Reviewed by
Evelyn
Bubble Tea is a popular soft drink throughout Asia, and in recent years, the West has started to catch onto this interesting trend. I’ve seen Bubble Tea cafes pop up in a couple of places here in the UK, usually near where students are, and now Bobalife has a monthly UK subscription box so you can make your own Bubble Tea drinks at home!
Every month, you’ll receive a large box full of high-quality ingredients and exciting recipes from the Bobalife team. Having only drunk Bubble Tea on holiday before, I was really excited to get stuck in to see what was inside when the box arrived.
The first ingredients that I pulled out of the box were four large resealable pouches:-
Taro Milk Powder
3 in 1 Milk Tea Powder
Peach Syrup
Tapioca Pearls
Each pouch has a full list of ingredients and nutritional info on the back so you can clearly see exactly what’s inside which is great for those who have allergens etc.
Underneath the pouches, I found four 100g pots of ‘Popping Boba‘ in different fruity flavours; Cherry, Blueberry, Green Apple and Passion Fruit. These are the ‘bubbles’ that go into your Bubble Tea drink. They have a soft jelly-like casing and when you bite into them, they ‘pop’, releasing a very sweet fruity flavour.
Also included in the box were:-
Teabags – 8 x Ceylon Black Tea, 8 x Best Oolong Tea and 8 x Jasmine Green Tea
8 x Large Straws in different colours
1 x Bubble Tea plastic drinks bottle
Instruction leaflet & recipes
The instruction leaflet gives you more info on Bubble Tea and when folded out, reveals this month’s Bobalife Bubble Tea recipes and how to make them. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, and there are links to Youtube videos at the bottom of the pages if you get stuck or need some extra guidance.
Whilst the ‘Popping Boba’ can simply be added to any drink, the Tapioca Pearls/Bubbles need to be heated up first before you can use them, so further instructions can be found in the box lid itself for how to do this. Luckily, I spotted this before I put the box into the recycling bin, so make sure you keep it for the first time that you make your Bubble Tea!
The first recipe that I tried was for a Peach Fruit Tea Bubble Tea drink and as this included the Popping Boba, it was super quick and easy to make. You just brew your tea (I chose the Jasmine Green Tea for this one as I thought it would the best flavour to go with the Peach), chill it, put it into a shaker (I used a cocktail shaker but you can try using the enclosed Bobalife drinks bottle and putting your thumb over the opening), add the Peach Syrup, shake and then pour in the Popping Boba. You can use any flavour and I experimented with the different ones until I decided that Cherry worked best! The result is a very sweet, fruity drink with the green tea element helping to balance everything out – delicious!
The second recipe was for a more traditional Taro and Taiwanese Milk Bubble Tea drink, and this one took a lot more effort to make. I started by brewing the tea (I picked the Oolong Tea) and then making a paste by mixing some of the milk powder with a small amount of boiling water and shaking everything together. You can either use the Tapioca Pearls or the Popping Boba with this drink, and I tried both to see what the taste differences would be like. With the Tapioca Pearls, you have to heat them up in water for 10-12 minutes, and then allow them to cool for a further 10 minutes before you can use them, and to be honest, I wasn’t all that keen on their taste.
So after that, I decided to stick with the Popping Boba and had fun trying out the different flavours in this recipe. For a mixed variety, I added Cherry and Blueberry to the Milk Bubble Tea which was really good, and this drink can be made hot or cold, depending on what you prefer. I enjoyed the ability to customise the drinks to how I wanted them and my housemates had fun trying them out too!
By Mary 
