Love bubble tea but wish it had coffee instead? Make this deliciously sweet, layered latte with boba! It’s easier than you think with my expert tips.
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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 also another name for bubble tea or milk tea, a drink usually made with tea, milk, and ice.
RELATED: Iced Coffee Boba
Recipe Highlights
- This boba drink replaces the tea with espresso, creating an iced latte with boba.
- Store-bought tapioca balls makes it easy to recreate this cafe-quality drink at home in just a few minutes.
- An espresso machine or a Nespresso is necessary to make this drink at home.
- My secret for making the best tasting boba is to assemble the drink while the tapioca balls are still quite warm.
RELATED: 9 Easy Bubble Tea (Boba Milk Tea) Recipes
Ingredient Notes
- Espresso: Use an espresso machine or a Nespresso to make espresso. Any roast, light or dark, can be used.
- Tapioca balls: Store-bought are sold dry, so you just need to cook them in water to plump them up.
- Brown sugar: You can use white granulated sugar, but I like my iced coffee with brown sugar for a richer, caramel-like flavor.
- Milk: Use any kind of milk you like. I like it with oat milk or whole milk.
- Water: Use filtered water if possible, since it will make better tasting drink.
- Ice: Ice also tastes better when it’s made with filtered water.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cook tapioca balls in brown sugar and water.
Step 2: Put tapioca balls in brown sugar syrup into a cup. Add ice.
Step 3: Pour in milk.
Step 4: Top with espresso. Serve immediately. Stir before drinking. Use an extra wide straw to drink.
RELATED: Brown Sugar Bubble Tea (Brown Sugar Boba Milk)
Expert Tips
- Extra warm tapioca balls makes a great boba drink. When they’re really warm (but not too hot that you’ll burn your mouth), tapioca balls have the perfect consistency.
- Don’t make tapioca balls too far in advance because they’ll start to harden after about 4 hours. It’s best if you can cook them, cool them down a little, and serve the drink right away.
- Sugar and ice are what helps to form the layers in the drink. The sweetest liquid should be at the bottom, followed by the next sweetest. The top layer should not have any sugar in it.
- 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.
- Chew the tapioca balls as they’re not meant to be swallowed whole.
- 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.
RELATED: Brown Sugar Iced Coffee
Questions You May Have
Yes, there’s caffeine in this drink due to the espresso.
To reduce the amount of sugar in the drink, strain the tapioca balls from the brown sugar simple syrup when assembling the drink. You can add in the brown sugar syrup to your liking.
Layered drinks are made with the magic of ice and sugar. The bottom layer must have more sugar than the top layer, and ice helps keep the layers separated.
Related
- Strawberry Matcha Latte Bubble Tea
- 14 Refreshing Iced Coffee Recipes
- Homemade Brown Sugar Syrup
- Thai Iced Tea with Boba
- Taro Bubble Tea
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Iced Latte with Boba
INGREDIENTS
Tapioca Balls
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ cup tapioca balls
Iced Latte
- 2 shots espresso
- ¾ cup milk (any kind)
- 1 cup ice
INSTRUCTIONS
COOK TAPIOCA BALLS
- Boil water and sugar in a saucepan. Add tapioca balls.Combine brown sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. When you see big bubbles (2-4 minutes), add tapioca balls. Cook for another 8 minutes on medium-high heat. Cool slightly, until tapioca balls aren't too hot to eat. They should still be very warm.
ASSEMBLE DRINK
- Put warm tapioca balls in brown sugar syrup into a cup. Add ice.Boba should be very warm but not hot to eat.
- Pour in milk.Make sure to pour the milk directly onto the ice to keep the layers separated.
- Top with espresso.Again, pour espresso directly onto ice instead of into the milk to keep the layers separated.
EQUIPMENT
NOTES
- Use an espresso machine or a Nespresso to make espresso. Any roast, light or dark, can be used.
- You can use white granulated sugar, but I like my iced coffee with brown sugar for a richer, caramel-like flavor.
- Use any kind of milk you like. I like it with oat milk or whole milk.
- Extra warm tapioca balls makes a great boba drink. When they’re really warm (but not too hot that you’ll burn your mouth), tapioca balls have the perfect consistency.
- Don’t make tapioca balls too far in advance because they’ll start to harden after about 4 hours. It’s best if you can cook them, cool them down a little, and serve the drink right away.
- Sugar and ice are what helps to form the layers in the drink. The sweetest liquid should be at the bottom, followed by the next sweetest. The top layer should not have any sugar in it.
- 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.
- Chew the tapioca balls as they’re not meant to be swallowed whole.
- 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.
I have never heard of this but since you introduced me, I’ll have to try it!! Sounds delicious!