Hot Boba Nepali Breakfast tea (Recipe)

Bubble tea has gained global popularity in recent years. Even in Nepal, new boba shops pop up on every other street.  While in general, boba is a summer drink or with the deliciously chewy tapioca pearls, I like to call them boba snacks, I recently discovered the genius of hot boba drinks. 

As soon as I read the word hot with boba, I knew what my winter drink of the year is going to be. I just needed to figure out a recipe that would befit my morning, afternoon, and evening. And with my growing love for loose leaf tea, there was no way I was not making a hot boba loose leaf drink for myself this winter and every winter. 

Nepali Breakfast Boba

For this recipe, I used Nepali Breakfast for its robust flavors. It is definitely one of my most favorites teas in Nepal Tea Collective’s collection. I know I needed some delicious flavors to compliment the sweet tapioca pearls.

I will switch out Nepali Breakfast for Kumari Gold once in a while for my hot boba gold teas. Maybe that should be a recipe of its own. 

Making the boba pearls

I did myself some favor here and simplified my boba pearl ingredients to three- Brown sugar, water and tapioca flour.

Before the heat

• Mix a tablespoon of brown sugar with a small cup of water
• Add a tablespoon of tapioca flour to the water and mix until all the lumps were smooth

On heat 

• Let the liquid thicken and darken and take it off the heat
• Off heat, add two tablespoons of tapioca flour and made a warm runny dough
• Make small boba pearls. For my single cup of boba, I made about twenty-twenty five of them. 
• Dust the balls with the flour to prevent them from sticking to each other.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Shake off any excess flour from the tapioca pearls, then add to the boiling water. Stir to separate the pearls, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, until cooked through.
• Leave to cool 

Nepali Breakfast Boba Tea

• In a small pot over medium-high heat, boil water. 
• Add Nepali breakfast tea leaves to the simmering water.
• Boil the water for about three minutes 
• Add your preferred choice of milk. 
• Remove the pot from the heat and leave the drink to steep for an additional 15 minutes uncovered.
• After steeping, strain the spicy milk tea.
• Let it sit.

To assemble:

• Take a cup and add the sticky boba pearls to the bottom 
• Pour your warm Nepali breakfast milk tea into the cup 
• With a spoon, scoop out the bobas in between your sips!

Refrain from using a straw so you don’t burn yourself. Also note, don’t wait too long to eat your boba because it just gets chewier in warm liquids.