I LOVE BOBA TEA!!
And I have discovered I can buy the powder and tapioca balls on Ebay! But… is it the same?
I noticed the last time I ordered Boba Tea! in chinatown that they put a scoop of brown goo that was unidentified into the blender (I only like blended boba tea!). It was light brown, and this was different than the powder (I only like Taro, which is lavender) and the tapioca balls. What the hell was it? Will my boba tea! at home be as good without it?
And am I the only one who thinks that taro tea tastes kinda like a very mild chocolate? And is damned yummy?
I LOVE BOBA TEA!
And will it taste the same without the sealed plastic top, popped with a giant boba straw?
And since I love Taro so much, I’ve never even tried the other flavors… what do you recommend?
I LOVE BOBA TEA!!!
(All references to Boba Tea! must be punctuated with an exclamation point. That’s the rule. You probably didn’t know that. But now you do. Boba tea!!)
I’ve made it at home from a kit, but it’s not as good as straight from a Pochi stand. The tapioca balls were dried, and took about 45 minutes of boiling to prepare. The powder mix lacked some flavor. It is probably the kit’s fault, as I can see ingredients making a big difference in flavor. Overall, it’s much easier just to drive down the road to the bubble shop (that’s open until midnight)
You can buy the components online, but making the tapioca balls was a pain in the neck when I tried it. I guess they turned out okay eventually, but it was a lot of soaking and fiddling. I’d probably not bother unless I was completely addicted to the stuff and couldn’t get it anywhere nearby.
I’ve found that if the tapioca balls have microwave instructions on the bag, you should make them that way- it’s easier than on the stove top and if they’re a little bit too squishy they just need a few minutes out of the liquid to firm back up a bit.
I always get almond milkshake with tapioca bubbles if I’m splurging and actually going out for boba, unless I’m at a place without almond milkshake: then I just get the clear red sort of raspberry, or mint tea. I’ve never been disappointed by the other flavors I’ve tried, but almond, raspberry, and mint tea are my favorites if I’m spending money on it.