Our Thai Tea mix is from the Cha Thai tea mix. We reduced the amount of sugar that they suggested, but you can definitely add more if you like your Thai Iced Tea to be sweeter. The finished and brewed Thai tea mix keeps well in the fridge. Brew the tea, strain, and then chill, storing in the fridge until you are ready to serve. This can be done several days ahead of time. The brewed Thai tea lasts about 10 days in the fridge (without the half and half). The boba needs to be used fairly soon after cooking. You can keep them in warm water for a few hours to keep from hardening up as quickly, but they are best if eaten soon after cooking.
Bring water to boil and add the Thai tea mix and sugar. Stir to completely dissolve sugar. Gently boil tea for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Allow tea to steep for at least 30 minutes and allow it to cool. The more concentrated the tea flavor, the better the Thai tea tastes.
Strain the Thai tea and aside to cool (we prefer to strain through a traditional re-useable cloth filter to remove any sediment). You can make this ahead of time and have the Thai tea chilling in the fridge. Completely chill before serving.
Make the Boba and Serve:
Cook tapioca pearls according to package instructions. *see Note 1 below for instructions on cooking the boba we bought.
Divide the warm tapioca pearls into 2-(16 oz) glasses. Pour the cold tea into the two glasses.
Pour about 1/4 cup milk (or preferred creamer) into each of the glasses. Stir with a straw and enjoy
Notes
Note 1: Cooking Tapioca Pearls(this is roughly how our tapioca pearls instructed how to cook- manufacturers will vary on how their product is meant to be cooked):For 1/2 cup of uncooked pearls, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add pearls and cook for 20 minutes on a low boil. Turn off heat, cover the pan and soak for 25 minutes in the hot water. (During last 25 min soak time, adding a sweetener like brown sugar or honey will infuse the boba pearls with a rich flavor.) Strain and rinse. Keep in warm water until ready to serve (use within a few hours of cooking).