Raise your hand if you are addicted to milk tea.
Yes, I see you. And you, and you. For those of you who haven’t tried it yet, I’m not sure if you should: It’s very habit-forming, and can be pretty expensive to go out and buy. When I was ten, I remember a D.A.R.E. officer telling us that some people were so addicted to cigarettes that they would would smoke a pack a day, and at $3.50/pack, that came out to over a thousand dollars a year! My jaw dropped. A THOUSAND BUCKS TO KILL YOURSELF?!
Well, my boba-loving friends, sometimes I wonder if we’re in the same boat. Instead of cigarettes, it’s milk tea… and instead of cancer, it’s diabetes or obesity or something. But the $3.50 price tag sounds about right, and I’m willing to bet there are some of you who, if you really thought about it, guzzle down this frothy liquid almost daily. Some of you even get it twice in a day sometimes:once after lunch, and again that evening when a friend texts to see if you’re free. Oh… well… for the sake of hanging out. Yes, yes. I suppose I will have to just get another one… *giddy laughter inside*.
How did I know about that? Yes, it’s me too.
This is how I came to realize that I was addicted to milk tea. Now, addressing the addiction is probably the heart of the matter, but I’m not ready for that yet, so until then, I will merely search for a way to minimize the cost of it: MAKE IT YOSELF!
I’ve tried, JoEllen, I’ve tried! It’s just not the same. It doesn’t taste as good.
Yes, I hear you. I, too, have been trying for the last 15 years to nail down the perfect milk tea recipe myself, to little avail. As the options of milk tea shops keep expanding, so my milk tea taste buds keep getting refined. I have never been able to make a satisfying cup of milk tea to adequately stave off the next milk tea run… until now.
My faithful mommy group has come through for me once again. What does milk tea have to do with mommy-ing, you ask? Um… Milk tea = happy mom. Happy mom = happy family…?
When someone posed the question about making milk tea at home, not only did a whole bunch of people start following the conversation (literally, they just commented with “following” to make sure they were sent all the replies from other comments), but others shared useful tidbits! One was this youtube video:
If you’re not up for a six-minute video, you can jump straight to the recipe below. I’ve tried three versions: Lipton decaffeinated tea, Earl Grey tea, and the Red Rose Tea
11/18/15 Update: For green milk tea, I plan to try out Possmei Jasmine Green Tea
Last week, I made a big batch of milk tea for friends. I started with a big pot of tea (edit: I used the recipe below, and multiplied the proportions by ~10):
After steeping, the tea should be as dark as black coffee:
Shake it with ice and creamer, and you’re done!
We had a bunch of friends over, so I set up a milk tea station with directions so they could each shake up their own beverage:
That worked out pretty well, but a couple days ago, I made another big batch and decided to just just whir everything together in a Vitamix and served it out of a pitcher. It was just as good (and a lot less work).
Several of my friends with highly discriminating milk tea palettes gave me the “It’s legit!” on this round of taste tests, so it is now post-worthy. Here you go. Be sure to use 8 ounces of water per serving to steep your tea– this is not the time to stretch your dollar (or cents). Watery milk tea is not nearly as satisfying!
I’ll really have to control myself so my body doesn’t suffer from this dangerous recipe discovery– I’m pretty sure I consume enough sugar as it is! I, for one, am content to end my milk tea recipe search here. Perhaps now you can, too!
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Taiwan Milk Tea Recipe
Makes 1 serving of milk tea
Ingredients:
- 2 individual bags Red Rose Original Blend Tea Bags
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy creamer (Coffeemate)
- 2 tablespoons organic cane sugar (or brown sugar)
- Edit 11/18/15: I like just 1 tbsp personally (I usually order “half sugar” at milk tea places)
Instructions:
- Steep tea bags in 8 oz. hot water for ~5 minutes. Remove tea bags and add cane sugar. Stir until completely dissolved. Edit 11/18/15: After steeping for 5 minutes, stir, and then let steep for 5 more minutes. This gives more tea flavor, which I like.
- Fill a cocktail shaker
with 1/2 cup ice and creamer.
- Pour tea into shaker and shake until outside of shaker is cold. Before sealing the lid onto your shaker, you might want to stir the liquid about in the ice a bit first to cool down the tea. Pour into glass and enjoy with a straw!
If you want an even more pronounced tea flavor, then follow these directions:
- Steep tea bags in 8 oz. hot water for ~5 minutes. Remove tea bags and add cane sugar. Stir until completely dissolved.
- Chill sweetened tea in refrigerator until cold.
- Fill a cocktail shaker
- Pour tea into shaker and shake until outside of shaker is cold. Pour into glass and enjoy with a straw!
3/3/2016 Edit: I just tried making Mango Milk Tea by using Mango Ceylon
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Related
Hong Kong Style Milk Tea Recipe
Auntie K’s Mango Pudding Recipe
64 responses to “Taiwan Milk Tea Recipe”
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Hi, I’m a Mama Bear and browsed your site after the link you sent on Quiet Books! This recipe is awesome and it inspired me to make my own! I always crave milk tea but the caffeine keeps me up, so I ordered decaf tea (I’m also preggo 🙂 and make my own single servings with 1 bag, 1 tbsp sugar, and 2 tbsp creamer. So so good. Thanks for sharing!
Congrats! 😀 And Go Bears! 😀 So glad you could make good use of this recipe! What kind of decaf tea do you use? I’m always looking for good decaf beverages to enjoy =).
Thanks! I bought some Barry’s Decaf Black Tea from Amazon ~ it’s from Ireland and has great flavor. My favorite is green milk tea so I just ordered some decaf green tea to make too. I forgot to mention that I’ve been drinking it hot, first thing in the morning 🙂 It’s still chilly where we live and it’s so satisfying!!!
Good to know– thanks! Mmm milk tea hot or cold– I love it both ways!
Can you post your large batch with a Vitamix recipe?
It was a while ago so I don’t remember exact amounts, but I basically multiplied everything by 7, I think– however much liquid my Vitamix could hold, plus some room for creamer and sugar before blending. The basic steps are otherwise the same: Steep tea bags in hot water for ~5 minutes. Remove tea bags and add cane sugar. Stir until completely dissolved.
Here is where instructions would differ: Let the mixture cool, then pour tea into Vitamix, add creamer, and blend until smooth. Chill until ready to serve.
Hi! I tried this recipe, and while it was good, it was a little too ‘tea’ flavored for me. I always get a single serving of milk tea at a tea house nearby, and there is much whiter in color. Suggestions?
Haha I LOVE the tea-flavoredness :). But if you want it to be less tea-y, you can either 1) cut down on the steeping time, 2) use just one bag instead of two tea bags, 3) use more water and/or creamer. I’d probably go with the last one if I were you. Good luck!
Sorry, that was supposed to say ‘theirs is much whiter in color’
Why do you have to use creamer and not milk? Isn’t creamer unhealthy? Do the tea shops use creamer?
As far as I know, most tea shops use creamer. Yup, I’m afraid it’s unhealthy!