Lavender Bubble Tea

5 from 1 vote

This floral bubble milk tea gets its lovely flavor from black tea that's steeped with dried lavender.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Taiwanese

Servings: serving (16 ounces)

Author: Jee Choe

Steep dried lavender buds and tea bag in hot water for 5 minutes.
Set the temperature to 195°F if you're using an electric kettle with a temperature setting.
Strain the lavender and discard tea bag. Stir in sugar.
Stir until sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool.
Cook tapioca balls. Boil ¾ cup of water in a saucepan and add tapioca balls.
Boil 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.)
Drain tapioca balls.
Assemble the drink. Put warm tapioca balls into a cup. Add ice, cooled down tea, and milk.
Serve immediately and stir before drinking.
Use an extra wide straw to drink. It allows you to sip the tea and get a few tapioca balls each time. Make sure to chew the tapioca balls instead of swallowing them whole.

Any unflavored black tea can be used. I used English breakfast tea. Avoid using Earl Grey which is a black tea flavored with citrus.
Whole milk makes a creamier drink, but you can also use plant-based options like oat milk or almond milk.
Use tea bags instead of loose tea. Since this drink contains sugar and milk, you don't need to use more expensive loose tea and tea sachets. The subtle differences you find with high quality tea will be lost in the drink.
Cook the tapioca balls right before you make the drink as boba quickly starts to harden as they cool.
For the ideal boba texture, serve tapioca balls when they're very warm. Just make sure they’re not too hot or they'll burn your mouth!
The dried lavender and black tea can be steeped and made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Hold off on adding the sugar and milk until you're ready to make the bubble tea.