Coffee Milk Bubble Tea with Boba Pearls (2024)

June 16, 2023 · Date Modified June 16, 2023

This rich and creamy Coffee Milk Bubble Tea is sweetened with sticky brown sugar boba pearls. It’s the perfect fusion of strong, aromatic black tea and bold coffee (or espresso if you prefer a more intense flavor), combined with your choice of milk. This recipe is fully customizable, so you can adjust the sweetness and ice to suit your taste.

Why You’ll Love This COffee Milk Tea

This Coffee Milk Bubble Tea with Brown Sugar Boba combines two of my favorite drinks. For all you coffee drinkers and aficionados like me, this recipe is for you. Being vegan, it can be challenging to find non-dairy milk tea at bubble tea shops or coffee shops (at least where I live), so making it yourself is a great way to get your bubble tea fix!

Here’s why we love this coffee milk tea recipe and you will too!

• Amazing Mix of Flavors – The robust flavor of coffee mixed with the aromatic flavor of black tea is a match made in beverage heaven. You can use cold brew coffee, strongly brewed french press coffee or even a shot of espresso in this recipe.

• Chewy Tapioca Pearls – A thick brown sugar syrup coats the tapioca pearls which you can cook based on your preference. If you like your boba extra soft, cook it for a few more minutes!

• Customizable Sweetness – You can customize the sweetness level of this recipe, thanks to the homemade brown sugar syrup. Go a little lighter or a bit heavier – the choice is all yours.

• Versatile – This recipe is flexible! Love coconut milk? Use it! Prefer oat milk? That works too. The beauty of this recipe is its ability to cater to your taste preferences.

• Fun and Refreshing – There’s something uniquely fun about sipping chewy boba through a straw. Combined with the iced coffee milk tea, it’s a refreshingly cool treat perfect for warm, Summer days.

Ingredients

Making the milk tea is pretty straightforward. The ingredients are simple, yet they come together to create a delicious drink! Here’s what you’ll need:

• Black Sugar Tapioca Pearls or Homemade Boba Pearls– These are the star of our coffee flavored bubble tea! They add a fun, chewy texture and a delightful sweetness that elevates the overall taste of the drink. You can find them at most Asian Markets or you can order them online.

• Brown Sugar – It deepens the flavor of the boba and acts as a sweetener for our drink.

• Milk of Choice – You’re free to pick your favorite! We recommend either soy milk or oat milk for their creamy texture and subtle flavor that beautifully complements the coffee and tea.

• Coffee or Espresso – Go for a strong-brewed coffee, cold brew coffee, or a shot of espresso, depending on your caffeine preference.

• Black Tea – I’m using strong black tea (like Ceylon or Darjeeling) that can hold its own against the strong flavor of the coffee.

• Optional: Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk – For those who prefer an extra creamy and sweet touch to their coffee milk tea.

Substitutions

One of the best reasons to make bubble tea at home is that you can adjust everything to your liking! Use your favorite milk, add more sweetener to taste, or more ice as you see fit. There’s plenty of room for customization in this recipe:

• Tapioca Pearls – If black sugar tapioca pearls aren’t available, you can use another type of tapioca pearls or even make your own from tapioca starch and sweeten them with the homemade brown sugar syrup.
• Sweetener – Brown sugar creates a beautiful flavor in the simple syrup. However, coconut sugar or white sugar can be used instead for a different flavor profile. If you don’t want to make the brown sugar syrup, you can mix the boba with maple syrup instead.
• Coffee – I used freshly brewed espresso in this recipe to make somewhat of a boba latte, but you can also use instant coffee or instant espresso powder.Follow the instructions on the package of your instant coffee.
• Milk – Soy Milk, Coconut Milk or Oat milk are great dairy free alternatives to whole milk- they provide a similar creaminess. However instead of oat milk, you could use almond milk or your favorite milk of choice! Just keep in mind the type of milk you use will affect the taste and the creamy texture of the bubble tea.

Helpful Equipment

​Here’s what you’ll need to make this coffee milk tea:

• Small Pot for cooking the boba
• Small Saucepan for the brown sugar syrup
• Bubble Tea Straw: these are the ones I use!
• Serving Glass

🧋Step By Step Instructions🧋

For exact ingredient quantities, skip to the recipe card below!

From the strong brewed coffee to the brown sugar syrup for your boba, each step in this recipe is straightforward and doable, even if this is your first time making milk tea!

To Make the Black Tea:

STEP 1: Steep the black tea bags or equivalent loose leaves in ½ -¾ cup of hot water for 5 minutes.

STEP 2: Remove the tea bag or strain out the loose leaves and let the tea cool.

TIP: Make the tea ahead of time and let it chill for at least a few hours. This will help prevent the ice from melting!

To Make the Brown Sugar Boba:

STEP 3: Make the brown sugar syrup by adding 1/4 cup brown sugar and 2 tbsp water to a small pot.

STEP 4: Bring to a simmer and whisk continuously until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture starts to thicken slightly. This will take about 2-3 minutes on medium heat. If you’ve doubled the quantities, it will take longer (about 6-8 minutes). Transfer the syrup to a heatproof, airtight container and let it cool at room temperature.

TIP: You can make the syrup ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to a week. Feel free to double the quantities or follow this brown sugar boba recipe for a larger batch so you always have some on hand.

STEP 5: Bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Add the tapioca pearls to the boiling water, cover the pot, and cook for 3 minutes. Then, turn off the heat, and let them sit for another 2-3 minutes. Strain, and add the cooked tapioca pearls to the thickened and cooled brown sugar syrup.

TIP: Keep an eye on the boba during the cooking process. They can become too soft easily!

To Make the Coffee Milk Tea:

STEP 6: In a glass measuring cup, combine your milk of choice with the brewed coffee or espresso and the strong black tea.

STEP 7: Spoon the prepared brown sugar boba into the bottom of another glass. Then, top it with a handful of ice cubes.

STEP 8: Pour your coffee milk tea over the ice, then add more brown sugar syrup or a drizzle of sweetened condensed coconut milk to taste.

Serving

Serve your coffee milk tea boba with a large bubble tea straw.This milk tea is best served immediately.

The chewy tapioca balls are sweet with a perfect texture, however after sitting in the ice and cold milk, they will firm up.

Storage

You can store the brown sugar syrup, separately from the boba pearls, in the fridge for up to a week.

You can also store leftover coffee milk tea in the fridge for up to 2 days.

It’s best to keep the brown sugar boba in its syrup at room temperature and use it within a few hours for the best texture.

Helpful Tips

• Brew the coffee and the tea strong for the best tea flavor! And let the tea chill completely before adding it to the bubble milk tea. This will prevent it from melting the ice.

• To prevent the boba from sticking together, make sure to stir them occasionally while they are cooking and cooling in the syrup.

• If you find your coffee milk tea isn’t sweet enough, you can add some of the brown sugar syrup used for the boba or sweetened condensed coconut milk.

FAQ

Did you make this Creamy Coffee Milk Tea with Boba?

⭐️ I’d love to know! Leave a star rating and comment below!⭐️

Coffee Milk Bubble Tea with Boba Pearls

Yield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

This rich and creamy Coffee Milk Bubble Tea is sweetened with sticky brown sugar boba pearls. It's the perfect fusion of strong, aromatic black tea and bold coffee (or espresso if you prefer a more intense flavor), combined with your choice of milk. This recipe is fully customizable, so you can adjust the sweetness and ice to suit your taste.

Ingredients

Brown Sugar Boba (2 servings):

• ½ cup black sugar tapioca pearls
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp water

Coffee Milk Tea (2 servings):

• 1 ½ - 2 cups of milk of choice, Soy Milk or Oat Milk
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee or cold brew coffee or 2 shots of espresso
• 2 black tea bags or loose leaf equivalent (Ceylon, Assam, or Darjeeling)
• ½-¾ cup hot water, for brewing the tea
• 1-2 handfuls of ice, for serving
• Optional- 1-2 tbsp sweetened condensed coconut milk

Instructions

*The ingredients above make 2 servings.*

To Make the Black Tea:

1. Steep the black tea bags or equivalent loose leaves in ½ -¾ cup of hot water (depending on preference) for 5 minutes. The less water you use, the stronger the tea will be.
2. Remove the tea bags or strain out the loose leaves and let the tea cool. The goal is to brew the tea strong, so the flavor comes through in the milk tea.

To Make the Brown Sugar Boba:

1. Make the brown sugar syrup by adding 1/4 cup brown sugar and 2 tbsp water to a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and whisk continuously. Simmer the mixture for 2-3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved and the mixture should start to thicken slightly.
2. For a larger batch of syrup, follow this recipe.
3. Remove from the heat, pour into a heatproof bowl or glass and set aside until the tapioca pearls are ready. For best results, let the syrup cool completely at room temperature before serving. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
4. Bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Add the tapioca pearls once boiling, cover the pot, and cook for 3 minutes. Then, turn off the heat, and let them sit for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Strain the cooked tapioca pearls. Add them to the thickened and cooled brown sugar syrup. To cool the boba down faster, place the heatproof glass in an ice bath.

To Make the Coffee Milk Tea:

1. To make 1 serving: in a glass measuring cup, combine ¾-1 cup of milk of your choice with ½ cup brewed coffee, cold brew or 1 shot of espresso and ¼ cup of strong black tea. Stir until well combined. Adjust the amounts of milk, coffee or tea to your taste preference.
2. Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of prepared brown sugar boba in the bottom of a serving glass. Top the boba with a handful of ice.
3. Pour the coffee milk tea over the ice. Add more brown sugar syrup or a drizzle of sweetened condensed coconut milk to taste. Serve with a large bubble tea straw.

Notes

You can store the brown sugar syrup, separately from the boba pearls, in the fridge for up to a week.

You can store leftover coffee milk tea in the fridge for up to 2 days.

It's best to keep the brown sugar boba in its syrup at room temperature and use it within a few hours for the best texture.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 308Total Fat: 3g

Nutritional info is an estimate. Amounts will vary based on specific ingredients used.

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