boba is a way of life. i was going to mention its relevance in asian american bubbles, but even lufkin, texas, with its 1.37% asian population and positioning in east texas 2ish hours away from the nearest big city (houston), has a boba shop. (also, if you're wondering how i landed on lufkin, i looked for random places on google map and then researched if they had boba).
anyways, boba refers to the chewy black tapioca pearls that act as one of the toppings for sweetened milky tea, though i've heard it used to reference the whole drink. while i don't crave pearl milk tea / pmt / boba / bubble tea like my friend b, who would happily have an iv of pmt installed into her arm, i still end up ordering and enjoying something when i tag along for pmt adventures.
case in point: a recent trip to boba guys, where i had a strawberry jasmine tea fresca. sweet strawberry + jazzy jasmine tea = happy heather. (jazzy??? bear with me for the sake of alliterations).
voila, bubbly strawberry jasmine tea, since carbonation makes things even more exciting. or how about this sparkling coffee if you want something a little more caffeinated?
it's dangerously downable. even my mom, who likes her tea on the light side, aka a used tea bag dipped in hot water for a few seconds, thought this was refreshing.
(in another refreshing way to use jasmine tea, albeit a savory one, how about this ochazuke?).
- ¾ cup boiling water
- 1 T jasmine green tea leaves
- 5 medium strawberries diced
- 1 T granulated sugar
- ice and/or chopped frozen strawberries
- sparkling water chilled
- maple syrup or agave to sweeten
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Let the tea steep in the boiling water for 5-10 minutes. I think 7 is perfect, but adjust accordingly depending on your tastes. Refrigerate until cold.
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Combine the strawberries and sugar, then let sit until juicy, at least 15 minutes. You can puree the strawberries if you want less texture or a more fruity tea, or if you're lazy, don't. It's delicious either way.
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In a tall glass, add the ice and/or frozen strawberries, sugared strawberries (if you opted to not puree them, I'd recommend smashing them a bit with a spoon) and cold tea. Top off with the sparkling water. Stir in maple syrup to sweeten, and enjoy!
If you want more strawberry flavor, you can add more fresh strawberries, ground freeze-dried strawberries, strawberry jam, etc. Go as strawberry crazy as you want (:
Any liquid sweetener works if you don't have or want to use maple syrup or agave. I like adding it at the end instead of with the hot tea, since it's easier to account for the strawberries' sweetness when you add it at the end.
Jenny | The Baking Skillet says
The first time i tried boba I hated it. Now I love it but I don't drink much of it ever since I googled 'calories in bubble tea' 🙁 (life in the 30s!!) Love this refreshing drink and the layers in the first pic. looks pretty!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
I've never had boba because I'm so afraid the little tapioca pearls will gross me out. I know, I'm weird. But this tea is so pretty (and I'm a sucker for a pretty drink) that I might just have to try it! LOVE that color! Have a great week, Heather!
Heather says
oh, i don't blame you. it can be weird the first time you have it! also psssst: you don't have to get pearls in your milk tea. people get aloe jelly or pudding or sweet red bean or nothing at all too!
Mary says
I love Boba, I can't wait to make this bubbly strawberry jasmine tea myself. Looks delicious.
Ruth Miranda says
I never tried boba, but seeing I really do not like tapioca - the consistency alone makes me cringe in horror - I think I will stay away from it. Though this looks really good and refreshing, might I add!!
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Heather says
hmm boba is much chewier than normal tapioca, though it is slick (okay, slimy if you want to say market it badly lol) on the outside. a lot of the time boba is an add on anyways, so you could easily get a drink sans boba if you wanted! (:
The Ninja Baker says
Nice to know that even smallish towns in Texas have boba! Love the strawberry accented jasmine tea recipe =)
Heather says
go texas!! i have a bad habit of stereotyping towns; i was in a random little town in utah last week, and was surprised by some of the big name companies and diversity of food that they had. which is a long winded way of saying that maybe i shouldn't have been so surprised that lufkin has boba (;
Heather says
i love the pictures with the layers more than the mixed drink. it looks like sunset to me 🌇 (also this is a horrible sunset emoji)
Heather says
now you know! on a slight tangent, i think it's interesting to see what people call boba: sometimes i use "pearl milk tea" and no one has any idea what i'm talking about, even though they know exactly what boba is. i guess it's like pop vs soda!