Buckyball Boba Tea

Bubble Tea

Buckyball Boba Ingredients

Each makes ~4 servings

Dark Brown/Black Boba

1/3 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar (the darker the brown sugar, the darker the pearls will be)
1 cup tapioca starch, plus additional starch for coating
1-2 tablespoons additional sweetener, such as granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, or syrup

White/Clear Boba

1/3 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 – 3/4 cup tapioca starch, plus additional starch for coating
1-2 tablesppons additional sweetener, such as granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, or syrup

Green Boba

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon matcha
1 cup tapioca starch, plus additional starch for coating
1-2 tablespoons additional sweetener, such as granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, or syrup

Boba Preparation

1. Combine water & sugar (and matcha, if using) in a pan on the stove over medium heat until just bubbling.
2. Shut off heat & add in half the tapioca starch.
3. Mix until the starch is fully combined (no lumps). If making black or green boba: Turn heat to medium-low heat & continue cooking until the mixture becomes thick, stirring constantly. Do not walk away or stop stirring... this thickens quickly!
4. Turn off the burner & add in the rest of the starch; stir until mostly combined.
5. Scrape mixture onto a cutting board or other clean hard surface.
6 Knead the mixture until it forms a ball, is smooth, and no longer sticky. (May need extra tapioca starch during this step if too sticky.)
7. Separate the dough into 3-4 sections, keep one section on the board & wrap the rest in plastic wrap.
8. Working with one section at a time, roll into a log with a diameter of 1 cm.
9. Cut the log into 1 cm pieces. (Thicker pieces will need longer to cook & will not fit in a bubble tea straw.)
10. Roll the pieces into balls; toss with tapioca starch to coat, shaking off excess. (Using a sieve or colander works well.)
11. Repeat steps 9 – 11 with the remaining dough; store finished balls in air-tight container or bag for up to one day.

Drink Preparation

1. Bring a medium pot of water to boil on high heat.
2. Add desired amount of boba to boiling water; boil until all of the boba is floating on the surface, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
3. Once all the boba has floated to the top, reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Cover the pan & turn off the heat; let sit an additional 15 minutes.
5. Strain boba; rinse with cold water.
6. Return to pot; sprinkle sweetener & toss to coat.
7. Proceed with directions above.