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Baked, Brewed, Beautiful

What is Boba Coffee and How to Make It

in Brewed on 12/21/21

Boba coffee is an up-and-coming beverage winning hearts all around the world. Learn what it is & how to make it.

Guest Post By: Marko Lazarevic, founder of Craft Coffee Spot

close up of boba coffee with tapioca balls in glass bowl on white background
  • Boba coffee is an up-and-coming specialty coffee beverage winning hearts all around the world.
  • To make boba coffee, simply combine your favorite coffee drink with boba — a dark-colored, jelly-like substance.
  • Take a look at a few of our favorite boba coffee recipes below or jump straight to them by clicking here.

If you’re a dessert or coffee aficionado, you may have already heard of boba coffee. This coffee beverage is becoming increasingly popular all around the world. But if you haven’t yet heard of it, we’re here to help you out.


In this piece, you will learn the origins of boba, its rise to popularity, what boba coffee is, and how to make the most delicious boba coffee at home. Once you give boba coffee a try, it may very well become your new favorite specialty coffee drink. 

To learn more about this popular beverage and a few recipes to try at home, continue reading below.

Quick Links To Info In This Post
All About Boba
Why Has Boba Become So Popular?
What Is Boba Coffee?
3 Amazing Boba Coffee Recipes
a. Cold Brew Boba Recipe
b. Frappuccino Boba Recipe
c. Dalgona Boba Recipe

All About Boba

Boba is a dark-colored, jelly-like substance typically made out of tapioca pearls. The tapioca comes from the starch of a cassava root, the root of a South American plant also known as yucca. 

The act of turning yucca into tapioca balls and submerging them in a cold beverage came from the country of Taiwan. Although it is sometimes attributed to Japanese or Korean culture, Taiwan is credited for first drinking boba tapioca balls in their tea and even coffee.

Boba has a chewy, gummy-like texture. The taste is sweet, but not overpowering, so it makes for an excellent natural sweetener. It can often taste mildly of cane sugar, rice, starch, or even of botanicals.

pouring milk into a boba coffee with ice

The unique flavor profile of boba adds intrigue and adventure to any drink. Boba is almost always added to cold drinks, including coffee, but can also be enjoyed hot if desired.

Why Has Boba Become So Popular?

Originating in the early 1980s, boba has gained immense popularity throughout the 1990s in novelty soda, tea, and smoothie shops. It is now making a resurgence thanks to youth culture and its visual appeal that is so widely shared across social media platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram.  

You’re most likely to have first seen boba as the black balls at the bottom of bubble tea, its most popular use today. Recently, boba has started to be used in coffee drinks.

coffee and boba coffee in plastic cups with white background

What is Boba Coffee?

In simple terms, boba coffee is just boba mixed with coffee. The definition is more straightforward than boba tea, which is steeped and brewed in milk and then poured over ice. 

“I’ve had boba coffee a couple of different ways, and I love how the boba pearls add texture and natural sweetness to my coffee.” 

-Marko Lazarevic, Coffee Expert

With that being said, boba coffee does leave more room for improvisation, and it is usually mixed with milk, sugar, flavoring, ice, and a caffeinated additive such as cold brew coffee, caffeine syrup, concentrated coffee sauce, or even espresso.  

Spice Things Up with Boba in Your Drink

No matter your favorite type of coffee, boba coffee can add excitement to your morning. Whether you favor lattes, frappuccinos, dalgona coffee, or even cold brew, boba coffee is the delicious tapioca ball beverage that will have you coming back for more.

Check out a few of our favorite recipes below!

boba coffee flat lay on white background with tapioca balls and boba coffee top view

How to Make Different Types of Boba Coffee

There are many ways to get creative with boba coffee. Below, you’ll find three different recipes to enjoy at home.

1. Boba Coffee with Cold Brew

Boba coffee with cold brew tends to be less sweet than other boba coffee drinks, and it will give you a strong morning pick-me-up. Its ingredients include:

  • Simple syrup 
  • Honey
  • ½ cup of water
  • Coconut or cane sugar
  • ⅓ cup of black boba pearls
  • ½ cold brew coffee
  • Milk (optional)
  • Ice cubes (optional, as it’s traditionally enjoyed without ice)
Watch the cold brew making video below or start the 3-day mini course to step up your cold brew game.

To make boba coffee with cold brew, follow the instructions below:

  1. Boil your water.
  2. Add your sugar and honey to the water and mix.
  3. When your mixture turns into syrup, let it cool.
  4. Make your boba by combining water and tapioca, stirring until it hardens and the balls float to the top.
  5. Drain your boba and let it rest in the fridge until cool and dark-colored.
  6. Add your syrup and boba to a 16-ounce glass of cold brew coffee (see a homemade cold brew recipe here).
  7. Option to add ice and a reusable straw.
  8. Enjoy!

2. Boba Coffee Frappuccino

The boba coffee frappuccino is a year-round favorite, and can easily be made as a fully-caffeinated coffee boba beverage or as a decaf mocha version for kids to enjoy. The ingredients you will need are:

  • 1 cup of espresso
  • 2 cups of crushed ice
  • 3 tablespoons of sugar
  • 1 cup of milk
  • Optional whipped cream
  • 1 cup of boba pearls
  • Optional chocolate syrup and other toppings

To make your super sweet blended treat, follow the directions below:

  1. Blend ice, milk, espresso, and sugar until blended without large ice chunks.
  2. Remove and stir with a spoon.
  3. Pour your boba pearls into a glass.
  4. Pour your frappuccino mix on top of your boba.
  5. Option to add whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and other toppings. You can also add leftover boba on top.
  6. Enjoy with an optional reusable straw!
boba coffee in plastic cups with white background

3. Dalgona Coffee with Boba

Last but not least, we have Dalgona coffee. This frothy beverage is another huge coffee trend that set the internet ablaze with activity last year. It’s also a popular vessel for making a boba coffee beverage. To create your own dalgona coffee with boba, use the following ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
  • ½ cup of boba tapioca balls
  • Granulated sugar to taste
  • 2 spoons of ground instant coffee
  • Milk of your choice; coconut milk and whole milk are excellent options
  • 2 tablespoons of boiling water

To make a yummy boba dalgona coffee, follow the directions below:

  1. Boil your water in a saucepan.
  2. Either make your boba tapioca balls or drop store bought ones into the water to cook.
  3. Add sugar to sweeten the boba.
  4. Add instant coffee to the water and sugar.
  5. Whisk until thick and frothy. The mixture should be a beige, tan, or light brown color, and the consistency should be between a custard thickness and a delicate whipped cream.
  6. Spoon boba into your glass, followed by the milk of your choice and then the coffee froth.
  7. Stir, sip, and enjoy! Option to drink with a reusable boba straw.

Sign up for our free Cold Brew Making Mini Course

 

Learn to Make The Best-Tasting Cold Brew At Home!

Making cold brew coffee doesn’t have to be difficult nor expensive, which is why we’re offering you this free course. You will learn how to brew the best-tasting batch of cold brew as well as how to avoid some of the most common brewing mistakes.

Sign up to start the cold brew course today!

 

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Coffee Recipes By Baked, Brewed, Beautiful

Coffee Recipes By Baked, Brewed, Beautiful
This affogato recipe is not only bursting with complementary sweet, bitter flavors but it only requires 2 ingredients!

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The blog post that coincides with this video is: https://bakedbrewedbeautiful.com/affogato

Best Affogato Recipe

Ingredients:
2 shots of espresso
½ cup vanilla bean ice cream
Salted brownies for garnish (optional)
Chocolate shavings (optional)

Instructions: 
1. Scoop vanilla bean ice cream into a 4 ounce glass and place in freezer while you prepare the espresso.

2. Pull the espresso shots. Immediately, pull glasses of ice cream out and pour the espresso over the ice cream.

3. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings and salted brownie crumbs. Garnish the glass's rim with a one-inch square of salted brownies.

New videos every Thursday. 
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Videography: Cheyenne Elwell on a D5200 24.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera
Recipe: A Cheyenne Elwell original
Affogato Recipe (Espresso & Ice Cream)
YouTube Video UCkqfhp5eJcNaQEW1iaKcWXg_7ijP8EVjEDg
Learn to pair coffee with food following these 5 coffee and food pairing best practices. Examples included in the video!

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New videos every Thursday.

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Credits:
Music: Baked, Brewed, Beautiful Theme Song written & produced by Christopher Elwell (piano & drums) & Cheyenne Elwell (violin) 
Videography: Cheyenne Elwell on a D5200 24.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera
Coffee and Food Pairing: 5 Best Practices & 5 Best Combinations
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Iced Oat Milk Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe 

* Make a delicious non-dairy version of the famous fall pumpkin spice latte.
* Barista blend oat milk will allow you to create a slightly healthier version (but equally delicious) of this Starbucks classic.
* You can also enjoy this drink warm by following the modified recipe below

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Iced Oat Milk Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe

Pumpkin spice mixture:
½ cup oat milk (barista blend if possible)
⅓ cup brown sugar (white is okay too)
2 tsp pumpkin puree
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 
1 tsp vanilla extract
Latte
2 shots of espresso
1 cup oat milk 
1 tbsp pumpkin spice mixture
½ cup whipped cream (optional)
2 ice cubes (if enjoying cold)

Pumpkin spice mixture:
1. In a small sauce pan, add oat milk, sugar, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice. Bring to medium heat and whisk ingredients together until sugar is dissolved. Do not let it boil.
2. Once the mixture starts to steam and the sugar is completely dissolved, remove the pan from heat and stir in the vanilla. Strain through a fine mesh filter into a glass jar for easy storage.
Latte:
3. Pull your espresso shots, and pour inside your desired coffee mug. Add the strained pumpkin spice mixture to the espresso and stir well.
4. If enjoying warm (skip to next step if enjoying iced), steam your milk using a steam wand, milk frother, or mason jar (see post above to make foam without a frother) until foamy. Pour velvety milk on top of the espresso mixture.
5. For iced pumpkin spice lattes, add 2 to 3 ice cubes or cold brew coffee cubes to your mixture.
6. Top with whipped cream, if desired, and dust with pumpkin pie spice. Enjoy!

New videos every Thursday. 

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Credits:
Music: Baked, Brewed, Beautiful Theme Song written & produced by Christopher Elwell (piano & drums) & Cheyenne Elwell (violin) 
Videography: Cheyenne Elwell on a D5200 24.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera
Recipe: A Cheyenne Elwell original
Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte With Oat Milk Recipe
YouTube Video UCkqfhp5eJcNaQEW1iaKcWXg_UXMXFdkbeKc
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I'm Cheyenne — Seattle-based coffee lover & writer. On this blog, you'll find brewing tips & tutorials, coffee & food pairing recipes, and FREE COFFEE GUIDES for your favorite brew method.
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