Around the Globe: Bubble Tea

During our time in Taipei, we visited Ten Ren's Tea to learn the art of making bubble tea (recipe below).  Ten Ren Tea Company is the largest and best known tea manufacturer in the Far East.   Bubble tea, also known as pearl (milk) tea or boba (milk) tea, is a Taiwanese tea drink that originated from tea shops in Taichung, Taiwan during the 1980s.  This was my first taste of the delicious bubble tea drink. Try some at home of find a nearby shop.  

cha’s Honey Pearls

Ingredients:

• 8,000 ml of boiled water
• 1,200g of pearls (Boba)
• 300g of honey syrup
• 600 ml of water

Procedures:
Start by adding the pearls to boiled water (give it a light stir), turn the heat up and wait until the water boils again before lowering the heat source to mid-heat and cook for 40 min. When the time is up, turn off the heat source and let the pearls sit for another 50 min before separating the hot water and the cooked pearls.

Rinse the hot pearls with cooled water until it becomes room temperature, then soak the pearls with honey water for 25-30mins before serving~

Honey Water:

Add 600 ml of filtered-water to 300 grams of honey syrup; stir until all the honey is dissolved!

Black Milk Tea with Pearls

Ingredients:

• 150 ml of black tea base
• 30g of powdered creamer
• 1 oz of fructose
• 200 ml of ice cubes
• 1 spoon of pearls

Procedures:
Start by adding the creamer powder, fructose, and tea base in to a blender; use the quick-key for a short blend before adding the ice-cubes in.  After another quick blend, pour the black milk tea out, add the honey pearls, and it is ready to serve~.

 

Photos by Kristen Finn