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Originally, "bubble tea" was a cold milk tea that was shaken until it became frothy. Sometimes tapioca pearls ("boba") were added, sometimes cubes of jelly were added, or maybe basil seeds were added. The drink originated in Taiwan in the 1980's and spread throughout Southeast Asia before finding its way to the US West Coast. Most Americans misinterpret "bubble tea" as meaning "tea with tapioca pearls." Although this is not the case, for the sake of argument, I'll use the terms "boba tea" and "bubble tea" interchangeably here because that is what most Americans are familiar with.

I got the bag of tapioca pearls at Manila Oriental Market in San Francisco for $4. If you can't find them near you, don't worry; you can find them online. They come in a rainbow of colors, from black and white to red, purple, pink, blue, and green. You can also buy the boba straws online, or just use a spoon.

This small bag I bought has a lot of boba in it. Do the math: if you buy boba drinks at a coffee/tea shop, they cost about $5 or $6 a pop. I'm estimating I can get about 20 boba drinks out of this one bag for $4 and whatever the tea, sugar, and milk costs, but it still comes out much lower than $5 x 20 drinks = $100.

I don't like using powdered bubble tea "mixes" because they contain a lot of sugar, powdered creamer, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial coloring. A lot of boba shops use these mixes, so not only are you wasting money buying boba drinks, you're also getting unhealthy, fattening, sugar-filled drinks full of preservatives. I did some kitchen experimentation and came up with a few ways to make boba drinks healthier and cheaper using as few ingredients as possible, and the recipes are customizable. You can add our sweetener and cream of choice; if you want to use skim milk, that's fine. Below I've listed some recipes I devised for different bubble tea variations. Each recipe serves one, so expand as needed.

Notes on preparing the tapioca pearls:
Remember that the tapioca pearls swell when boiled, so figure that they increase three times their size when determining how much boba you want in one drink. I like a little bit of boba; one to two teaspoons of dry tapioca pearls is enough for me, but if you like more boba, try 1/4 cup dry boba per drink. To prepare, bring 2 cups of water in a saucepan to a boil. Slowly pour in 1/4 cup of the dry boba and sit gently and slowly to keep them from sticking to the bottom. They should float. Reduce heat to medium high, cover, and cook the pearls for five minutes. Test one; if it's chewy and jelly-like all the way through, it's done. If it's still a little dry in the middle, cook a few minutes more, stirring slowly. Strain the water out and serve the boba immediately.

Milk Tea Boba:
Ingredients
2 cups boiling water
1 teabag of strong English black tea or Earl Grey tea
Sweetener of your choice, to your taste
Milk, cream or condensed milk
Prepared boba

Preparation
Prepare the tea just as you would make a cup of hot tea; steep the tea bag until very strong, and add the sweetener of your choice if desired. Add the milk, cream, or condensed milk in amounts to your taste. Add the boba to a tall glass and slowly pour the hot tea on top. Serve with a boba straw or spoon. Can be served hot or cold. If you want this cold, make the milk tea ahead and refrigerate, or add ice.

Green Tea Milk Boba:
Ingredients
2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon powdered green tea ("matcha")
Sweetener of your choice, to your taste
Milk, cream or condensed milk
Prepared boba

Preparation
Whisk the powdered green tea in the boiling water until smooth, and add the sweetener of your choice if desired. Add the milk, cream, or condensed milk in amounts to your taste. Add the boba to a tall glass and slowly pour the hot tea on top. Serve with a boba straw or spoon. Can be served hot or cold. If you want this cold, make the green tea milk ahead and refrigerate before adding to the boba, or add ice.

Purple Yam Milk Boba:
Ingredients
2 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons purple yam powder - found in Asian markets or online. It comes in packages like this.
Sweetener of your choice, to your taste
Milk, cream or condensed milk
Prepared boba

Preparation
Whisk the purple yam powder in the boiling water until smooth, and add the sweetener of your choice if desired. Add the milk, cream, or condensed milk in amounts to your taste. Add the boba to a tall glass and slowly pour the hot liquid on top. Serve with a boba straw or spoon. Can be served hot or cold. If you want this cold, make the purple yam milk ahead and refrigerate before adding to the boba, or add ice.

Fruit Juice Boba:
Ingredients
2 cups fruit juice, your choice - examples include orange, mango, lychee, soursop, tamarind, coconut, pineapple, or guava.
Prepared boba

Preparation
Add the boba to a tall glass and slowly pour your favorite chilled fruit juice over. Serve with a boba straw or spoon.

Thai Iced Tea with Boba
Ingredients
2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 tablespoons Thai iced tea powder - found at Asian grocers or online.
Sweetener of your choice, to your taste
Milk, cream or condensed milk
Prepared boba

Preparation
Thai iced tea powder is very fine and doesn't dissolve, so you need to put it in a coffee filter or a tea sock. Strain the boiling water through it and steep. If it's not strong enough to your liking, add another tablespoon of tea. Add the sweetner and creamer of your choice. Traditionally, condensed milk is used, but if you're concerned about fat content, use milk. Chill the Thai tea or add ice. Add the boba to a tall glass and slowly pour the the Thai tea on top. Serve with a boba straw or spoon.

Milk Coffee with Boba
Ingredients
2 cups coffee
Sweetener of your choice, to your taste
Milk, cream or condensed milk
Prepared boba

Preparation
Prepare coffee as you normally do, and add the sweetener of your choice if desired. Add the milk, cream, or condensed milk in amounts to your taste. Add the boba to a tall glass and slowly pour the hot tea on top. Serve with a boba straw or spoon. Can be served hot or cold. If you want this cold, make the milk coffee ahead and refrigerate, or add ice.

Related:
DIY Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Latte (Just Like Starbucks!)
Warming Winter Beverage: Hot Sake
Recipe: Iced Chai
Recipe: Sujeonggwa (Korean Persimmon Punch)
Recipe: Che Dau Xanh (Vietnamese Dessert Soup With Mung Beans)

(Image: Kathryn Hill)