How To Make Bubble Tea

If you don’t feel like venturing out, you can even make bubble tea at home. Try this delicious recipe that serves 4 and heroes our Nerada Black Tea.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 tea bags or 3 tbs loose-leaf Nerada Black Tea
• 4 cups boiling water
• ½ cup cold water
• ½ cup white, brown or coconut sugar
• 1 cup quick-cooking tapioca pearls (you can find these at some supermarkets, Asian grocers, and online)
• Ice cubes, to serve
• Full-cream milk (or your preferred milk), to serve
• Extra-large straws or spoons, to serve

METHOD

1. Steep tea in boiling water until water completely cools.
2. In a small saucepan, combine cold water and sugar over medium-high heat, stirring, until the water just boils and the sugar completely dissolves. Remove from heat, let cool, and transfer simple syrup to a glass jar.
3. In another small saucepan, bring a litre of water to the boil and add tapioca pearls. Once they float to the top, cook them for an additional 5 minutes. (You can test them to determine whether they reached the preferred softness; if they are too stiff, cook them a few minutes more.)
4. Drain the pearls with a small sieve and quickly rinse them under water. Transfer the pearls to a small bowl, then add a small amount of simple syrup to taste. (You will need more simple syrup below.)
5. Strain tea into a jug. Divide pearls among 4 large glasses. Add some ice cubes to each glass. Pour 1 cup tea into each glass. Add 1½ tbs milk and 1 ½ tbs simple syrup to each glass. Shake or stir, then try the milk tea. Add more milk or syrup to taste if necessary. (You can refrigerate any remaining simple syrup in a sealed jar for 3 to 4 weeks.)