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Classic Bubble Tea Recipe

3.9

(17)

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Iced tea with tapioca pearls that are sucked from a large straw are perhaps Taiwan’s most famous culinary export. These bouncy, chewy balls are fun to munch on, much like chewing gum. The teas may be milky or not, sweetened or not, and flavored with any number of additional powders or infusions, like mango. My favorite style is this classic black tea with milk, and sweetened.

Ingredients

2 servings

1 cup tapioca pearls (found in the dry goods section in Asian groceries)
4 cups freshly brewed strong black tea
1 tablespoon sugar
Ice cubes, for shaking
1/2 cup whole milk

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    While the tea is still hot or warm, add the sugar and stir to dissolve completely. Let cool and then refrigerate until completely chilled, about 2 hours, before serving.

    Step 2

    Place the tapioca pearls at the bottom of 2 cups. Use a cocktail shaker to shake together the ice, milk, and tea and strain into each cup and serve.

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Reprinted with permission from The Food of Taiwan: Recipes from the Beautiful Island copyright © 2015 by Cathy Erway. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Buy the full book from Amazon.
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Reviews (17)

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  • Here are some tips for some people : if you think your bubble tea is bitter then it's because you're using black tea. I think you should use green tea instead if you prefer a sweeter tea.

    • Anonymous

    • USA

    • 9/10/2021

  • NO NO NO THIS IS BAD DO NOT RECCOMEND IT IS VERY VERY BITTER

    • Boba gurll

    • Texas

    • 3/20/2020

  • Thank you, great recipe :)

    • ronniepcg

    • Canada

    • 11/6/2019

  • That is a nice picture.

    • ke2019

    • Vermont

    • 6/29/2019

TagsCold DrinkBeveragesIced TeaTeaTaiwaneseEast AsianAsianTapiocaSnackNut FreeGluten FreeEasy5 Ingredients or FewerCookbooks

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