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Tiger Milk Boba Tea is delicious, easy to make, and it’s so refreshing! With chewy boba, sweet milk, and plenty of brown sugar syrup flavor, you’re going to be obsessed with this gorgeous, tasty beverage!
The exact origins of tiger milk tea are not known for certain, but it’s believed that it emerged in the 1950’s or 1960’s in Hong Kong’s Cha Chaan Tengs, which are traditional Chinese tea cafes. These types of tea cafes were well known for their affordable and diverse menu offerings for working class people.
I can confidently say things may have changed in terms of bubble tea, because at tea cafes they’re almost 8$ a pop and it’s not economical for most people to buy them every time a craving strikes.
But if you whip up a quick homemade brown sugar syrup and cook some boba, you’ll be on your way to having tiger milk boba tea quickly whenever the mood strikes!
Ingredients
- Water - be sure to use filtered or bottled water to avoid any unpleasant flavors or chemicals from tap water.
- Dark brown sugar - called muscovado sugar. It’s simply unrefined cane sugar that contains natural molasses. It’s the real deal. But you can use light brown sugar if that’s what you have and would prefer, it just won’t have that deep, dark color or flavor.
- Vanilla extract - you can leave it out if you don’t have it or substitute it with ¼ tsp vanilla bean paste.
- Boba pearls - the quick cooking variety are what I recommend using.
- Black tea - I like to double brew my tea (two bags in ½ cup). But as long as you have ½ cup of brewed tea the way you like it, you’re good to go!
- Milk - I used whole milk but feel free to use 2%, half and half, or a plant-based milk.
Instructions
For the Brown Sugar Syrup
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine water and brown sugar.
- Bring it to a simmer and whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
- Remove it from the heat and add the vanilla extract.
- Allow it to cool to room temperature and then store it in a mason jar or airtight container.
For the Brown Sugar Boba Tea
- Rinse the cooked boba under cold water (to wash away excess starch) and toss them into ¼ cup of brown sugar syrup.
- Add that mixture to the bottom of a glass, then add ice, brewed black tea, and milk.
- Garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon, if desired.
A note about those "tiger stripes"
In all honesty it's not easy to get those "tiger stripes" to stay for very long. If you want them to last longer it's best to drizzle extra down the sides after your tea is assembled.
And be sure that you're using cold brown sugar syrup!
OR: drizzle your brown sugar syrup around the sides of your glass and pop the glass into the freezer so that it can harden.
Substitutions
- Water - you can’t substitute the water, but be sure to use filtered or bottled water to avoid any unpleasant flavors or chemicals from tap water.
- Dark brown sugar - called Muscovado sugar. It’s simply unrefined cane sugar that contains natural molasses. It’s the real deal. But you can use light brown sugar if that’s what you have and would prefer, it just won’t have that deep, dark color or flavor.
- Vanilla extract - you can leave it out if you don’t have it, or substitute it with ¼ tsp vanilla bean paste.
- Milk - I used whole milk but feel free to use 2%, half and half, or a plant-based milk.
Variations
You can create many variations of boba tea to suit your preferences.
Cookies and Cream Boba: Just add two crushed Oreos to the warm boba and brown sugar syrup, and garnish with some extra crushed Oreos!
Pumpkin Spice Boba: Just swap the brown sugar for pumpkin spice syrup and you’re good to go!
Try spicing up your boba by adding whipped cream (such as this pumpkin whipped cream for a fall-inspired twist). Or even whipped cold foam.
Storage
You can't really make ahead or store boba. The thing about boba is that they’re best enjoyed fresh and immediately. Because they’re basically just starch balls, they’ll turn into a hard clump if you don’t keep them wet and enjoy them immediately.
However, you can make the tea and brown sugar syrup ahead of time, and store them in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the beverage.
Related recipes:
- Cookies and Cream Boba Tea
- Oreo Iced Coffee
- Pumpkin Spice Boba Milk
- Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup
- Starbucks Pumpkin Cold Foam
FAQ
Can I use brown sugar syrup in coffee or tea?
Yes! This is a great addition to coffee and tea and homemade craft coffee-shop-style drinks, simply use a teaspoon at a time until desired level of sweetness is achieved.
Tiger Milk Boba Tea
Ingredients
FOR THE BROWN SUGAR SYRUP
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
FOR THE TIGER MILK BOBA TEA
- ¼ cup of boba cooked according to package directions
- ¼ cup of brown sugar syrup
- ¼ cup brewed black tea cooled
- ¼ cup milk
Instructions
FOR THE BROWN SUGAR SYRUP
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine water and brown sugar.
- Bring it to a simmer and whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
- Remove it from the heat and add the vanilla extract.
- Allow it to cool to room temperature and then store it in a mason jar or airtight container.
FOR THE TIGER MILK BOBA TEA
- Rinse the cooked boba under cold water (to wash away excess starch) and toss them into ¼ cup of brown sugar syrup.
- Add that mixture to the bottom of a glass, then add ice, brewed black tea, and milk.
- Garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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