Thai Milk Tea Boba

This Thai milk tea boba drink is sweet, refreshing, and full of strong black tea flavour. It's made with the unique taste of classic Thai tea and chewy tapioca pearls to make it one of the best bubble tea flavours out there.

Thai milk tea boba (also known as Thai milk tea bubble tea, Thai iced tea, Thai tea boba, and many other variations) is a drink pairing an iconic Thai beverage with satisfyingly chewy boba pearls. It's easily one of my favourite bubble tea flavours and it's just as easy to make.

What is Thai tea?

Thai tea is a drink originating from Thailand that is made by steeping a mixture of black tea, spices, and orange food colouring. It's a branded product (the most well-known brand being "Number One Brand") so the exact ingredients and ratios of ingredients are not widely known.

Thai milk tea or Thai iced tea is made by adding condensed milk, milk, and/or half-and-half to brewed Thai tea. The result is the bright orange, milky drink that you may be familiar with.

Thai milk tea tastes milky with the flavours of vanilla, caramel, and strong black tea. It's meant to be quite sweet as it will be quickly diluted by melting ice in typical Southeast Asia temperatures.

Why you'll love this recipe

• It's incredibly easy to make! Depending on where you live, the only hard part may be finding Thai tea mix and a steeping bag to brew it in.
• This Thai milk tea boba tastes exactly like a drink you would buy at a cafe, bubble tea shop, or restaurant!
• It's sweet, refreshing, and full of fragrant tea flavour.

Tools you'll need

To steep Thai tea mix specifically, you'll need a tea sock or cloth filter bag. Tea steeping socks are made with muslin fabric that's thin enough for water to drain through but with a tight weave to prevent tea leaves or powder from passing through.

Thai tea mix tends to be very finely ground with fine bits of tea leaves and spices that will get into your tea if you use a regular mesh tea steeper.

Ingredients

• Thai tea mix - Thai tea mix can be found in some Asian grocery stores and online. The most common one produced in Thailand that you may be familiar with is made by "Number One Brand". It comes in a red and white bag with a gold foiled design.
• Boiling water - For steeping the tea. I use water straight off the boil from a kettle.
• Condensed milk - Condensed milk is the other essential part of thai milk tea and is what gives it part of its signature flavour. You can adjust the amount of sweetness to your liking. I'd recommend stirring in about 4 tablespoons, tasting, and adding more one spoonful at a time until it tastes slightly sweeter than how you'd like it.
• Tapioca pearls - You'll need large tapioca boba pearls. They usually come in a vacuum-sealed package of dried light brown pearls.
• Brown sugar - Tapioca pearls don't have much flavour by themselves so they're soaked in brown sugar syrup before being added to drinks.
• Ice - Use as much or as little as you want. Just keep in mind that more ice will make the drink slightly less sweet and using less ice will make the drink taste sweeter.
• Heavy cream or half and half - This is optional (the condensed milk acts as the milk in this milk tea) but it adds an extra milky creaminess to your thai milk tea boba. It also creates a layered effect in the drink that looks great.

How to make Thai milk tea boba

Steep tea - Add Thai tea mix to a steeping sock or coffee filter and place it over a heat-safe container or pot. Pour boiling water into the steeping sock over the tea. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. Remove the steeping sock from the tea, squeeze out the remaining tea, and discard the tea leaves.

Add condensed milk - Stir in the condensed milk one spoon at a time while the tea is still warm, to taste. You want it to taste slightly sweeter than how you want it as it will be diluted after adding ice. Chill the tea in the fridge while you make the pearls.

Cook tapioca pearls - In a medium pot, bring a full pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add all the tapioca pearls and stir immediately to break up any clumps. Boil uncovered for 15 minutes. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat, and let it sit for another 15 minutes.

Make brown sugar syrup - Drain the water from the cooked pearls and transfer them to a small bowl. Add the brown sugar and stir together until the sugar has dissolved into a syrup.

Assemble drinks - To each serving glass, add 100g of pearls. Fill the glass half full or more with ice. Pour in your chilled Thai milk tea until almost full. Top with a layer of heavy cream or half and half. Stir the drink to mix before enjoying it!

Storage

Thai milk tea boba is best enjoyed right away. The drinks should be assembled right before serving. The boba pearls will harden as they cool down the longer the drink sits.

If you must store your bubble tea, you can keep it in the fridge for 1-2 hours but keep in mind that the tapioca pearls won't be at their best texture.

Tip and tricks

• Stir in condensed milk while the tea is warm. The condensed milk will dissolve seamlessly and evenly in warm tea.
• Keep your tapioca pearls warm and covered before using. You can cook the tapioca pearls a few hours before using them. Keeping them warm and covered will prevent them from drying out.
• Assemble drinks right before serving. Once you mix the warm boba pearls with ice, they will start to become chewier and harder. You'll get the best texture immediately after mixing the drink together.

Frequently asked questions

More boba recipes to try

• Strawberry Matcha Boba
• Brown Sugar Milk Boba
• Avocado Boba
• Earl Grey Bubble Tea
• Honeydew Bubble Tea
• Taro Milk Bubble Tea

Recipe