melon flavor) 1 cup water ¼ cup tapioca pearls Ice cubes INSTRUCTIONS ** FOR HOMEMADE BUBBLE TEA To make the tea: Steep 2 tea bags in 1 cup of boiling-hot water for about 15 minutes. Remove the tea bag and let cool to room temperature. Tapioca Pearls: For regular tapioca pearls Bring 2 cups of water to boil and add the tapioca pearls. Stir and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until pearls float to the top. Drain and rinse the pearls under cold water. Transfer to a large glass (the one you will be drinking from) and set aside. For quick 5-minute tapioca pearls Bring 2 cups of water to boil and add the tapioca pearls. Stir and wait until the tapioca pearls float to the surface. Cover and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes. Drain and soak in cold water for 20 seconds. Transfer to a large glass (the one you will be drinking from) and set aside. Simple Syrup: Bring ½ cup water to a boil and turn the heat off. Add ½ cup granulated sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool. Putting the bubble tea together: Add a few ice cubes to top of the tapioca pearls in your glass, and pour the tea over. Stir in the soy milk and 1-2 tablespoons of simple syrup (or more, depending on how sweet you like your bubble tea) and serve. ** FOR BUBBLE TEA POWDER MIX Cook the tapioca pearls by following the steps above. Mix 3 tablespoons bubble tea powder mix with water. Add tapioca pearls to a tall glass along with a few ice cubes and pour in the tea mixture. Stir and serve. Note: add more bubble tea powder mix if you prefer a sweeter taste. NOTES Tapioca pearls are definitely the best on the day you first boil them. While you can refrigerate them for later use in a pinch, they will get super hard pretty fast.