We are blessed enough to live close to a quaint little historic downtown area. We lovingly call it “the square” as the whole downtown is a big square with green space in the middle with shops and restaurants all around. It was one of our favorite things about where we live! One of the little shops is a place that sells bubble tea. I had never heard of bubble tea until I waltzed in one day determined to try something new. And I walked out in love.
And yes, this is an actual picture of our beloved square from 1912. And yes, it still looks like this (minus the horse drawn carriages…. actually, there are horse drawn carriages!) And yes, the same Marietta where Alton Brown resides. It’s a cool town.
After talking with my sister-in-law, who is from China, bubble tea is a common drink over there, even though it is Taiwanese. It is traditionally a black tea or green tea with milk and boba or tapioca. As soon as I told my sister-in-law I was in love with Bubble tea, she immediately went to her H-mart and bought me rose tea and boba! The dried roses are so beautiful and add such a subtle unique flavor. And I’m waaaaaaay excited I won’t have to drop $5 a pop whenever I want bubble tea… I can make it myself in under 10 minutes!
You’ll need a favorite black tea (I used Earl Grey… hot), dried roses or lavender (optional), boba, sweetener of choice, and milk.
Now, the boba… This is what it looks like in the bag.
You have to boil it to get it to the right consistency. It will turn a dark brown (it won’t turn black until it is drained and cooled so don’t worry about the color too much).
Cook for about 7-10 minutes. Drain and cool and it will turn black like this.
Add the boba to a simple syrup (1/4 cup boiling water to 1/4 cup sugar- stir until dissolved).
Add ice, the steeped tea, and a dash of milk.
And stir.
And if you have trouble finding straws big enough, they sell them here on amazon. And that’s it! A delicious cup of bubble tea awaits…
Enjoy your bubble tea!!!
