Earl Grey Bubble Tea
Updated Feb 28, 2025
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Earl Grey bubble tea is milky and creamy, with hints of citrus coming from bergamot-infused black tea. This drink is surprisingly easy to make at home.
Earl Grey Bubble Tea
Earl Grey bubble tea is an iced drink made with Earl Grey tea, brown sugar, milk, ice, and tapioca balls (also called boba). Earl Grey tea is a flavored black tea that gets its unique flavor from bergamot, a citrus fruit.
The tapioca balls in the drink is what makes this a bubble tea. If tapioca balls weren’t in the drink, it would just be an iced Earl Grey tea latte.
Note from Jee
For all my bubble tea recipes, I always recommend dried, store-bought tapioca balls. They’re vacuum sealed and they’re easy to find online or at Asian markets. They taste the most like the boba you find in bubble tea shops.
I’ve tried Trader Joe’s tapioca balls, which are sold in the frozen section, and they may look legit, they’re not. The taste and texture was definitely not the same and not as good as the dried ones that need to be cooked in water.
Recipe Summary
- Earl Grey bubble tea is made with 6 ingredients, including Earl Grey tea, brown sugar, milk, and tapioca balls.
- A caffeinated drink, this Earl Grey bubble tea is easy to make at home using Earl Grey tea and store-bought tapioca balls.
- Store-bought tapioca balls soften to plump, bouncy pearls when cooked in boiling water for a few minutes.
RELATED: Bubble Tea with Cold Foam
Ingredient Notes
- Earl Grey tea: Tea bags or tea sachets are the best for making bubble tea since you don’t need high quality loose tea.
- Tapioca balls: Store-bought boba is ready in minutes. Simply cook in boiling water to get a nice chewy texture.
- Brown sugar: This is used to sweeten the tea and to make a brown sugar syrup for the tapioca balls. You can also use white sugar but brown sugar has a deeper, richer flavor.
- Milk: Whole milk produces a creamier drink, but you can also use plant-based milks such as oat or almond.
- Water: Using filtered water to steep the tea will produce the best-tasting drink.
- Ice: Make ice from filtered water if possible.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Steep tea in hot water. Remove the tea bag, stir in brown sugar, and let cool.
Step 2: Cook tapioca balls in brown sugar and water.
Step 3: Put warm tapioca balls and brown sugar syrup into a cup.
Step 4: Add ice.
Step 5: Pour in tea.
Step 6: Top with milk. Serve immediately. Stir before drinking and use an extra wide straw.
Recipe Notes
Warm tapioca balls means they’ll be soft and perfectly chewy.
For the perfect texture, serve tapioca balls when they’re very warm. Just make sure they’re not too hot, since they can burn your mouth.
Don’t make boba ahead of time.
Prepare tapioca balls right before you make the drink since boba starts to harden as they cool.
Use tea bags instead of loose tea.
Loose tea and tea sachets contain better quality tea than tea bags but since this drink is made with sugar and milk, opt for a less expensive tea. The subtle differences you find with high quality tea will be lost in the drink.
Expert Tips
- While tapioca pearls shouldn’t be made ahead, you can prep the Earl Grey tea in advance. Steep and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Add the sugar and milk when you’re ready to make the drink.
- For the best bubble tea, serve the tapioca balls while they’re very warm, but not too hot. Allow boba to cool slightly so you don’t burn your mouth.
- Bubble teas should be served with a wide straw so that with each sip, you’ll get a couple of tapioca balls. Make sure to chew the tapioca balls instead of swallowing them whole.
RELATED: Iced Earl Grey Tea Latte
Related
- Black Sesame Bubble Tea
- Taro Bubble Tea
- Thai Bubble Tea
- Strawberry Bubble Tea
- Hong Kong Bubble Tea
- Chai Bubble Tea
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Earl Grey Bubble Tea
Ingredients
Iced Earl Grey Milk Tea
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tea bags Earl Grey tea, or 2 tea sachets
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¾ cup ice
- ⅓ cup milk
Tapioca Balls
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ cup tapioca balls
Instructions
- Steep tea bags or sachets in ¾ cup hot water for 5 minutes. Set the temperature to 195°F if you're using an electric kettle with a temperature setting. Use filtered water if possible.
- Discard tea bags or sachets and stir in brown sugar.Set aside to cool.
- Cook tapioca balls. Boil ¾ cup of water and brown sugar in a saucepan. Add tapioca balls.Combine water and brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once you see big bubbles (2-4 minutes), add tapioca balls. Keep boiling for 8 more minutes on medium-high heat. Turn off heat and cool slightly, until tapioca balls are quite warm, but aren't too hot to eat.
- Assemble the drink. Put warm tapioca balls and brown sugar syrup into a cup. Add ice, cooled down tea, and milk.Serve immediately and stir before drinking. Use an extra wide straw to drink.
Notes
- Whole milk produces a creamier drink, but you can also use plant-based milks such as oat or soy.
- For the perfect texture, serve tapioca balls when they’re very warm. Just make sure they’re not too hot, since they can burn your mouth.
- Prepare tapioca balls right before you make the drink since boba starts to harden as they cool.
- Use tea bags instead of loose tea. Loose tea and tea sachets contain better quality tea than tea bags but since this drink is made with sugar and milk, opt for a less expensive tea. The subtle differences you find with high quality tea will be lost in the drink.
- While tapioca pearls shouldn’t be made ahead, you can prep the Earl Grey tea in advance. Steep and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Add the sugar when you’re ready to make the drink.
- Make sure to chew the tapioca balls instead of swallowing them whole.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
