Bubble Milk Tea
珍珠奶茶
Boba, or pearl milk tea: cold, sweet black milk tea over chewy tapioca pearls, born in Taiwan in the 1980s.
Bubble tea, also called boba or pearl milk tea, is cold black tea shaken with milk and sugar and poured over cooked tapioca pearls, then drunk through a wide straw. It began in Taiwan in the 1980s, and two teahouses still claim it.
Sensory profile
You should taste
How it unfolds
Where it sits
That is 100 mg in one serving (16 oz (473 ml) with pearls), a concentration of 21.1 mg per 100 ml. The scale above ranks whole servings, and servings differ in size, so a larger drink can sit further right while being weaker cup for cup.
Editorial estimate, not a laboratory measurement
Related gear
| Brewing method | Steep, Chill, Shake and Pour over Pearls |
|---|---|
| Brew ratio | 6 g of tea to 160 g of water, then milk and ice |
| Base & finished drink | 6g → 450g |
| Grind size | Broken Leaf |
| Water temperature | 203°F / 95°C |
| Target brew time | 4:00 |
| Serving | 16 oz (473 ml) with pearls |
What you need
- 6 g black tea, broken leaf
- 160 g filtered water at 95°C
- 60 g tapioca pearls, cooked beforehand and kept in a little syrup
- 20 g brown sugar syrup, or to taste
- 90 g milk
- Ice
Required gear
- Small saucepan or kettle for the tea
- Large pot for the pearls
- Cocktail shaker or lidded jar
- Tall 16 oz cup
- Wide straw, about 1 cm
- Scale accurate to 0.1 g
- Timer
Step-by-step protocol
- 0:00Pour 160 g of water at 95°C over 6 g of tea, cover and start the timer. Have the cooked pearls ready.
- 4:00Strain the tea and let it cool for a few minutes.
- 6:00Spoon 60 g of cooked pearls, with a little of their syrup, into a tall cup and half fill it with ice.
- 6:30Shake the tea with 90 g of milk, 20 g of syrup and a handful of ice for about ten seconds, until the outside of the shaker is cold.
- 7:00Pour over the pearls and ice and drink at once through a wide straw.
Troubleshooting
What it may be good for
The caffeine count
We list about 100 mg for a 16 oz (473 ml) cup. A 2013 Hong Kong study of Taiwanese-style milk tea measured 100 to 160 mg per cup (cup sizes were not given), and the figure depends on how much tea goes in and how strongly it is brewed. A typical 8 oz cup of black tea has about 47 mg.
Cook pearls fresh
Cooked pearls are at their best within about four hours. In the fridge they turn hard, so cook only as many as you will drink.
What to watch out for
- Caffeine affects everyone differently. If you are pregnant or nursing, sensitive to caffeine, or have been told to limit it, check with your doctor about how much tea is right for you.
- The tapioca pearls are a choking risk for young children, especially through a straw. Bubble tea is also sweet, and shops usually let you choose the sweetness.
Bubble tea, also called boba or pearl milk tea, is cold black tea shaken with milk and sugar and poured over cooked tapioca pearls, then drunk through a wide straw. It began in Taiwan in the 1980s, and two teahouses still claim it.
Origin & Story
The straw is the first clue: wide enough to pull a pearl through, and wide enough to make you wonder how that will feel. Bubble milk tea, boba, pearl milk tea, whatever name the cup carries, it is cold, sweet, creamy and full of chewy tapioca pearls that you drink and chew at the same time.
It began in Taiwan in the 1980s, and two teahouses still claim it. Hanlin Tea Room in Tainan says its founder spotted white tapioca balls at a market in 1986, cooked them and dropped them into milk tea. Chun Shui Tang in Taichung says an employee mixed tapioca balls into iced milk tea in 1987. The two went to court, and neither ended up owning the idea, because neither had patented it.
By the mid-1990s pearl milk tea was on teahouse menus across Taiwan, and cup-sealing machines brought in from abroad turned it into a take-away drink. Since then it has spread worldwide, and shops let you choose how sweet it comes.
The pearls are cassava starch, boiled until they turn translucent and chewy, rested, and then soaked in sugar syrup, often brown sugar. They are best within a few hours of cooking. As they cool they harden, which is why a good shop cooks them in small batches through the day.
The tea underneath is usually a strong black tea, brewed far stronger than you would drink on its own so that it still tastes of tea after the milk, sugar and ice have had their say.
Brew 6 g of black tea in 160 ml of water at 95°C for four minutes, chill it, then shake it with 90 ml of milk, syrup and ice and pour it over 60 g of freshly cooked pearls.
Reading the Flavor Profile
| Axis | Score |
|---|---|
| Sweetness | 92/100 |
| Acidity | 24/100 |
| Bitterness | 34/100 |
| Body | 78/100 |
| Aroma | 60/100 |
These values are comparative editorial positions within our own catalog, calibrated so entries can be ranked against each other. They are not laboratory measurements.
How much caffeine is in Bubble Milk Tea?
One serving, 16 oz (473 ml) with pearls, contains approximately 100 mg of caffeine.
What temperature should I use for Bubble Milk Tea?
Brew the base at 95°C (203°F). Where the milk is heated, 60–65°C is the target; past about 70°C it tastes scalded and loses its sweetness.
How long should Bubble Milk Tea be extracted?
Timing: 4:00. Method: Steep, Chill, Shake and Pour over Pearls. Ratio: 40g leaf per Liter of water brewed strong (6 g in 160 ml), plus milk, syrup, ice and 60 g cooked pearls. Grind or leaf format: Broken Leaf.
Why does my Bubble Milk Tea taste bitter?
In a milk drink, bitterness comes from the base (espresso pulled too long or tea steeped too long) or from scorched milk. Brew the base to the stated proportion, and if the milk is heated, stop at 60–65°C.
Who invented bubble tea?
Two Taiwanese teahouses claim it: Hanlin Tea Room in Tainan, which dates it to 1986, and Chun Shui Tang in Taichung, which credits an employee in 1987. They went to court over it, and neither side holds a patent.
What are the pearls in bubble tea made of?
Tapioca, a starch from the cassava root. The dried balls are boiled until chewy and translucent, then usually soaked in sugar syrup, with brown sugar a common choice.
How long do cooked tapioca pearls stay good?
Plan on about four hours. Cooked pearls stay soft at room temperature in a little syrup for a few hours and then firm up, and the fridge makes them hard, so they are cooked fresh rather than stored.
Who should avoid Bubble Milk Tea?
Caffeine affects everyone differently. If you are pregnant or nursing, sensitive to caffeine, or have been told to limit it, check with your doctor about how much tea is right for you. The tapioca pearls are a choking risk for young children, especially through a straw. Bubble tea is also sweet, and shops usually let you choose the sweetness. This information is educational and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, managing a cardiac or gastrointestinal condition, or taking prescription medication, discuss caffeine and botanical intake with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes.
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