Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea

Hey there, Sporks! Today, we’re excited to share one of our very first boba recipes with you on the blog.

As avid boba enthusiasts, we frequently whip up these refreshing drinks at home to enjoy as an afternoon pick-me-up while we work remotely.

This trendy recipe is truly worthy of the hype, and if you’re a fan of rich, caramelized flavors, then you’re in for a real treat!

Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea, also known as tiger milk boba, is a popular tapioca pearl beverage renowned for its nutty and sweet caramel flavor. The boba pearls are braised in brown sugar syrup, then poured along the sides of the cup to create a “tiger” stripe-like appearance.

Almost every boba shop has this trendy drink on their menu. Some of our favorite spots to grab a brown sugar boba in Los Angeles are Sunright, Tiger Sugar, and Half & Half Tea Express.

However, we love to save ourselves some money and often just make it at home!

Although Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea may appear complex, it is surprisingly straightforward to make at home.

By using premium ingredients, you can easily satisfy your craving for this beloved boba beverage.

We have more delicious boba recipes for you to explore! Try Korean Banana Milk Boba or Miso Caramel Hojicha Latte!

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Table of Contents

What Makes Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea So Good?

The key components of Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea – boba, brown sugar syrup, and milk tea – must all be of exceptional quality for the drink to achieve its full potential.

This is why Tiger Sugar (whose secret recipe involves cooking boba in syrup for 8 hours) is goated as an international award-winning boba!

The extraordinary caramel, smoky, and milky flavor of Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea comes from the boba pearls braised in brown sugar syrups, often made with special ingredients like Okinawan black sugar or muscovado sugar.

After the boba is boiled, it is cooked again over low heat with the syrup, allowing the signature flavor to fully develop.

Key Tips to Make Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea at Home

Choosing your tapioca pearls – Depending on how much time and effort you’re willing to invest, you have several options for the boba pearls.

Instant boba is the quickest, often taking just 5 minutes to cook, but it may lack the desired chewiness. At the other end of the spectrum, making boba from scratch requires the most effort but yields the best results. For a middle ground, purchasing a vacuum-sealed bag of regular, uncooked tapioca pearls can be a great compromise.

To ensure the tea flavor shines through, our recipe calls for cold-brewing the tea overnight using double the typical amount. This helps prevent the milk tea components from diluting the bold tea flavors.

Prevent sticky pearls – As soon as you add the boba to the boiling water, be sure to give them a gentle stir. This helps prevent the pearls from sticking together.

For a caffeine-free option, you can skip the tea and use just milk instead. Some boba shops offer their brown sugar boba with milk alone, resulting in a creamy and rich beverage.

How to Make a Healthier Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea

Although Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea is not the healthiest milk tea option, there are a couple ways to slightly reduce its calorie content without compromising the enjoyment of the drink.

Nonetheless, keep in mind that these modifications may impact the final taste.

Consider opting for a lower fat or lower calorie milk such as 1% milk or soy milk. Since the fat is used to balance out the sweetness, please be aware that using a zero fat or skim milk may really alter the taste.

Add less brown sugar syrup to your drink. Use a slotted spoon to scoop up the braised brown sugar boba so there won’t be too much excess.

Equipment

• large jar
• fine mesh strainer
• saucepan

Ingredients

Milk Tea

• 4 bags ceylon black tea
• 2 cups water
• milk of your choice – For the richest flavor, use whole milk or half and half creamer. We also love this drink with soy milk or oat milk.

Brown Sugar-Braised Boba

• 1 cup boba pearls
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup muscovado sugar – In America, you can easily get your hands on muscovado sugar at organic grocery stores. Whereas brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added back in, muscovado is an unrefined, raw sugar that already contains molasses. If you are unable to find this ingredient, you may use dark brown sugar instead.

Recipe

Steep the tea overnight

1. The night before, fill a jar with water and tea bags. Steep overnight in the fridge.

Cook the boba

1. Fill a pot with water and bring to boil. Add boba and gently stir to break up any pieces stuck together.
2. Unless otherwise instructed by the product package, boil for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let it sit for 20 minutes to finish cooking the core of the boba. Then rinse with water and drain.
3. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup water and 1/4 cup muscovado sugar. Stir frequently with medium heat for 5 min or until the sugar is fully dissolved.
4. Add the boba to the syrup mixture. Maintain a low simmer for 10-20 min, stir frequently until the syrup becomes slightly thick. Test the consistency by taking a spoonful of syrup and turning your spoon sideways to let it fall back into the pot. If you tilt the spoon and it falls off slowly, it is ready. If it stays in place, it is too thick so add a little water. If it runs quickly, keep boiling until it becomes a little thicker.
5. Remove boba/syrup mixture from heat.

To Serve

1. Tilt the glass at an angle, and add boba to the top of the glass. The boba will then slide its way straight down to the bottom of the glass, making the tiger stripes. Bonus challenge: make the tiger stripes even better by rotating the glass as the boba slides down.
2. Next add ice, then black tea, then milk. Tea to milk ratio is really a personal preference, but a good place to start is 1 cup black tea: 2 tbsp milk.

How to Store and Make Ahead

For optimal enjoyment, Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea is best served immediately.

The tea in this recipe can be cold brewed in advance, allowing it to stay fresh and flavorful for up to 2 days in the fridge.

However, the brown sugar boba should be prepared the day of serving, as the pearls tend to harden when chilled. To maintain their ideal texture and flavor, it is recommended to serve the boba while still warm and fresh.

Final Thoughts

Satisfy your boba cravings by recreating the boba shop experience at home with one of the most popular boba drinks in the world. Make this homestyle boba recipe and fall in love with the nutty, smoky, and caramelized flavors!

For more tasty and aesthetically-pleasing home cafe drinks, explore our boba recipes and coffee and tea recipes!

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this recipe, please give a star rating and review on the recipe card below + share your creations on Instagram and tag us @itsforkandspoon!

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References & Further Reading

https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-to-know-about-muscovado-sugar

https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/okinawa-black-sugar

https://tigersugar.co/#our-story