Mocha Boba
on Mar 21, 2024
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This rich and chocolatey boba coffee drink is the best of both worlds. You get to enjoy a delicious iced mocha with the added chewiness of boba.
Easy Mocha Boba
This Mocha Boba combines the classic mocha mixture of chocolate and espresso with the delicious fun of boba.
The mocha component of this recipe has the perfect balance of chocolate, milk, and espresso. It provides a nice boost of caffeine to perk you up when you’re in need.
Boba pearls are made from tapioca starch, which comes from the starchy parts of the cassava plant. The boba gives this drink a delightful chewiness with a hint of sweetness.
Boba is typically used in bubble tea, like this Hong Kong Bubble Tea, but since this drink is made with tapioca balls, it can be called a boba drink.
RELATED: 17 Delicious Bubble Tea Recipes
Recipe Highlights
- Mocha boba can be made at home using just 6 ingredients.
- The easiest way to make espresso for this drink is with a Nespresso machine. No Nespresso machine? You can use instant coffee.
- Store-bought tapioca balls are a shortcut to making boba at home. Dried tapioca balls are cooked in water for a few minutes.
- This recipe makes a 16 ounces (2 cups) drink.
RELATED: Brown Sugar Bubble Tea
Ingredient Notes
- Espresso: Make espresso using an espresso machine or a Nespresso. If you don’t have a way to make espresso, you can use instant coffee.
- Chocolate sauce: Store-bought chocolate sauce or syrup works perfectly well in this recipe, but you can also use homemade chocolate syrup.
- Tapioca balls: Dried, store-bought tapioca balls are an easy way to make bubble tea at home. Just cook them in water and they’ll plump up and soften.
- Milk: Any milk can be used for this recipe, including plant-based options, but whole milk makes a creamier drink.
- Water: For the better tasting drink, use filtered water.
- Ice: Make ice with 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: Boil tapioca balls in water. Strain.
Step 2: Put warm tapioca balls into a cup. Add chocolate sauce.
Step 3: Add ice then pour in milk.
Step 4: Top with the espresso. Stir before drinking and serve with an extra wide straw.
Recipe Notes
Tapioca balls should be very warm.
The trick to making the best bubble tea is to serve the tapioca balls while they’re still quite warm and have a soft, chewy texture. Just make sure they’re not too hot, since they can burn your mouth.
Make boba right before you prepare the drink.
Tapioca balls shouldn’t be made ahead since they start to harden as they cool.
The better the espresso, the better the mocha.
Use a higher-quality espresso if possible. It will give the mocha the best possible flavor. Espresso also tastes best when it’s just been made, so make the shots just before you’re ready to prepare this drink.
Use instant coffee if you don’t have espresso.
Use 1 tablespoon of instant coffee and ¼ cup hot water to replace the 2 espresso shots in the drink.
Expert Tips
- To drink boba, use a wide straw to get a few tapioca balls and mocha with each sip. Chew the tapioca balls instead of swallowing them whole.
- This recipe is equally delicious with decaf espresso if you want to skip the caffeine.
- You can increase the amount of chocolate sauce if you like a sweeter drink with a stronger cocoa flavor.
Questions You May Have
Yes, since this drink uses espresso, it does contain caffeine, but you can use decaf espresso if you don’t want a caffeinated beverage.
The chocolate sauce makes this drink sweet, but you can always add more or less depending on your preference for sweetness.
No, you can use whatever type of milk you prefer, including plant-based milk options like oat milk or almond milk.
Cooked boba will harden after about 4 hours and the texture won’t be soft with a nice chew.
Related
If you tried this Mocha Boba recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and let me know how you like it in the comments below.
Mocha Boba
Equipment
Ingredients
Mocha
- 3 tablespoons chocolate sauce
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup ice
- 2 shots espresso
Tapioca Balls
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup tapioca pearls
Instructions
COOK TAPIOCA BALLS
- Boil water and add tapioca balls.Boil the water in a saucepan on the stovetop then add tapioca balls. Cook on medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Tapioca balls should be soft all the way through. Turn off heat and cool slightly, until tapioca balls are quite warm, but aren't too hot to eat. (Follow directions on your tapioca ball packaging if you're using a different brand than the one I’m using.)
ASSEMBLE DRINK
- Put the warm tapioca balls into a cup. Add chocolate sauce, ice, milk, and espresso. Stir and serve. Serve immediately and stir before drinking. Use an extra wide straw to drink.
Notes
- The trick to making the best bubble tea is to serve the tapioca balls while they’re still quite warm and have a soft, chewy texture. Just make sure they’re not too hot, since they can burn your mouth.
- Use 1 tablespoon of instant coffee and ¼ cup hot water to replace the 2 espresso shots in the drink if you don’t have espresso.
- Whole milk makes a creamier drink, but you can also use plant-based options like oat milk or almond milk.
- Cook the tapioca balls right before you make the drink as boba quickly starts to harden as they cool.
- To drink boba, use a wide straw to get a few tapioca balls and mocha with each sip. Chew the tapioca balls instead of swallowing them whole.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
