How to Make Matcha Milk Tea (with boba!)

So you want to learn how to make matcha milk tea at home. I've got you covered with a step-by-step tutorial with some tips along the way to ensure your success. But first, let's go over some definitions. Milk tea can simply refer to any milk drink, hot or cold, that has milk added to it. But it's also sometimes used to describe boba milk tea specifically. And that's the kind that I'll be demonstrating today. Okay, let's get started. To make the boba, you'll need 1 quarter cup of tapioca pearls, a.k.a. boba. I recommend the boba pearls sold by U.S. Boba Co. and I'll have those linked below. I've also used the boba from Nuts.com, which are great, and I'll have those linked below too. 2 cups of water, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar simple syrup. To make brown sugar simple syrup, place 1 quarter cup of sugar and 1 quarter cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring often, and remove from heat. Pour into a jar and allow to cool before storing in the refrigerator. You'll want to start with cooking your boba because this will take the longest amount of time. You should cook your boba according to the instructions that came with your specific boba, but I'll show you how I cook mine. Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the boba pearls and cook, stirring often, for 30 minutes. If you don't stir the boba pearls, then they'll start to stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Strain the boba and place in a 16 ounce glass. Place 1 to 3 tablespoons of the brown sugar simple syrup on top of the boba pearls and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Letting the pearls sit in the syrup for 15 minutes allows them to absorb the flavor and the sweetness of the brown sugar simple syrup. If you skip this step, then the boba will be bland. Check the package that came with your boba, but typically boba will only stay good for about 4 hours after cooking it. Sadly, this is not something that you can make up a day ahead and it will still be good. Now while the boba pearls are soaking up that syrup, it's time to make the matcha milk tea. You'll need 2 teaspoons of matcha powder. I recommend buying ceremonial grade for the best matcha flavor. Thrive Market and Encha Matcha both have ceremonial grade matchas for a great price, and I'll have those linked down below as well. You'll also need 1 quarter cup of hot water that's no more than 170 degrees Fahrenheit or 76 degrees Celsius. 3 quarters cup of whole milk, 1 quarter cup of cream, and ice. Place the matcha in a small bowl. Pour 2 tablespoons of the hot water on top of the matcha and whisk until smooth and there are no more clumps of matcha. Then pour the rest of the water on top and give it a whisk. The reason I only whisk in half of the water at first is because it's easier to get matcha smooth with less water. Now you can accomplish this without a whisk, but it will be more work. Pour in just enough of the water to make a paste and use a spoon to mix up the matcha, smooshing it on the sides of the bowl to break up any clumps. Then gradually add the rest of the water once it's smooth. Okay, add some ice on top of the boba pearls in a glass. Pour the milk and cream on top of that. Now for the best part. Pour the matcha mixture on top of the milk and watch the magic happen. Now something that is absolutely essential to enjoying matcha is a good boba straw. Boba straws are extra wide to allow you to slurp up those large tapioca pearls. I purchased these glass boba straws from a company that makes them in the USA, and of course I'll have them later. I got both the bent and the straight options. So that's how to make matcha milk tea in the comfort of your own home. If you'd like to learn how to make even more matcha drinks, then make sure you check out this video where I teach you how to make every single one of the Starbucks matcha drinks, including 2 secret menu drinks. If you don't stow... Now while the boba... It's going to be the death of me.