It’s summer. It’s hot. And you cannot get enough cold drinks, to keep you refreshed and hydrated. What’s cooler than a tall glass of matcha tea with boba? Let’s whip up one for you!
Never heard of it? Chill ‘coz we would not let you feel left out and thirsty! Let’s get introduced.
This bubble tea is primarily made from matcha powder, milk, sweetener, and tapioca pearls, also called boba balls or tapioca balls. Matcha bubble tea tastes best as an iced drink, but you may skip the ice.
1. Rich History, Richer Taste
Matcha bubble tea might be the new beverage craze in the West, but it has strong traditional Asian roots. Most of the key ingredients have been a part of traditional culinary staples. As its popularity grew, matcha bubble tea grew its cult, and therefore preferences and options abound.
1.1 The History
Stories on the origin of boba (Chinese: 珍珠奶茶) tea abound, each one vouching for their name with the iconic boba drink. But all agree that the bubble tea came into existence at the hands of a Taiwanese restaurant employee who casually dropped in a few boba in her afternoon iced tea during a meeting.
We think from that point onwards she became the superhero who comes to the rescue of our afternoon woes!
Matcha (抹茶, English: /ˈmætʃə, ˈmɑːtʃə/; Japanese: [mattɕa]) tea has its origin in China. It was introduced in Japan by a Buddhist monk in the 8th century and it soon became a popular Japanese beverage. In the 1500s, with the revival of the Japanese Tea Ceremony (known as sadō/chadō (茶道, ‘The Way of Tea’), matcha tea found its throne among the hearts of people.
1.2. The Tea in Boba Tea Recipe
The classic Asian bubble tea recipe calls for oolong tea, jasmine tea, or black tea. A strong Chinese breakfast tea blend with predominantly black tea is also popular with boba milk tea.
More Western alternatives might even include robust and full-bodied English breakfast tea or the milder Earl Grey tea.
2. Gather the Ingredients for Your Matcha Tea with Boba
Want to have that vibrant matcha boba tea displayed at your local bubble tea shop without shelling your greenback? Also, does it absolutely have to be healthy and peer-approved (psst! matcha powder is loaded with antioxidants)? Look no further than this matcha boba tea recipe below.
Can’t wait to get started?! Let’s gather a few ingredients and follow this easy matcha milk tea recipe. And you’d be sipping this delicious boba drink in no time.
You may find the ingredients for making matcha boba tea at your local health store, Asian aisle of supermarkets, or online retailers. A list of what you’ll need for making bubble tea for two :
2.1. Matcha Powder
Amount: 2 tsp (4g). Matcha powder is made from grounding tea leaves into a fluffy powder.
Matcha powder gives you antioxidants in its every speck. Unlike discarding the steeped tea leaves of green tea, you consume the whole powder. So, full taste and zero waste!
There are different qualities of matcha available at the stores. We recommend the ceremonial grade matcha powder which gives that vibrant green color and a robust flavor to the matcha milk tea, minus the bitterness.
2.2. Tapioca Pearls
Amount: 1/2 cup. What are these cute tapioca balls after all? Well, as the name suggests these chewy tapioca pearls are processed from dried cassava roots that are grounded into powdery starch. All natural ingredients here! Once cooked, tapioca pearls have a chewy texture.
Although you may try your culinary skills by making tapioca pearls from scratch, we would advise making your first matcha boba tea using store-bought tapioca balls.
2.2.1. Varieties of Tapioca Pearls
You will be left to your sweet amazement when it comes to varieties of tapioca pearls. There are more than a dozen of flavors to choose from- caramel, brown sugar, chocolate, and fruity ones like strawberry and mango.
Black and clear boba pearls are popular choices. Yes! Those iconic signages outside bubble tea shops of frosty pearl tea with leisurely placed black tapioca balls at the bottom are none other than black tapioca pearls.
But you may also find a newer choice- popping boba- in the aisles, they burst with fruit-filled flavors in your mouth! Then there’s the quick-cooking tapioca pearls. These cuties cut the prepping time by half but taste deliciously the same.
2.3. Milk and Dairy Blends
Amount: 2 cups. The standard choice for dairy for matcha milk tea is fresh milk. You may use whole milk or replace it partially with powdered milk or evaporated milk. If you want a richer taste, replace fresh milk with half-and-half, partially or fully.
Check out ‘dietary alternatives’ for more options on lactose-free milk alternatives.
2.4. Sugars and Sweeteners for Boba
Now, there are two ways you can use sweeteners to make delicious bubble tea. One is mandatory (well, kind of and strongly recommended) and the other is not so. The other (optional) need for a sweetener is if you want extra sweetness.
2.4.1. Brown Sugar Syrup for Soaking Boba
Amount: 1/2 cup or less. You would need a thick syrup, preferably made from dark brown sugar. This brown sugar milk tea has a bold flavor that complements matcha well.
2.4.2. Added Sweetness
Mix in dark brown sugar if you want that caramel-like depth of flavor with less sweetness. You may also use maple syrup, agave nectar, or honey.
Matcha tapioca tea is mildly sweet from the tapioca balls that are soaked in brown sugar syrup. Plus don’t forget the sweetness of the whole milk or dairy alternative of your choice. But we get it. There are some days when you might need some extra sweetener (sometimes we need that to soothe our aching hearts or weary bodies).
2.5. Utensils for Making Tea with Boba
Making matcha bubble tea requires your run-off-the-mill kitchen utensils. Gather the saucepan, spatula, measuring cup, and spoons. Nothing fancy there.
Well, except for one cute little thing that might catch your attention with a pleasant surprise- the matcha whisk (茶筅 or ‘tea whisk’ in Japanese). It is a beautifully crafted fine tool made out of a block of bamboo.
To make matcha mixture, you would need a small sifter to separate and smoothen any large lumps from the matcha powder, a bowl for mixing, and that fabled matcha whisk (a hand-held blender, milk frother, or shaker bottle, or even mason jars are great alternatives).
3. Matcha Tea with Boba Recipe
To make your matcha boba drink, we need to prep a few ingredients. It can take nearly 30 minutes to prep the ingredients, but the actual assembly time takes seconds. So don’t be fooled and prevent the pre-caffeine rush by following these steps.
Let’s start by cooking those tapioca pearls. This will take a few minutes. Meanwhile, you may prepare the matcha tea mixture, which can be a pretty relaxing and grounding experience in and of itself.
Set aside milk and sweetener of your choice, some water to cook the tapioca pearls in, and mix the matcha powder. Keep the prepping utensils handy. Let’s fire up the burner and get going!
3.1. Preparing the Tapioca Pearls
Depending on the variety of tapioca pearls you are using, this step might take a while. But it can be a fun little activity! (Psst: Kids especially love taking part in this, so start gathering the party)
Your homemade batch of tapioca pearls tastes as good, if not better than the ones in the bubble tea shops. What’s more? You can control the sweetness of boba and make bubble tea diabetes-friendly and easy on your sensitive sweet tooth.
This video will get all the steps together for you.
3.1.1. Cooking the Tapioca Pearls
Heat one cup of water in a saucepan. Once boiling, slowly add the tapioca pearls. Check the package instruction for cooking time and directions.
Stir intermittently so that they don’t get scorched and stay loose. Once cooked, the tapioca balls start floating on the surface of the water. Further, check for doneness by squishing a few boba.
Quick-cooking tapioca balls cook a lot faster. Prevent overcooking them by draining the water. Rinse of under running tap water in a colander. Don’t worry, these delicate balls won’t get washed away.
Soak the boba in cold water. Drain the water thoroughly and set aside. While the tapioca balls were cooking, prepare the brown sugar syrup bath for them.
Want to know other fun ways to cook boba pearls? Try these recipes and learn useful tips.
3.1.2. Make the Brown Sugar Syrup
In a saucepan, heat a cup of water and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Use low heat. This will prevent sugar from scorching up and turning bitter. Stir gently and continuously as the sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat. Let the sugar syrup cool down completely. Then transfer into a jar or deep bowl. If you add tapioca balls to hot sugar syrup, it will further cook them and turn them mushy.
3.1.3. Mix Tapioca Balls and Sugar Syrup
Add the cooked and drained tapioca balls to the sugar syrup. Cover and set aside for 15-20 minutes. This will allow the cooked boba to take on the sweetness and flavor of brown sugar syrup. Soaked and chewy tapioca balls are ready to be served up.
3.2. Prepare the Matcha Tea
Sift the matcha powder in a medium-sized bowl. Matcha clumps easily and simply whisking with water does little to dissolve the clumps.
Boil some filtered water up to 80°C (176°F), then let it cool to 70°C (158°F). Pour the water gradually, up to a couple of teaspoons into the sifted matcha powder.
Use the matcha whisk to blend the matcha powder with water. Continue whisking until a foam layer forms on top. It takes about a minute. Set it aside and let it cool.
Check for the same consistency of the matcha mix if you are using a blender or shaker bottle instead. Matcha powder can also be dissolved in water at room temperature. Electronic blenders and frothers are especially great for this.
4. Serve Up
Go ahead and show off those delicate tapioca pearls by serving up your boba tea in tall transparent glasses. Drop in a few (or a lot) cooked and soaked tapioca balls at the bottom of the glass, top it with milk of your choice, pour the matcha mixture into it, and stir well. Be gentle-handed with those tapioca pearls at the bottom while stirring.
Don’t forget to drop in a wide boba straw. These wide straws let your slurp and chew on those boba pearls at the bottom, along with the rich taste of matcha milk tea. Make it transparent too to see your vibrant green matcha boba milk tea rising up the straw.
4.1. Toppings and Other Variations
People of all ages and from all places love bubble tea. So clearly everyone has their favorite bubble fix! Options abound with added sweeteners, flavors, and toppings.
4.1.1. Flavor Alternatives
Add crushed ice or a few ice cubes to turn your matcha boba tea into iced tea.
Vanilla goes fabulously well with matcha milk tea. When you are whisking the matcha mix, add a few drops of vanilla essence or scrape some right off from a pod. It also pairs well in the sip with those tapioca pearls soaked in honey or brown sugar syrup.
Then there are listless varieties of syrup flavors- the popular ones are mostly fruity like mango, strawberry, peach, chocolate, honeydew, and so much more!
4.1.2. Toppings
A more dessert-like matcha bubble tea recipe has tapioca pudding, again in many flavors, or Oreo crumbs. A few streaks of sweetened condensed milk over ice cubes look and taste great too!
If you are using coconut milk as a dairy alternative, then desiccated coconut shavings highlight the taste.
4.1.3. Boba Pearl Variations
For a fruity taste, switch the regular black or clear boba with popping tapioca pearls.
But be careful if you are pairing these flavored-packed popping boba with non-traditional dairy alternatives. It is best to avoid these popping ones if your matcha milk tea is already sweet with condensed milk or flavored syrups.
If you want to completely skip tapioca balls, try unflavored aloe vera jelly, coconut jelly, or fruit-flavored jelly-like lychee or pineapple.
4.1.4. Dietary Alternatives
For a vegan alternative, choose from dairy-free milk options like oat milk for a nut-free alternative. For a gluten-free boba drink, opt for almond milk or soy milk.
Try the bold flavor of coconut milk that elegantly complements this Asian-inspired boba milk tea. The earthy aftertaste of matcha blends well with the sweet and nutty coconut milk. Try this if you want your bubble tea creamier, without having to add half-and-half or condensed milk.
5. Is Matcha Tea with Boba Healthy?
According to the National Institute of Health, matcha is packed with antioxidant substances (flavonoids 1968.8 mg/L; polyphenols 1765.1 mg/L; vitamin C 44.8 mg/L).
This help stabilizes the harmful free radicals and prevents chronic health conditions. It is also packed with compounds that promote heart and liver health.
Tapioca starch, used to make tapioca balls, is a popular gluten-free alternative in many recipes. It does not contain fat or cholesterol. It is rich in macronutrients like iron, folate, and magnesium for blood health and metabolism. Although having a high glycemic index, tapioca has compounds that help lower insulin levels.
5.1. Caffeine and Tannins
High amounts of tannin, an antioxidant found in matcha, may cause stomach irritation if consumed in high amounts. Although, the tannins in matcha are lower than in black tea. An average cup of matcha tea contains a moderate amount (60-70 mg) of caffeine, which is much lower than your average cup of joe.
5.2. Calories
Calories in your boba drink can creep up if remain unchecked. Depending on the dairy, sweeteners, and choice of toppings, matcha boba drinks can contain up to 38 grams of sugar, crossing daily recommended added sugar, and nearly 300 calories (NIH).
Homemade boba tea can easily turn out to be a dessert instead of a healthy drink! Thanks (not really) to the variety of added sweeteners like condensed, milk or the array of toppings you can add. Think of tapioca pudding and cookie crumbles!
Sticking to this matcha bubble tea recipe, with occasional topping treats, will ensure all the health benefits of this tea.
6. Useful Tips
6.1. Make Ahead Tips
Planning on making boba milk tea for a crowd? Or to quickly reach for one after a long day’s work? You would want to thank us later for these make-ahead tips.
Cooked tapioca pearls can be left soaked in the sugar syrup in an airtight container. But they remain consumable for only a few hours. Beyond this, the boba pearls tend to turn mushy.
Brown sugar syrup can be stored for up to several weeks and refrigerated in airtight glass jars. Avoid metal containers if storing syrup.
Want to save some prepping time? Try matcha bubble tea kits from online stores and retailers. You can always dress it up with those fancy boba pearls from your kitchen cabinet.
6.2. Storage Tips
Tapioca pearls are a pantry staple in many homes. Sealed packages have a shelf-life of up to a year. Once opened, store away uncooked boba pearls away from heat or dampness in an air-tight container.
Matcha powder tastes best when used within the shelf life. Store the opened sachets in air-tight containers, and tinned matcha powder in their original containers in a cool dry place. This will prevent oxidization and in turn the resultant bitterness.
7. Feel Ready?
We are sure you have loved these simple steps to making matcha milk tea with boba. You may switch it up or down with various toppings or keep it traditional.
Then the next step… well, there’s none! Proudly serve and enjoy your creation. Share this recipe and your expert tips over the oohs and aahs of your besties.
Last Updated on by ritukhare