Adore bubble tea but crave coffee? Make a sweet, blended Iced Latte with Boba! You can achieve this easier than you think by following my professional tips.

WHAT IS BOBA?

Boba is the name for tapioca balls, which is made from tapioca starch taken from the cassava root. They’re chewy and soft when cooked.

Boba is another name for bubble tea or milk tea, a drink usually made with tea, milk, and ice.

RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS

No time for the long line at your favorite boba spot? This quick and easy recipe uses store-bought tapioca balls to create a delicious iced latte with boba in your kitchen.

To produce this drink at home, you’ll need an espresso machine or a Nespresso. The best-tasting boba is made by combining the drink while the tapioca balls are still warm.

Espresso
Make espresso in an espresso machine or a Nespresso. Any variety of roast can be used, from light to dark.

Tapioca balls
Because store-bought pickles are sold dry, simply boil them in water to plump them up.

Brown sugar
Granulated white sugar will work for this recipe, but I prefer to use brown sugar because it gives the coffee a richer flavor with hints of caramel.

Milk
You can use any type of milk, but I prefer oat or whole milk.

Water
Filtered water is recommended since it results in a superior tasting beverage.

Ice
Filtered water doesn’t just make your coffee and tea taste better – it also improves the quality of your ice cubes.

Expert Tips

When they’re warm (but not too hot that you’ll burn your mouth), tapioca balls have the perfect consistency for a boba drink.
Tapioca balls shouldn’t be cooked much in advance because they’ll start to harden after four hours. It’s ideal if you can prepare them, cool them down slightly, and present the drink right away.
In order to form the distinct layers in this drink, sugar, and ice are essential. The sweetest liquid belongs at the bottom of the glass, with progressively less-sweet liquids above it until you reach the final layer, which should not have any sugar.
Boba drinks are served with an extra-wide straw to get some of the boba in each sip. A regular straw is too narrow.
Do not swallow the tapioca balls whole, but instead chew them.
A tip for making sure each layer is evenly distributed throughout the drink is to pour the liquid over the ice.
This recipe makes a 16-ounce (2 cups) drink, so make sure to have a large enough cup.
Sugar and ice are used in the drink to help build up the layers. The sweetest liquid should be at the bottom, followed by the next sweetest. Sugar should not be used in the top layer of the drink.
Boba drinks are served with an extra-wide straw to get some of the boba with the latte on each sip. A standard straw is too narrow.
A trick to keeping each layer separated as you make the drink is to pour the liquid on top of the ice.
This recipe makes a 16-ounce (2 cups) drink, so make sure to have a large enough cup.