I have no idea why, but I really like bubble tea. There I said it A
few days ago I took a trip to State College where there is a great out
of the way restaurant called "The Big Bowl" which has some amazing
noodle soups and top-shelf bubble tea, and they were closed due to a
graduation. I had been tasting it during the drive, so dejection was
an understatement. The next day I went about making my own and doing
some experimentation. I figured I'd share some of my findings:

I bought the tapioca pearls and bubble tea straws for less than $3
total at an Asian market in Pittsburgh.

My first attempt was with a really good Assam I had hanging around. I
brewed it a bit stronger than if I had been intending to drink it as
is, maybe 5-7 minutes. Then I made the sugar syrup mixture with 1 part
white sugar, 1 part brown sugar, 2 parts water. I used a 1/4 cup each
of the sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Then disregarding the super long
cooking instructions for the tapioca I just put some pearls in a
bigger mug, poured in some of the extra boiling water and stuck in in
the microwave for about 2 minutes, then let it stand for another 5 or
so while I got everything together. I used a little less than a 1/4
cup of organic skim milk, and about 6-8tsp sugar syrup, ice, about 2
cups of tea, and then added the pearls. It came out great.

Using quality tea and good tapioca pearls makes a huge difference over
standard fare bubble tea. I stopped short of Pu-erh, but Keemun,
Yunnan tipped, Chinese restaurant blend, oriental beauty, and a sencha/
matcha blend all were awesome as well.

Then I found you can buy the small strips of young coconut meat which
are used in the drinks that are similar to bubble tea but more fruity
juice based (and no tapioca). Strawberry sencha, Mango white, Lychee
juice, and sassafrass black tea all worked really well.

So who knows, if anyone finds it helpful, great. As someone who hates
the thought of milk or sugar in my tea for the most part, bubble tea
is a big stretch for me but I can't help my addiction Now that I
can satisfy my craving without the trips or cost I'm pretty happy, but
I'm sure there are still plenty of "Big Bowls" ahead of me no matter
what.

- Dominic

All the bubble tea shoppes in my area have closed up. I can still get
it at two grocery store counters one by the duck rack and fish in the
other. You didn't say if you got the white or black tapioca. It took
me once or twice after sloshing myself to figure out which end of the
straw is used to perforate the pastic cap that comes served in a soda
drink cup. I like bubble tea on hot days and chai on cold when I'm
about if I can find it. I'd drink more if I wasn't too lazy making
either myself.

Jim

Dominic T. wrote:
I have no idea why, but I really like bubble tea. There I said it

On Jun 11, 11:11 am, Space Cowboy wrote:
All the bubble tea shoppes in my area have closed up. I can still get
it at two grocery store counters one by the duck rack and fish in the
other. You didn't say if you got the white or black tapioca. It took
me once or twice after sloshing myself to figure out which end of the
straw is used to perforate the pastic cap that comes served in a soda
drink cup. I like bubble tea on hot days and chai on cold when I'm
about if I can find it. I'd drink more if I wasn't too lazy making
either myself.

Jim

I used the black tapioca, but the nice thing is that they are
"rubbery" out of the package so they do not take as long to become
soft. Honestly from beginning to end may have taken 7-10 minutes to
make everything and be sipping away... with the blunt end of the
straw Subsequent cups took about 30 seconds to mix up. Super easy
and quick, now I just have to figure out how to adhere a thin plastic
sheet to the top of my cup so I can get the full experience.

- Dominic

The white ones disintegrate. You're not alone with the winking beady
black eyes in the milk. I remember it was the cling film that makes a
mess with the wrong end of the straw. My wife switched from dairy
milk to soy about five years ago. I really like the creamy texture
and the taste. Chill that stuff down and it is like a shake. She
drinks her tea loaded with soy so maybe I can get her to go out of the
way.

Jim

Dominic T. wrote:
On Jun 11, 11:11 am, Space Cowboy wrote:
....I delete me...
I used the black tapioca, but the nice thing is that they are
"rubbery" out of the package so they do not take as long to become
soft. Honestly from beginning to end may have taken 7-10 minutes to
make everything and be sipping away... with the blunt end of the
straw Subsequent cups took about 30 seconds to mix up. Super easy
and quick, now I just have to figure out how to adhere a thin plastic
sheet to the top of my cup so I can get the full experience.

- Dominic

On Jun 11, 6:42 pm, "Dominic T." wrote:
On Jun 11, 11:11 am, Space Cowboy wrote:

All the bubble tea shoppes in my area have closed up. I can still get
it at two grocery store counters one by the duck rack and fish in the
other. You didn't say if you got the white or black tapioca. It took
me once or twice after sloshing myself to figure out which end of the
straw is used to perforate the pastic cap that comes served in a soda
drink cup. I like bubble tea on hot days and chai on cold when I'm
about if I can find it. I'd drink more if I wasn't too lazy making
either myself.

Jim

I used the black tapioca, but the nice thing is that they are
"rubbery" out of the package so they do not take as long to become
soft. Honestly from beginning to end may have taken 7-10 minutes to
make everything and be sipping away... with the blunt end of the
straw Subsequent cups took about 30 seconds to mix up. Super easy
and quick, now I just have to figure out how to adhere a thin plastic
sheet to the top of my cup so I can get the full experience.

- Dominic


Ever heard about "teh tarek", the malaysian version ?
One more reason I spend half my time in Asia hanging out in tea
stalls.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ5iAx5TDyc

Enjoy,
Karsten

Ever heard about "teh tarek", the malaysian version ?
One more reason I spend half my time in Asia hanging out in tea
stalls.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ5iAx5TDyc

Enjoy,
Karsten

No, I had never heard or seen this before... pretty neat. Can you
explain what it is made up of? Type of tea, milk, sugar, etc. Seems
easy enough to do but I'm sure there is a slight learning curve to the
"pulling."

I only wish Americans could realize that a little effort and some
interactivity makes things more fun and lively instead of just queuing
up and being filed through like cattle in sterile chain shops... and
the workers would probably have a bit more enjoyment in life too... or
just claim they need to unionize due to the huge "demands" of the job.

- Dominic

No, I had never heard or seen this before... pretty neat. Can you
explain what it is made up of? Type of tea, milk, sugar, etc. Seems
easy enough to do but I'm sure there is a slight learning curve to the
"pulling."

Let me see, first of all it´s Boh tea, the standard in Malaysia. [I´ve
visited their estates a couple times, breathtakingly wonderful area,
beautiful gardens, but I didn´t like their teas, which doesn´t say too
much.]
Then you´ll need this special south-east asian type of thick,
ultrasweet condensed milk.All asian food stores should have it. Get
two pulling vessels, prepare a pretty strong brew [I´d say around
~18-20g tea/l H2O], add around 20-30 % condensed milk and start
pulling.
As can be seen in that video the lower jar has a larger diameter than
the upper one. The ratio of diameters helps in telling a novice from
an expert. I´ve seen guys in Penang doing it between two standard
teacups without spilling a single drop, I wouldn´t necessarily try
this back home.
Some folks might even add a little sugar, but after a teaspoon full
your spoon might get stuck in the resulting goo.
BTW: Malaysians enjoy their kopi or teh tarik with a plate of roti
canai.
Have a look
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EucCu1zafk

Karsten






I only wish Americans could realize that a little effort and some
interactivity makes things more fun and lively instead of just queuing
up and being filed through like cattle in sterile chain shops... and
the workers would probably have a bit more enjoyment in life too... or
just claim they need to unionize due to the huge "demands" of the job.

- Dominic

Silly me wrote:
[I´d say around ~18-20g tea/l H2O],

Tsk, tsk, this has just been superficially calculated in an arbitrary
and hitherto undocumented DJ FF mode.
Sorry for any casualties.
"Pretty strong" should do the trick.

Karsten

writes:

Silly me wrote:
[I´d say around ~18-20g tea/l H2O],

Tsk, tsk, this has just been superficially calculated in an
arbitrary and hitherto undocumented DJ FF mode. Sorry for any
casualties. "Pretty strong" should do the trick.

Those Malaysians aren't using first flush Darjeeling to float their
tapioca pearls, are they?

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

On Jun 13, 12:48 am, Lewis Perin wrote:
Those Malaysians aren't using first flush Darjeeling to float their
tapioca pearls, are they?

Not exactly Lew, in Malaysia it´s Boh, Boh, Boh, wherever you go.
Whatever I tried from that company, I´d always prefer something like a
Dilmah teabag.
Interestingly both areas, DJ and the Cameron Highlands are former
british hill stations and I´ve yet to figure out what exactly attracts
me to those colonial places, my british pipes and tobaccos, Kipling
and so forth.
Despite being a little obsessed with traveling light, I wouldn´t move
an inch without my bloody silver teapot
Regarding the birtplace of my recent incarnation something must have
gone terribly wrong, by jove.

Karsten

On Jun 13, 12:48 am, Lewis Perin wrote:
Those Malaysians aren't using first flush Darjeeling to float their
tapioca pearls, are they?

Not exactly Lew, in Malaysia it´s Boh, Boh, Boh, wherever you go.
Whatever I tried from that company, I´d always prefer something like a
Dilmah teabag.
Interestingly both areas, DJ and the Cameron Highlands are former
british hill stations and I´ve yet to figure out what exactly attracts
me to those colonial places, my british pipes and tobaccos, Kipling
and so forth.
Despite being a little obsessed with traveling light, I wouldn´t move
an inch without my bloody silver teapot
Regarding the birtplace of my recent incarnation something must have
gone terribly wrong, by jove.

Karsten

On Jun 13, 12:48 am, Lewis Perin wrote:
Those Malaysians aren't using first flush Darjeeling to float their
tapioca pearls, are they?

Not exactly Lew, in Malaysia it´s Boh, Boh, Boh, wherever you go.
Whatever I tried from that company, I´d always prefer something like a
Dilmah teabag.
Interestingly both areas, DJ and the Cameron Highlands are former
british hill stations and I´ve yet to figure out what exactly attracts
me to those colonial places, my british pipes and tobaccos, Kipling
and so forth.
Despite being a little obsessed with traveling light, I wouldn´t move
an inch without my bloody silver teapot
Regarding the birtplace of my recent incarnation something must have
gone terribly wrong, by jove.

Karsten

writes:

On Jun 13, 12:48 am, Lewis Perin wrote:
Those Malaysians aren't using first flush Darjeeling to float their
tapioca pearls, are they?

Not exactly Lew, in Malaysia it´s Boh, Boh, Boh, wherever you go.
Whatever I tried from that company, I´d always prefer something like a
Dilmah teabag.
Interestingly both areas, DJ and the Cameron Highlands are former
british hill stations and I´ve yet to figure out what exactly attracts
me to those colonial places, my british pipes and tobaccos, Kipling
and so forth.
Despite being a little obsessed with traveling light, I wouldn´t move
an inch without my bloody silver teapot
Regarding the birtplace of my recent incarnation something must have
gone terribly wrong, by jove.

Well, assuming you won't have worked off your entire karmic debt,
there's always a next time...

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

wrote in message
oups.com...
No, I had never heard or seen this before... pretty neat. Can you
explain what it is made up of? Type of tea, milk, sugar, etc. Seems
easy enough to do but I'm sure there is a slight learning curve to the
"pulling."

Let me see, first of all it´s Boh tea, the standard in Malaysia. [I´ve
visited their estates a couple times, breathtakingly wonderful area,
beautiful gardens, but I didn´t like their teas, which doesn´t say too
much.]
Then you´ll need this special south-east asian type of thick,
ultrasweet condensed milk.All asian food stores should have it. Get
two pulling vessels, prepare a pretty strong brew [I´d say around
~18-20g tea/l H2O], add around 20-30 % condensed milk and start
pulling.
As can be seen in that video the lower jar has a larger diameter than
the upper one. The ratio of diameters helps in telling a novice from
an expert. I´ve seen guys in Penang doing it between two standard
teacups without spilling a single drop, I wouldn´t necessarily try
this back home.
Some folks might even add a little sugar, but after a teaspoon full
your spoon might get stuck in the resulting goo.
BTW: Malaysians enjoy their kopi or teh tarik with a plate of roti
canai.
Have a look
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EucCu1zafk

Karsten


Mmmmmm, Boh...love it. I'll have to try this, thanks Karsten!


Melinda

On Jun 14, 9:27 am, "Melinda" wrote:

Mmmmmm, Boh...love it. I'll have to try this, thanks Karsten!
Melinda

Hmm, what I found most surprising is that this sweeet, thick and hot
brew worked for me in that hot and humid Malaysian climate, like the
infamous, ubiquitous "Coffeemix" [instant 3 in 1] of Burma. Anywhere
else in that part of the world I´d be looking for lukewarm greens or
H2O to cool my ailing mainframe.

Lew, regarding my next reincarnation tantric buddhism provides a list
of interesting options to help dealing with the posttraumatic
experience of taking the Boddhisatva vow. However, no word of tea or
toback.
Looks like some more sleepless nights ahead.

Karsten