Among all of the boba drinks and milk tea, brown sugar milk tea is my favorite. Brown sugar boba, judging from the name with black tea, milk, and brown sugar or in syrup form. It has a sweet, creamy, and caramelized flavor. Let’s learn how to make brown sugar boba at home with the most caramelized flavors just by super easy steps.
What’s brown sugar
Brown sugar is white granulated sugar with molasses which is a byproduct of the sugar-making process and is rich in vitamins and minerals, including iron, calcium, and potassium. The molasses gives the sugar a brown color and a slightly caramelized flavor. The dark the sugar is, the more molasses are added.
Brown sugar is a popular ingredient in many Asian cuisines and is widely used in both savory and sweet dishes. In Asian countries such as Taiwan, China, and Japan, brown sugar has a long history of culinary use and is often used to add sweetness and depth of flavor to dishes.
What’s brown sugar milk tea
Brown sugar milk tea is a Taiwanese drink, starting from the 1980s made with brown sugar and fresh milk. When tapioca pearls are added, it is called brown sugar boba or brown sugar bubble tea.
The caramelized flavor of the brown sugar makes it taste better than other milk tea with simple syrup, especially for those who love caramelized flavors.
Where it comes from
In the 1980s, Xing Fu Tang, a popular Taiwanese bubble tea chain started selling brown sugar milk tea. They use a special cooking technique to caramelize the brown sugar, giving their drinks a rich and complex flavor.
Along with the popularity because of the unique taste and flavor, lots of brands are making brown sugar milk tea for example tiger sugar. Tiger Sugar is widely known for its signature brown sugar boba milk tea with tiger strips formed by the thick brown sugar syrup. Their tiger milk tea usually is topped with a thick layer of milk foam.
Brown sugar syrup
We don’t cook brown sugar syrup separately. Instead, the brown sugar is simmered directly with tapioca pearls. But if you plan to make brown sugar syrup for boba, cook 2 portions of brown sugar and 1 portion of water. Stir firstly to avoid burning, then simmer for another 5 minutes until the syrup forms large bubbles. Transfer out and cool down.
Once cooled, transfer to an air-tight container or bottle. Then you can use this brown sugar syrup to sweeten any of your bubble tea or boba drinks.
How to cook baba pearls with brown sugar syrup
In this post, we introduce a new way, but the easiest way of making boba pearls with brown sugar syrup to maximize the flavors and taste. I recommend half cooking, half resting method so the boba pearls can be completely cooked, without hard cores.
The first step is to read the instructions on the package and see what type of boba pearls already bought because we have quick boba pearls or 5 minutes tapioca pearls that have been pre-softened. For this type, only 10 minutes is needed and thus I highly recommend this one.
Step1: Boil the water
Bring a large pot of water (Recommend 8 times in volume) to a rolling boil.
Step 2: add the tapioca pearls and cook
Add the tapioca pearls to the boiling water. Stir the tapioca pearls gently to prevent them from sticking together. Cook for 20 minutes or 5 minutes for quick boba pearls on medium heat.
Step3: rest it
Turn off the fire and let it rest for another 20 minutes or 5 minutes for quick boba.
Step4: rinse
Rinse the tapioca pearls in running water to remove extra starch.
Step 5: make the boba with caramelized brown sugar syrup.
Add around 3/4 cup of brown sugar in a pot, then place the boba pearls in. No need to add water. Slow down the fire and stir from time to time to avoid being sticky.
Cook for 3-4 minutes until there are large bubbles and a thick brown syrup is formed. Now our brown sugar boba pearls are ready for all types of bubble tea, milk tea, latte, or even as toppings for desserts.
Now, let’s move to make a lovely brown sugar milk tea.
Step 1: make the tea base. Add 200ml hot water to 1 black tea bag in a small cup. Let it steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bag and set the liquid aside to cool down.
Step 2: add 2 or 3 tablespoons of cooked tapioca pearls along with the brown sugar syrup in a serving cup, then fill the cup with ice cubes.
Step 3: add the tea liquid and milk. Pour in black tea first and then the milk.
Brown sugar boba is always my favorite way of flavoring the boba pearls. You can also use it in matcha milk tea, taro milk tea, mango milk tea, and even strawberry milk tea. The brown sugar has very little influence on the color after completely mixing.
Brown sugar boba – Brown sugar milk tea
Ingredients
Brown sugar boba with brown sugar syrup
- 1/4 cup cooked tapioca pearls already mixed with brown sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- Water as needed
tea base
- 1 black tea bag or 2 if you want a stronger flavor
- 200 ml hot boiling water
Assemble
- 1 cup whole milk
- ice cubes
Instructions
Cook the boba pearls
- Bring 8 times of water to a boiling and then place tapioca pearls. Read the instruction on the package (find the required time). It may be 20 minutes or 5 minutes. Cover the lid, turn off the fire and let it rest for another required time.
- Rinse the boba pearls under running water. Then mix the boba pearls with brown sugar.
- Add around ¾ cup of brown sugar in a pot, then place the boba pearls in. No need to add water. Slow down the fire and stir from time to time to avoid being sticky.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes until there are large bubbles and a thick brown syrup is formed. Now our brown sugar boba pearls are ready for all types of bubble tea, milk tea, latte, or even as toppings for desserts.
Brew the tea base
- Add 200ml hot water to 1 black tea bag in a small cup. Let it steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bag and set the liquid aside to cool down.
- add 2 or 3 tablespoons of cooked tapioca pearls along with the brown sugar syrup in a serving cup, then fill the cup with ice cubes.
- Add the tea liquid and milk. Pour in black tea first and then the milk. Stir well before enjoying.