Brown Sugar Milk Tea Recipe

This brown sugar milk tea recipe is deliciously milky and sweet and it has the perfect amount of black tea flavor and chewy boba pearls in every sip. And the best part is that this brown sugar milk tea is surprisingly easy to make - all you need is just 5 ingredients to make it!

The Best Brown Sugar Milk Tea

Boba tea shops have been popping up absolutely everywhere, and it's easy to see why. Sweet milky tea paired with addictively chewy boba is practically a match made in heaven!

And one of the most iconic boba tea drinks lately has got to be brown sugar milk boba tea - also known as tiger milk tea.

It's one of the most delicious bubble teas made up of fragrant black tea, creamy milk, bouncy boba pearls, and to take the drink over-the-top, brown sugar syrup.

And the brown sugar syrup truly sets this drink apart from other milk tea recipes. It gives this drink a toasty, caramel-like sweetness that adds an incredible depth of flavor to the drink.

Also, the drips of brown sugar syrup inside the cup - which inspired the name tiger milk tea - almost make it look like a hot fudge sundae. It's basically a drinkable dessert in tea form!

Best of all, this brown sugar bubble tea recipe uses simple, easy-to-find ingredients and can even be customized with plant based milk for a vegan version.

It's a drink everyone can enjoy and is sure to love, just like this chai tea latte!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Easy to make. All you have to do in this recipe is boil the ingredients at different times, so it's pretty much all passive cooking.

Simple ingreidents. Although this brown sugar milk boba tea has a unique flavor, it's actually made with just a handful of pantry staple ingredients. 

Authentic flavor. The ingredients for this tea all combine to create the most delicious authentic flavor, and it tastes like you got the tea from a cafe.

Make it for a crowd. If you want to serve this tea if you're hosting or to share with friends, you can easily double, triple, or quadruple the recipe.

Ingredients

As I just mentioned, you essentially need just 5 ingredients to make this brown sugar milk tea recipe. And aside from the boba pearls, everything on this list is a basic pantry staple. In fact, there's a good chance you already have most of what you need on hand!

With that said, here's a look at everything you'll need to make brown sugar boba milk tea:

• 4 tea bags of black tea
• 3 cups boiling water
• ½ cup of boba (or tapioca pearls)
• ½ cup dark brown sugar or muscovado sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup boiling water
• 1 cup brown sugar or muscovado sugar + ½ cup of water
• 1 cup Milk

How To Make Brown Sugar Milk Tea

1. Boil the tea. Fill a pot or teapot with water and bring it to a boil. Pour that boiling water into a large cup, add the black tea bags, and let them infuse for at least 10 minutes.

2. Cook the boba. Refill the pot or a saucepot with water and let it boil. Add the boba bubbles to the boiling water and cook them for 5 minutes, then drain and set aside. Check the instructions of your package, as all boba can have different cooking times.

3. Infuse the boba. Bring the water in the pot or saucepot to a boil again and add granulated sugar and dark brown sugar to the boiling water. Soak the boba in the sugar mixture for 10 minutes.

4. Make the syrup. Boil more water in another pot. Once boiling, add the brown sugar and reduce the heat. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the brown sugar thickens. 

5. Serve. As soon as everything is ready, pour the brown sugar syrup into a heat-safe glass or mug, then add the boba, followed by the hot tea and cup of milk. Enjoy!

Tips To Make The Best Recipe

• To make this tiger sugar milk tea cold like a bubble tea store in Taiwan, chill the milk and tea to almost ice-cold and pour them over the warm boba and brown sugar syrup.
• For a stronger tea flavor, use less water. For a less intense tea flavor, use more water.
• Make sure to check the package of your boba pearls to see how long they need to cook.
• Try using tapioca pearls instead of boba pearls. Tapioca pearls have a different texture but are just as delicious in the tea
• Don't stir the brown sugar while it cooks in the boiling water.

How To Store Brown Sugar Milk Tea

As I mentioned, this recipe for brown sugar bubble tea will make 2 servings. So if you don't finish all of it, combine the tea and the milk in a large covered jug.

Then, combine the syrup and boba pearls in an airtight container.  You can store both components in the fridge for up to 2 days. After that point, the boba will still start to harden and won't be as soft and chewy anymore.

FAQs About This Brown Sugar Milk Tea Recipe

Is brown sugar milk tea good?

Brown sugar milk tea is the perfect boba tea to get if you're a fan of sweet and milky drinks. It's big on milk and brown sugar syrup, and it's also one of the sweetest boba drinks you can order. So, in my opinion, brown sugar milk tea is good. In fact, I think it's one of the most delicious milk teas out there.

What is brown sugar milk tea?

Milk tea with brown sugar has more caramel-like undertones than the usual milk tea since it's made with brown sugar syrup. It's usually made with black tea, which has a deep malty flavor that complements the creamy milk and sweet syrup.

What is the difference between milk tea and brown sugar milk tea?

Milk tea can be any combination of milk, tea, and sweeteners - like honey or sugar - while brown sugar milk tea specifically refers to milk tea made with brown sugar syrup. Brown sugar milk teas are usually on the milkier side, and some shops even make them with no tea at all.

What's the difference between boba and tapioca pearls?

Tapioca pearls are sweet with a slightly chewy texture once they're cooked that's similar to gummy bears. Boba has fruit juice inside of it, and the ball pops when you bite it, releasing the fruit juice.

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