Trà Sữa Trân Châu – Bubble Milk Tea
Trà sữa trân châu – Bubble milk tea is a popular drink made with brewed tea, milk, sweeteners, and tapioca pearls. With a strong tea flavor, the right amount of freshly cooked boba pearls cooked to the right doneness (surprisingly important), and sweetness adapted to your taste, you get the perfect cup of bubble milk tea.
Bubble milk tea colored my childhood with joy. I still cherish my first boba tea—the chewy “bubbles” bursting with fun, and a happiness I never expected. The flavors were so fresh and irresistible that I would beg my mom for another cup, always finishing mine far too quickly.
Now that I’m older, I see that making milk tea has its steps, but it’s surprisingly easy. Trust me, it’s worth every minute—so make at least two glasses per batch! This recipe even includes homemade tea jelly, adding a spirited twist to each mouthful.
What is bubble milk tea?
Bubble milk tea – Trà sữa trân châu, or boba tea/bubble tea, is made by blending milk, tea, sugar, and tapioca pearls. Bubble milk tea originated in Taiwan in the 1980s, and it’s still so popular worldwide that you can find it in every corner.
Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments
Black tea: substitute with jasmine tea, oolong tea, red tea, or any tea you like, but I recommend using black tea because it has a stronger flavor than the others.
Tapioca pearls: Black tapioca pearls or white tapioca pearls
Black sugar: a must-have to combine with tapioca pearls
Agar powder: Substitute with gelatin for making jelly tea
How to make bubble milk tea?
Prepare the milk tea
I usually reach for black tea when making classic boba tea, though jasmine or oolong work well, and herbal tea suits those who prefer a gentler taste. After tasting everything from jasmine and oolong to red and herbal teas, I always return to black tea due to its bold, unforgettable flavor.
When steeping the tea, make sure to follow the instructions for brewing whichever one you may be experimenting with; the brewing temperature matters. It can matter a lot!
For a strong, slightly bitter taste, I steep the tea at 190 °F for 30 minutes in this recipe. Temperature truly shapes the flavor, so experimenting with time and heat can make all the difference.
If you want a slight tea flavor by reducing the water temperature and steeping time, I recommend using a thermometer to check the water temperature between 170 °F and 180 °F and steeping for 10 to 20 minutes. Put the brewed tea, milk powder, and sugar together and mix until dissolved; we get milk tea.
Make the Tea Jelly
After getting the brewed tea, I mix the jelly (agar) powder, sugar, and the brewed tea with water thoroughly, then turn on the heat and bring it to a boil. You can adjust the tea flavor by reducing the amount of brewed tea, and the more jelly powder you use, the chewier the jelly.
Make the Black tapioca Pearls (Boba)
There are many brands and types of tapioca pearls to try, but the authentic bubble milk tea uses black tapioca pearls. We used the local ones from Vietnam, but you can try tapioca pearls from the WuFuYuan brand or some of the best-selling ones on Amazon.
These quick-cooking tapioca pearls have a built-in timer–they float to the top when cooked. Once floating, know it will only be about 5-10 more minutes until they’re done. Pour the cooked tapioca pearls into a basket and rinse in water to wash away excess starch, then let it rinse.
Add brown sugar and water to a pot and stir until dissolved. Turn the heat to medium and cook until it thickens into a syrup. Put the rinsed black tapioca pearls into the pot and mix till the mixture is thoroughly then turn off the heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bubble milk tea and boba are different names for the same popular Taiwanese drink. “Bubble tea” describes the foaming bubbles from shaking the drink, while “boba” is slang for the chewy tapioca pearls inside, though both terms describe the entire beverage.
Store bubble milk tea by separating the tapioca pearls from the liquid tea and placing both in airtight containers in the refrigerator for no more than 24 hours. Tapioca pearls turn hard and lose their chewiness when cold, but you can soften them by microwaving them or boiling them for a few minutes before recombining them with the chilled milk tea.
Separate Components: Never leave the pearls sitting in the milk tea overnight, as they will turn mushy or rock-hard.
Refrigerate Promptly: Keep the sealed milk tea container and the separate container of pearls in the fridge for up to 2 hours after purchase or preparation.
Safety Window: Drink the stored milk tea within 24 hours because dairy milk and fresh ingredients spoil quickly once opened and mixed
While standard bubble milk tea is generally considered a sugary dessert rather than a health food, its core ingredients—black or green tea, milk, and tapioca—can provide minor nutritional perks, such as antioxidants, calcium, and quick energy when customized.
Trà Sữa Trân Châu – Bubble Milk Tea
Equipments
- 1 pot
- 1 cloth bag
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
Milk Tea
- 40 grams Black tea
- 6 cups Water
- 150 grams Condensed milk
- 100 grams Milk powder
- 75 grams Granulated sugar
Tea Jelly
- 1 cup Steeped tea
- 1 cup Water
- 75 grams Granulated sugar
- 8 grams Jelly powder
Tapioca Pearls
- 200 grams Black tapioca pearls
- 100 grams Black sugar
- 1/2 cup Water
Instructions
1. Make the Milk Tea
- Boil water to 190 °F in a pot, then add the tea leaves and let it steep for 30 minutes.
- Strain the tea through a sieve or cloth bag to get the brewed tea.
- Divide the tea into 6 parts. Set aside 1/6 of the tea for making the tea jelly. Use the rest for the milk tea.
- Add condensed milk, milk powder, and half the sugar to the remaining tea in the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and let it cool.
2. Make the Tea Jelly
- Mix the jelly powder with the other half of the sugar thoroughly.
- Pour 1 cup of water and the rest of the brewed tea, along with the mixed sugar-jelly powder, into a pot. Stir until fully dissolved, then turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until it boils.
- Pour the mixture into a mold, skim off any bubbles, and let it cool.
3. Make the Black Tapioca Pearls (Boba)
- Pour the tapioca pearls into a bowl and loosen them up. Boil water, then add the pearls, stirring continuously until they all float to the surface. Let them cook for 10 more minutes, then remove, rinse with water, and drain.
- Add brown sugar and 1/2 cup of water to a pot. Stir until dissolved, then turn the heat to medium and cook until it thickens into a syrup. Add the cooked pearls and stir well to coat.
4. Assemble
- Fill a cup with enough ice.
- Pour in the milk tea, then add the tea jelly cut into cubes.
- Top with the brown sugar boba pearls and enjoy.