Oolong Boba Recipe
Oolong boba made at home with roasted oolong tea, black tapioca pearls cooked properly, and brown sugar syrup. The steep temperature (185F) and the covered resting step are what separate a good batch from bitter tea and hard pearls.
Servings 2 glasses
Calories 210kcal
Cost $6
Equipment
- 1 Small saucepan for cooking pearls
- 1 Fine mesh strainer for tea
- 1 Boba straws (12mm) wide straws required for pearls
Ingredients
Tapioca Pearls and Syrup
- 1/2 cup dried black tapioca pearls WuFuYuan brand recommended; not quick-cook variety
- 1/4 cup brown sugar for syrup
- 1/4 cup water for syrup
Oolong Tea and Assembly
- 2 tbsp loose-leaf roasted oolong tea Dong Ding or Wuyi-style; no tea bags
- 1.5 cups water heated to exactly 185F / 85C
- 1 cup oat milk or whole milk cold
- ice as needed
Instructions
Cook the Tapioca Pearls
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add dried tapioca pearls and stir immediately to prevent sticking. Boil on a medium-high heat for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. The pearls should look translucent on the outside but may still have a small dark center.
- Remove the pot from heat. Cover with a lid and let the pearls rest for 20 minutes without opening the lid. The covered resting step -- not the boiling -- is what finishes cooking the starch through to the center. Lifting the lid drops the temperature and stops the process.
- Drain the pearls and rinse briefly with warm water. While still warm, toss immediately in a small bowl with the brown sugar syrup (combined and dissolved in a saucepan). Coating them right away prevents sticking and gives them the glossy, caramel-coated look.
Brew the Oolong Tea
- Heat water to 185F. If you don't have a thermometer, bring water to a boil then let it sit uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes. Add loose-leaf oolong and steep for 3 to 4 minutes. Pull the leaves immediately at 4 minutes -- longer steeping at any temperature causes bitterness.
Assemble the Boba
- Spoon cooked pearls into each glass. Add ice. Pour cooled oolong tea over the ice, filling the glass about 2/3 full. Top with cold oat milk. Stir gently and serve with a wide boba straw immediately.
Notes
The covered 20-minute rest off heat is non-negotiable -- skip it and you get hard centers every time.
Pearls harden quickly once they cool. Use within 2 hours of cooking. Do not refrigerate cooked pearls -- cold hardens them and they cannot be softened again.
Steep oolong at 185F, not boiling. This is the single temperature that separates smooth tea from bitter tea.
