How to Make Taiwanese Style Milk Tea (For Boba, Bubble Tea)
After I posted my three-ingredient, easy to make Boba Tapioca pearl recipe, I’ve always believed that I owed you all a wonderful Taiwanese milk tea recipe, so that you could enjoy the full Boba milk tea at your own home, whenever you like All made by hand and with no doubtable ingredients.
Taiwanese people love milk tea. The milk tea loved in Taiwan isn’t the same as the English type with the addition of milk in the cup, however it is it is a extremely rich and delicious one. It is found everywhere in Taiwan including convenience eateries, stores cafes breakfast stands, and of course, the Boba cafe. They also make all kinds of milk tea-flavored desserts. If you travel to Taiwan you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the amount Taiwanese people are awed by the milk tea they drink.
I have made milk tea since I was 10 years old. Here are some suggestions I’d want to give you on how to make excellent Taiwanese dairy tea in your home.
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Make stronger tea by adding more tea bags or tea leaves
To make the perfect cup of milky tea, it is important to prepare stronger tea prior to adding milk, or else it will taste thin and watery. The tea that is cooked over a long period of time creates an unpleasant bitter taste so we create strong tea by increasing quantity of tea bags or leaves. If you are using loose tea, you should select those with smaller leaves, so that it releases the flavor more quickly.
Type of Tea to use
The most widely used tea to make milk tea. There are many other kinds of tea widely used to make dairy teas in Taiwan including jasmine tea, green tea, Oolong, green tea barley tea, earl grey and so on. It is possible to use all kind of tea that you like for making dairy tea (my husband’s favourite tea is Harney & Sons Paris Tea! ) However, you may have to experiment and alter the quantity of tea leaves based on the tea you select.
Make it into the sauce pan
This is the most important factor in making your taste better with milk tea. Most people brew their tea first, then pour the milk straight into the cup. I used to do this too until my Indian friends told me that it is important to warm the milk and tea in the pan prior to pouring it into the cup to allow the flavors to blend better. One well-known Taiwanese foodie acknowledged for her expertise on tea brewing also makes the milk tea she makes in a pot. It is now the most well-known method of creating milk teas in Taiwan!
Try different kinds of sweeteners
Instead of using regular sugar, I’ll recommend you to experiment with other kinds of sweeteners like Taiwanese dark sugar or muscovado sugar honey, maple syrup , or caramel sauce. These will add an additional flavor to your milk tea.
Sprinkle a little cream on top.
This is not mandatory, however If I have an abundance of heavy cream in my fridge I always put the cream to the milk tea I drink. This helps the tea taste more rich and smoother , but in the same time, not tasting heavy like it would be if you replaced the milk by heavy cream.
Iced Milk Tea
If you’re looking create iced-milk tea there are two ways to make it:
- Cool the milk tea in the refrigerator for several hours. This will keep the sweetness that milk tea has.
- Allow the tea to cool before adding cubes of ice – your milk tea might be reduced slightly however, at least you don’t have to stand around!
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