Strawberry Butterfly Pea Flower Latte Bubble Tea

5 from 1 vote

Make this red, white, and blue layered bubble tea at home in just a few minutes!

Prep Time2

Cook Time10

Total Time12

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Servings: serving (16 ounces)

Author: Jee Choe

Steep butterfly pea flower tea bag in hot water for 5 minutes.
Set the water temperature to 195°F if you're using an electric kettle with a temperature setting. Use filtered water when possible.
Discard tea bag. Stir in brown sugar.
Set aside to cool.

Boil water and add tapioca balls.
Bring water to boil water in a saucepan on the stovetop then add tapioca balls. Cook on medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
(Follow directions on your tapioca ball packaging if you're using a different brand than the one I’m using.)
Drain tapioca balls.
Cool slightly, until tapioca balls aren't too hot to eat. They should still be quite warm.

Put warm tapioca balls into a cup and add strawberry syrup. Add ice, milk, then the cooled down butterfly pea flower tea.
Pour the milk and butterfly pea flower tea directly onto the ice to help keep the layers separated.
Serve immediately and stir before drinking. Use a wide straw to drink.

The most important trick to creating a layered drink is to remember that the sweetest layer is added to the cup first, then followed by the next sweetest layer. So, the sweetest layer with the strawberry syrup is added first, then the milk which has some natural sugars in it, and finally the tea which is not very sweet.
Instead of pouring the next layer directly into the liquid below it, slowly pour directly onto the ice.
There is a little sugar added to the butterfly pea flower tea but if you want a cleaner layer separation, take out the sugar.
My biggest tip to making delicious bubble tea is to assemble the drink while the boba is still very warm. Allow the tapioca balls to cool a little then add them to the glass while they're still very warm but not so much that they'll burn your mouth.
If you're making homemade strawberry syrup, it should be prepared ahead of time and it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. You can make it the day of, but this will save you time assembling the bubble tea since you do need some time to cool the syrup once it's made.
This recipe makes 16 ounces (2 cups) serving of the drink, so make sure to have a large enough glass or cup to assemble the drink.
As always with bubble tea, you'll want to have a wide straw to drink it so that you'll get some boba with each sip of the latte. Chew the tapioca balls, don't try to drink them with the tea!