Milk Tea: What It Is And How To Make It At Home - Oh, How Civilized

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Tea Sommelier’s Milk Tea Recipe

By Jee Choe

on Jan 18, 2026

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Yup, milk tea (also called bubble tea) can be made at home! Get easy step-by-step directions from a Tea Sommelier to make this delicious boba drink that tastes better than the one at bubble tea shops!

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Table of Contents

• Milk Tea
• Recipe Summary
• Note from Jee
• Ingredient Notes
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Boba Tip
• Recipe Notes
• Expert Tips
• Related
• Tea Sommelier’s Milk Tea Recipe Recipe

Milk Tea

Whoever invented milk tea is a genius. Strongly brewed tea is sweetened with simple syrup and made creamy with milk. The best part? The chewy tapioca balls that line the bottom of the cup that complete the drink.

Milk tea also goes by bubble tea or boba. When I say I want milk tea, I mean I want bubble tea. Originally from Taiwan, bubble tea was created in the 1980s and it got so popular bubble tea shops can be found all around the world.

Recipe Summary

• Most bubble tea shops use powdered tea that is loaded with chemicals and sugar but my recipe uses real brewed tea so that the tea flavor really comes through.
• Dried, store-bought tapioca balls are the key to getting bubble tea shop quality boba in 12 minutes. I’ve tested and tasted to find the best.
• My tried-and-true secret to making the best bubble tea is to use hot tapioca balls. It’s what makes the boba perfectly soft and chewy.

Note from Jee

I don’t know about you, but I can really taste the difference between milk tea made using powders and one that’s made with brewed tea. The brewed tea version is far superior and that’s the recipe I created.

As a Tea Sommelier, I insist on perfectly brewed tea, so I’ve included brewing notes so that your tea isn’t bitter or weak.

The two most important things with making tea is steep time and water temperature so I’ve included those in the recipe.

Ingredient Notes

• Black tea: Any black tea like English breakfast tea can be used. You can use loose tea or tea bags.
• Tapioca balls: Store-bought boba only requires them to be boiled in water for a few minutes. It’s the quickest and easiest way to make boba at home.
• Brown sugar: I use brown sugar instead of regular white sugar and it creates a deeper, richer flavor since it has notes of molasses and toffee. Feel free to swap it out with white sugar.
• Milk: Any kind of milk can be used but it’s especially creamy with whole milk or half & half.
• Water: Tea always tastes better when made with filtered water.
• Ice: Use filtered water if possible to make ice.

For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Steep black tea in hot water. Strain tea leaves or remove tea bag. Stir in brown sugar. Set aside to cool.

Step 2: Cook tapioca balls in brown sugar and water. This creates a brown sugar syrup.

Step 3: Put hot tapioca balls with brown sugar syrup into a glass. Add ice and pour in tea.

Step 4: Top with milk or half & half. Serve immediately. Stir before drinking. Use an extra wide straw to drink.

Boba Tip

Tapioca balls should hot, but not burning hot.To keep the boba soft and chewy, add hot tapioca balls into the drink. The ice will cool it down a bit but make sure you don’t use piping hot tapioca balls that can burn your mouth.

Recipe Notes

Strong tea is brewed to bring out more of its flavor.To make regular tea with hot water, the ratio I use is 1 ½ teaspoons of tea for every cup of water. To make this milk tea though, I more than double it so it’s a little more intense.

Tapioca balls must be made right before making the drink.Do not make tapioca balls more than 1-2 hours ahead of time. After 4 hours, they’ll start to harden. The drink is the best when assembled and served right before drinking.

Any type of tea can be used.Black tea is used in this drink, but you can use any kind of tea you like. Try it with green, white, or oolong tea instead of black tea.

Expert Tips

• To adjust the sweetness, strain out the tapioca balls from the brown sugar simple syrup when assembling the drink. Add the brown sugar syrup last and adjust to taste.
• The tea can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Don’t add the milk or tapioca balls until you’re ready to serve the drink.
• To make sure the black tea doesn’t get bitter, don’t brew it in hot water for more than 5 minutes. I always recommend using a timer.
• Tea bags contains the lowest quality tea, but since it’s going into a drink with sugar and milk, you don’t need to use the highest quality so using tea bags is fine.

Related

• 17 Refreshing Milk Tea Recipes
• Matcha Bubble Tea
• Strawberry Matcha Latte Bubble Tea
• Thai Iced Tea with Boba
• Iced Latte with Boba

If you tried this Milk Tea recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and let me know how you like it in the comments below.

SaveSaved Pin Print 4.59 from 136 votes

Tea Sommelier’s Milk Tea Recipe

By: Jee Choe Refreshing and delicious bubble tea made with tapioca balls, brown sugar, and black tea. Prep Time: 5 minutes minutesCook Time: 12 minutes minutesTotal Time: 22 minutes minutesYield: 1 servings (16 ounces)

Ingredients 1x2x3x

Iced Milk Tea

• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons black tea, (or 3 tea bags)
• ▢ ¾ cup water
• ▢ 1 cup ice
• ▢ ⅓ cup milk or half & half

Tapioca Balls

• ▢ ¾ cup water
• ▢ ¼ cup brown sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup tapioca balls

Instructions

MAKE TEA

• Boil water for tea.If using an electric kettle with a temperature setting, set the water to 208°F. Use filtered water if possible.¾ cup water
• Steep tea in hot water for 5 minutes. Strain tea leaves or remove tea bags and let tea cool.Don't steep for more than 5 minutes since it can make your tea bitter.1 ½ tablespoons black tea

COOK TAPIOCA BALLS

• Boil water and brown sugar in a saucepan to make a brown sugar syrup. Add tapioca balls.Combine brown sugar and ¾ cup of water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. When you see big bubbles (2-4 minutes), add tapioca balls. Keep boiling for 8 more minutes on medium-high heat. Cool slightly, until tapioca balls aren't too hot to eat. They should still be somewhat hot.(Follow directions on your tapioca ball packaging if you're using a different brand than the one I’m using.)¾ cup water, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup tapioca balls

ASSEMBLE DRINK

• Add hot tapioca balls in brown sugar syrup into a cup. Add ice, cooled down tea, and milk or half & half.Serve immediately and stir before drinking. Use an extra wide straw to drink.1 cup ice, ⅓ cup milk or half & half

Notes

• To keep the boba soft and chewy, add hot tapioca balls into the drink. The ice will cool it down a bit but make sure you don’t use piping hot tapioca balls that can burn your mouth.
• Do not make tapioca balls more than 1-2 hours ahead of time. After 4 hours, they’ll start to harden. The drink is the best when assembled and served right before drinking.
• To adjust the sweetness, strain out the tapioca balls from the brown sugar simple syrup when assembling the drink. Add the brown sugar syrup last and adjust to taste.
• The tea can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Don’t add the milk or tapioca balls until you’re ready to serve the drink.
• Tea bags contains the lowest quality tea, but since it’s going into a drink with sugar and milk, you don’t need to use the highest quality so using tea bags is fine.

Nutrition

Calories: 394Carbohydrates: 92gProtein: 3gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 77mgPotassium: 208mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 59gVitamin A: 132IUCalcium: 171mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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