You didn't warm up the Boba the second day like you did the other ones like in the microwave you the second day ones are just like the packets or the Boba. They usually make them before, and then warm them up in small batches throughout the day, and the next day they need to be slightly warmed before they go in the tea and I would probably add some ice to fill up the glass.
@@EvanAndKatelyn2 if you want the pointy end on the cheap set, just cut the straw end at an angle... or I am sure you can just buy some online with a point ( or steal them from the Boba Store lol)
Idk if you guys have heard about hello fresh's working conditions for their employees. It is very sad, many of the employees can't even afford the boxes they work to make, and I know I will not be supporting such a company since they won't even let their employees unionize 🥺
@@EvanAndKatelyn2 you can also buy the tea and boba separate,,, not in a kit! I love Japanese royal milk tea/matcha and black sugar boba (dehydrated but boils in 5 mins!) you can make a brown sugar syrup (I like Demerara) and it keeps forever if you do a 2:1 sugar to water. Sometimes I splurge on fruit boba, but they do not keep as long. Also way more expensive. Mango lassi with strawberry boba 😋
Homemade boba nerd here. Not rinsing the cooked boba in cold water immediately after removing them from the warm soak definitely affected the texture. Boba has to be warm to be soft, and a blast of cold then makes it chewy. Science! If you want chewier boba, soak them in an ice water bath after the cooking/resting process is done. The longer they soak in ice water, the firmer they will get. This is why they get hard in the fridge! This is also the wonderful thing about homemade boba, you can experiment with different cooking times and techniques to get the perfect texture you love. To reuse the boba after it's hardened up in the fridge, you just need to add a little water and reheat it to make it soft again, Pop it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or until the syrup starts to bubble, and that softens it up again. If you forget, just fish out the boba from your drink into a little bowl and do it, it's not too late. Also, brown sugar is way, way better than white sugar for the sugar syrup, IMO. You can also add a little honey or molasses for additional flavor. I cook my sugar syrup down so that it's more concentrated, that also keeps longer in the fridge. And if you can get okinawa roasted brown sugar, it's even better. And! Making homemade boba is not difficult! It's just brown sugar, tapioca flour, and water, with a few steps to form the dough properly. You can also use any tea you prefer (good quality black tea is the way to go, IMO, but YMMV).
Ooh, thanks for the heating up leftover boba tip - I have a big bag of large tapioca that's a pain to cook and it's easier to cook a large batch and then add in as needed.
Yes! When they reduced the sugar for the simple syrup for soaking I was so distressed cause it would both affect the taste and texture of the boba balls 😢
As someone who used to work in a cafe that made its own boba tea, I can tell you you can buy bulk bags of dried tapioca pearls that you can boil in batches and keep sealed for months in an air tight container. Allowing you to then make your own tea flavours every day. It also stores well cooked for about a week. So you’d be looking at $100 for a years worth of boba. You also make the syrup to soak and reheat the boba is by saving the boiling water from cooking the boba and mixing that with brown sugar. Recommended to keep the cooked boba in this brown sugar goo syrup when storing. Storing it in thick syrup instead of thin milky tea stops the pearls going mushy and dissolving
as someone who has been perfecting homemade boba for a few months now, here is my advice go to your local asian supermarket and get the boba that comes in the shrink wrapped packages (i get the stuff in the bright red bag, its $5 for 2 pounds and makes 20-25 drinks worth of boba) boil a cup or so of it for 5 mins, then drain most of the water and add about a cup of brown sugar. cook for a few more minutes until you get a good syrup get some cheap but not awful tea, and brew a large pot of it slightly stronger than the package recommends put your tea and your boba/syrup in separate containers and refrigerate to make a drink, just put some boba in the bottom of a glass and microwave it for about 30 sec to soften the pearls. then, add your ice, milk, and pre-chilled tea. it's super easy with limited prep, and i've found the pearls last a little over a week in the fridge. and, if you can find everything for the same price i paid, it works out to $0.72 a cup ($0.06/oz)
As a fellow lazy boba lover, I found you can buy a big pack of dry boba balls at most Asian grocery stores. You can make it all yourself like with the expensive kit. It takes like 15min and way cheaper than all of them.
This is what I do, but since I'm only one person I make the full bag and then freeze the boba in the sugar syrup in an ice cube tray. Then I'm able to pop out single servings of boba. Heat in the microwave for 50 secs and then add my tea. So easy!
Some notes for boba: using a brown sugar syrup rather than a simple syrup will give you those caramely toasty notes that people like in boba, you should rinse in cold water after taking it out of the hot water to stop it cooking and give it a good qq texture that boba is known for! Good luck on your home boba journey : )
Just in case you didn't know, you can also make your own boba using tapioca starch, and it is quite quick! You then get to use you favorite teas or coffees for the drink portion, and soak the pearls in your preferred syrup flavors! We make it often at home, because I am too lazy to drive to go bring some home 😅
I'd love to try that, maybe I'd have better luck! do the balls stay good in their "dough" form for a long time or do you have to make a fresh batch each time?
@EvanAndKatelyn2 You would need to make a new batch each time, but from start to finish, it takes me about 15 minutes now if I make just enough for my husband and myself. The most stressful bit is to knead the dough and shape the balls quickly enough, but we don't mind when they are wonky (as long as they fit through the straws!) Edit: These comments are teaching me that you CAN make some and save them in the freezer or refrigerator - that is awesome!! Thank you to everyone for sharing!!
@hi-wf9ql I guess you're right - 15 minutes to make them is far faster to me in Los Angeles, than driving in our traffic, lol. It might be faster for them to drive and pick up in their part of the country than it is for me, for sure, lol! 😅
@@EvanAndKatelyn2 From what i've seen from people who make their own custom boba it can usually be stored in the freezer afterwards. just make sure theres enough extra tapioca starch to prevent them from sticking
as someone who used to work at a boba shop: - the main deference is that the instant is BROWN SUGAR boba vs normal tapioca causing a major difference in taste - you can buy large quantities of tapioca from your local asian store for a lot cheaper and mass brew tea for usage - we always threw out boba after a few hours it gets gross quickly - brown sugar boba gets incredibly difficult to make at home due to stickiness tbh
You can buy a bag of super cheap tapioca balls in Asian supermarkets. Steep your favorite tea for 5 minutes and then add ice and to cold brew for a couple hours. This makes it strong and not bitter. Make a lot of tea, enough for the week, and keep it in a pitcher in the fridge. Add a bit of sweetened condensed milk and some milk. Plus your balls of course. Super easy and cheap. The sweetened condensed milk really adds something nice.
You can bulk make the tapioca pearls ahead of time, let the pearls sit in some brown sugar syrup and place them in a zip lock bag and throw them in the freezer, lay it flat, that way it’s thin enough to break apart or freeze them in mini individual servings (best kept in a sealed tight container). Afterwards you can then boil/microwave the amount you need and it’s just as good as how you made it the first time 💖💖💖 (commenting this again because this hack has helped me get my boba fix quicker)
So, as someone who worked in a boba tea shop, the reason you might like the instant boba pearls more is because they have SOAKED in simple syrup while being delivered and everything. That makes them sweeter than the ones you prepared yourself. Not to mention they could have made brown sugar simple syrup, or used jelly instead of boba (which is similar, but can stay refrigerated or sit in a closed container for multiple days). Ok love you, byyyyeeeee
@@shiny0tinfoil0girl93 also a really unhealthy view of sugar. They are always saying they don’t like things to be too sweet. But it’s mental. If they don’t know it’s super sweet, they love it. Haha.
from someone who works at a boba shop -- the second brand is basically how we make boba for real. It takes about an hour to cook where I work (30 mins boiling, 30 mins simmering). We make a brown sugar syrup, which is what gives boba the brown sugar flavor. You didn't add brown sugar so it wont have that flavor lol 😂 also, boba can definitely not last multiple days. At my store, we have to throw it out after 4 hours, though I think the specific time depends on the brand.
The pointy straw is actually important for keeping a portion of the straw off the bottom of the glass, both for allowing the boba to slip into the opening without you holding the straw up, and for keeping you from getting suction to the bottom of the glass.
i was so hoping someone would comment this so i didn’t have to! science adjacent for fluid dynamics! it’s a good way to see if boba places are legit or just buying the cheapest straws they can!
I worked in a boba shop (technically two boba shops) for a year and the way I cooked boba was similar to this but there are a few things that you guys could do to make the bulk tapioca pearls turn out better than the instant ones! Firstly, I would make brown sugar syrup rather than just simple syrup and it definitely needs to be thicker. I would also just buy small reusable tea steepers, they come in all sorts of cute shapes and sizes. Filling these up will get you a pretty accurate amount of tea needed for one serving. I also recommend playing around with different boba tea flavors, like taro, red bean, coconut etc. You can find the powders online in bulk and they're surprisingly good even though they typically don't have tea. Pro tip: try coconut powder or flavoring with earl grey/black tea and brown sugar syrup, its literally the best boba creation to exist.
You have no idea how much I love this episode!! I’m sure others have said this before, but as a former No barista I’ve got a few tips for the expensive boba kit!! First off, absolutely so NOT save the boba for the next day (hard and yucky)!! The cheap kit’s tea probably tastes better because most milk tea in boba shops is made using milk powder/powder creamer. “Fresh Milk” tends to be the one made with liquid milk. I’d recommend using the powdered dairy creamer instead of half-n-half! For the boba pearls: use brown sugar syrup!! The brown sugar is very important for the flavor of the tea. Typically for our tea sweetener we use a regular simple syrup, but the pearls were always soaked in brown sugar syrup. Lastly for the teas, the temperature and steep time makes a difference! Thai tea and black tea can be steeped hotter for longer, but green tea needs to be 135 and 5 minutes max! My boba chain did Thai tea at 212 for 25 minutes and black tea at 212 for 10/15 if I remember right. Have fun using the rest of your kits!!
@@AllmightIsVeryDeformed OH, I didn't know that! That makes sense though considering Chai also means tea haha I'm not sure how else to differentiate the kind of tea most places call "Thai tea" though. If you happen to know the actual name please share! I'd love to spread it around :33
Drinking boba right now 😂. I buy the pearls dried in bulk and boil them myself. I get the "ready in 5 minutes" ones so it's about the same as the kits. Use honey or syrup to keep them good for a few hours, and add to your fav. tea!
the instant boba can be found in costco with more flavors and 10 servings but its only around 10 dollars (I don't remember exactly). the flavors were milk tea (4) taro (2) passion fruit (2 also comes with its own differently flavored boba) and creme brulee (2)
i think buying the boba in the lil bags (about $3 usd) and making the tea yourself (this varies GREATLY in price depending on taste) and finding a good recipe of how to make the syrup might end up being cheaper and easier than some kits, while also using ingredients you already have around the house. The amount of work is, imo, somewhere between the cheap and the expensive kit, but with the added benefit of customization and pre prep. You can prepare the tea in advance so it's nice and cold, but you can make how much actual boba you want per cup since the ones that come in the bag only take 5 minutes to boil so there's no time commitment
I think if you love boba, you've *gotta* go to an Asian grocery store! There's a place I go that literally sells canned boba tea for like 3 dollars, as well as a bunch of different types of instant boba kits, or you can just buy a whole bucket of tapioca balls & go wild.
100% agreed. We always have simple syrup in our fridge because we like to make cocktails fairly often, and it lasts in the fridge for quite a while. It seems to me that the boba is really the only thing that isn't practically right there in the pantry already (since it seems they have plenty of tea). Maybe they can update us on instagram if they try different instant boba or if freezing boba in syrup fixes the problem of the boba getting hard!
@@leahgroess5361 The trick to getting boba soft is to heat them up (that's why even the quick kit heated them). So if E&K heated the boba from the day before after sitting in the fridge, they wouldn't have been so hard.
@@EvanAndKatelyn2 Try looking for the WuFuYuan brand of tapioca pearls. You should be able to find them at most local Chinese grocery stores or HMart. The texture is not as soft as homemade but it's pretty comparable to most tea shops.
(4:48) I agree! I think that the pointy straws help with slurping up the boba because they're a bit more spoon-like, rather than contacting the bottom of the cup where only liquid gets slurped up like with the non-pointy straws. Fun video! Thanks for making it!
As someone who works in a boba shop, I love this ! I wish I could get the boba ready sooner than 10AM, but the second kit is much more accurate time-wise. :)
I wonder if you warm up the boba from the "expensive" kit before putting it in your tea the next day, if that would help the hardness of it. Anything that starchy generally stiffens when cold but becomes chewy again if warmed up
@@EvanAndKatelyn2I work at a boba shop and our first batch of bubbles in the morning is actually from the night before. We call it the flash batch because it only needs to be boiled to reheat and soften them in the morning. They’re not as good as fresh but because a fresh batch takes a while that’s what we do to get started when we first open. So a fresh bubbles takes 35 minutes to cook and we cook them for 40 minutes (our batches are huge and take forever to cool) and the flash is cooked for 5 and cooled for 10 then we soak everything in simple syrup
@@catherineliu06 the dry boba doesn’t need to be soaked before cooking. They can go right in the pit then once their cooked, cooled, and rinsed…they soak in simple syrup. Then to reheat those already cooked boba they can use the flash or instant instructions
Great video guys! I’ve worked at multiple boba shops and have been a tea steeper at home for many years and it’s awesome to see you two getting into it! Here’s some information that I think you guys would benefit from- High quality boba & tea at home is definitely a hobby, and not a convenience 😅 if you’re looking for fun, fast, easy boba at home then the instant packs are great! BUT there is definitely a lot of potential in high quality boba supplies. This kit may have cut some corners, and the things that got cut seemed to be the things that you two value in boba-brown sugar, and milk tea taste. Most boba shops soak their boba in a brown sugar mixture after cooking, which leads to that classic taste, which this kit didn’t include. A lot of boba shops use a non-dairy powder creamer for their milk teas, which, when added to high quality fresh brewed black tea creates that classic milk tea taste. The instant milk tea is most likely non-dairy creamer mixed with concentrated black tea, which is why it had that classic taste. You can get non-dairy creamer on Amazon from a company called Tea Zone, and this is the same stuff used by boba shops. (Not all boba shops, but a lot of boba shops.) When you steep good quality tea at home (like from the kit) and add in the non-dairy creamer, you are replicating the process that high-quality shops use to make their milk tea! I think this kit was just simplifying some things to make it easier for the first-time at home boba maker, but these upgrades (potentially with the same supplies from the kit) might give you a way better experience! ALSO it would make a great video if y’all made boba from scratch, it’s definitely challenging and I’d love to give you some advice if you’d like to consider going with that route 😂 me and my partner got in a fight and almost rage quit the first time we made handmade boba from scratch, but we’re basically pros now haha. I hope this information helps, I love boba and tea and I’d love to see you guys give the high quality process another shot!!!
you can freeze boba after making a large batch ! it reheats in the microwave very well. we make it and freeze in portions in a icecube tray ! also, use brown sugar syrup instead of plain simple syrup:)
the more expensive boba requires more prep work :( you have to use actaul sugar, honey and molasses for the true brown sugar boba flavor. it also helps to keep it warm
Yes! i just heard about it last week and i've been begging my mom to take me since i'm thirteen and cant drive myself. conveniently, there's also a boba store around the corner :D
Making homemade boba is the best. I definitely would love to see you guys make your own boba at home and try different recipes. There's even recipes for homemade popping pearls.
We live in a remote area of Japan, and there's no bubble tea shop nearby. We turned to the "instant" version you tried, and like it quite a lot. It's also available at our supermarket. Cheap way to keep our kids happy :)
I love the microwave boba! I keep that brand/kit on hand for when I want immediate boba lol. Tips: it microwaves just fine. I make the tea part first and dump it over the ice to cool it down. I also add way more liquid than the 6oz or whatever it says. It's pretty concentrated and I think it's better with 12oz+ of liquid. Then I toss the boba in the microwave with an edge torn off the packet to let steam out. Everybody's microwave is different so figure out what's best. IMPORTANT: stir the drink as you poor the boba in. That way the boba doesn't clump together. And don't heat up the boba and then let it cool down in the packet or it'll clump (or even continue cooking).
I prefer the microwave boba, hontly. It' super quick. I have a Keurig that i'll run hot water through for the powder, mix it while the boba is heating, add ice and milk then add my boba at the end. Taro is my favorite flavour lol
i was today year's old when i learned evan & katelyn are tea addicts! it's quite the fun addiction to have - until your cabinets are screaming for relief and drawers are packed full of different teas.
the process to make the boba in the "expensive" kit is almost identical to the way boba shops make it (or at least it was for the place that i worked at). the biggest difference is the solution the pearls sit in after they're cooked. in the kit, they have them sit in simple syrup, whereas most other tea places, especially those that market brown sugar boba, will soak it in, well, brown sugar. you can experiment with different solutions to soak them in too which will affect the flavor. honey is another common one!
This was exactly the video I needed right now. Am also in my boba era. I discovered that I could find a selection of bubble tea supplies in an oriental shop nearby so have been experimenting with making my own for the last month. It's very fun.
I too have a boba addiction (but thankfully I live about 5-10min away from like 10 locations 😅 With the fancier kit, you probably didn’t get the brown sugar taste because boba wasn’t specifically brown sugar boba (I bet if you made a simple syrup using brown sugar it would’ve made a difference). If you’re ever in Portland, OR, you gotta try Toast La Tea. They make their boba from scratch and sauté their boba in brown sugar so there’s crispy sugar bits in your drink. 1000% the best brown sugar boba I’ve ever had 🤤
This makes me want to make my fav drink from Fruit Land, which is this cold, blended ice sakura latte type drink with flavored popping pearls (NOT BOBA, THERES A DIFFERENCE). I pay about $8 for my damn drink, and its the smallest size with some whipped cream If anyone knows how to make it, i would LOVE that so i cant just make a mega drink for much cheaper XD
It should be easy, just watch them make it for a starting point. You can buy popping pearls and sakura latte powder in bulk online. I assume the rest of it is probably just ice? Unless you see them put in extra water or milk or something else.
@@ryantakahashi9130 problem, you can't see them make it XD there's a little partition wall, I can only see the top of the employees head. I only know it's blended ice cuz they run the blender (I can hear it) and that the drink has mild amounts of caffeine, as caffeine has a distinct aftertaste in any drink. It also comes out a vibrant light pink color I'd like to know what powder they're specifically using, as I don't want to run off and end up buying tons of Sakura tea powders and whatnot that just don't taste right. Cuz I've had the same issue with Thai sweet teas. I can tolerate most, despise a few, and only love one or two, but they're all technically the same drink?? It's weird, lol
I tried making boba at home before and I failed miserably.... I think there's a learning curve. If you practice enough times with tapioca starch I think it'll be much more worth it than buying pre-made boba. You can customize the flavors and sugar however you want!!!!! I've tried the dry boba that you boil and it didn't taste great, and I've also tried a canned drink with boba in it and the texture was weird. Generally I'd say your best bet for boba at home is learning to make it with tapioca starch and then you can put it into any tea or coffee you want!
The Evan black and white quote bits re: balls really got me on this one. I also like boba a lot and understand your pain, Katelyn. I'm glad to know that the instant version is Pretty Good!
My mom used to own a frozen yogurt shop and she did Boba tea. Once you know how it is done it’s pretty easy and not too bad. I’m just sitting here yelling at the screen trying to tell you how it’s done. 😂
WuFuYuan's boba is great, affordable, and available at many places including hmart! And hmart does delivery too! They have different flavours, and all you have to do is boil water, put them in, and cook from 2-6 minutes depending on boba size and doneness preference. I like putting them in some sugar for a few minutes, but it's not necessary. I also prefer them in hot tea, or if cold I just use Calpico usually because I'm not much of an iced tea person.
If you have a Sams Club near you, they sell frozen boba in little packages like the instant version, just on their own without the milk tea powder packets. They come in cases of 12. The best part is you get to choose your tea and customize your sweetness level. Much cheeper than the expensive set but just as customizable.
I can make it for a total of $6 for $20 from premade tapioca balls from the Vietnamese or international grocery store, net of your liking, in a 20 pack of box, and of course milk and brown sugar (for the tapioca balls)
Trader Joe's has started selling frozen boba in syrup + straws. Its 4 sets in a pack for like $5? It's like the cheap boba kit y'all used without the instant tea. Trader Joes also sells Assam black tea (which is what's traditionally used for milk tea), so I make my own milk tea and add the boba. I've been drinking it still hot, so idk how chilling affects the texture. But it's pretty good for the price!
As someone who lives in China, I know that most of the boba tea places here use instant powders to make the boba so that is probably the more familiar taste to you. Making boba or milk tea with the actual, loose leaf tea is consider the posh way of doing things here because it's quality tea instead of ground up leftovers and tea dust (stuff that usually goes into tea bags you buy in the supermarket).
Not only are your content and personalities really refreshing, but I love your editing! It’s so goofy and it’s cool to see how it’s evolved over time to develop your own unique style :)
I just get vacuum sealed boba (like from the expensive kit) from the Asian market, boil oh for a bit, throw some brown sugar on top, and add instant milk tea like from the cheap one in it!
I've found microwavable brown sugar tapioca pearls/boba at my local asian store and they actually come out the perfect texture! They're easy to make in single serving amounts and you can brew some loose leaf tea while microwaving the boba. Also I completely understand your annoyance with boba places not opening till 11am. I often want it in the morning, like as a treat to sip on while running errands on my day off or driving a long distance to spend the day at my friend's house.
I just watched the 2nd channel video where you guys make your own nail polish, so the first thing I noticed in this video was Evan's nails, and I love the color.
As a person who has been drinking boba for over a decade and has had places like kung fu tea and knows people who have worked at those places, its extremely common boba places, like kung fu tea, usually use powder instead of actual tea. Flavor is depending on the person, i usually prefer when the tea is actually brewed because its much more of a floral taste mostly in tea types such as Jasmine. If you are ever near the Anaheim/Irvine area, I have some boba place recommendations.
When I saw those 'cheap' boba tea kits I got really excited! Those boba kits are absolutely my top favorite, and it comes in a variety of flavors. I just recently tried an 'apple pie' flavor and it had itty bitty chunks of apple in the packet. Anytime I'm heavily craving boba, I buy a box of the J-Way Boba Kits and just enjoy 3 days of rather tasty boba tea! I microwave it [because I'm lazy and it takes 18 seconds, no boiling needed], and I will have to say that yeah-boiling it probably works better, microwaving it causes a few to be a TINY bit chewy but. Other than that very good! I will warn you guys-if you wanna keep getting it and trying different flavors, since you two don't really care much for sweet stuff, don't go for the Taro flavor! It tastes like overly sweet candy coated animal crackers. Just one sip was giving me a sugar rush!
2:45 Your alarm is the same alarm I use to wake up in the morning; the same time I feed my supervisor. She was sitting on my lap while I was watching this and heard the alarm on YOUR phone and started meowing at me like, "c'mon!!! We gonna go eats?!'
I genuinely never skip your ads, and this is the only channel I can say that about. Even when I have no need for the product, it feels disrespectful not to slow down and enjoy the art and effort that goes into each one!
The way I get the ‘toasty brown shugar flavour’ -> when boba fully cooked I just strain them but not rinse them and in a jar combine them with brown sugar
I used to work at a boba shop and, although not prefered but you're in a pinch for boba at the start of the day, you can reheat boba that was made the previous day. You just need to microwave it and have extra syrup on hand to help with the clumping. Refidgerated boba the next day will always be hard so you could potentially separate your drink and boba if you wanted to drink it later.
Honestly, for anyone who wants Boba but cheaper I just buy the actual Boba pearls precooked. They make them in a little proportioned packets that you can just heat and serve, there on the cheaper side to (per packet).
The premium kit feels like it accomplishes showing you how boba's made which makes it way better for a party or "craft" session where you just want to try out a new skill with friends. The instant ones honestly seem like a good option to just keep in the cupboard since they're better when counting in the gas and time it takes to get to a boba place but honestly they're all good. If your out anyway get your store boba, if your at home wanting some boba at odd hours of the day instant is great and maybe just leave the premium kit as a party activity
I will note that the kits seem like a great way to handle portion control! I bought some a while back and when I'm out, I ALWAYS feel pulled to order a large(fries, boba, whatever). But when I was enjoying the kit, the small was plenty.
I'm in LOVE with jay way boba packets. Ive been buying it for years. Cosco sells a giant back of i believe 2-3 each of brown sugar, carmel, mango (with NOT popping pearls but still fruity!), and Taro. I believe it's like 14 bucks too!
My son and I absolutely love the instant Boba tea kit! And yes, we also like it more than our local boba store. I add a little nore milk instead of ice and it's just sooo good! The brown sugar boba balls are so good and chewy!!
Bought the instant one on your recommendation after i saw they had Taro. Taro boba is my favorite! A year ago we did a big move across states from a much "hipper" area to one that isn't but is cheaper. No boba place near me...there are like 3 within 30m drive has Taro. Anyway both the Taro and original milk tea versions were good so glad I ordered it!
I loved this one. The whole video was very entertaining because I could tell you had fun with this one and Katelyn was very into the process. Also I perk up when the 'commercial' came on because you guys make the advertising so much fun. Thanks! I wish we could get some reviews of the factor meals from you guys. Ones you like etc.
It should also be noted that both salt & sugar are desiccants, which is why, it's good to put a few grains of rice in a salt or pepper shaker- the rice absorbs the moisture instead of the salt, preventing the salt from clumping together when there's too much moisture in the air. In solution, salt & sugar do the same thing- the sugar syrup is already at max concentration (1/1) . As a result; when you left the boba in syrup overnight, the sugar is trying to reach a state of molecular equilibrium- so it draws moisture out of the boba. But there isn't enough water contained within it to reach that state of balance, causing it to dehydrate. There are various drying & pickling methods using one or the other & even both depending on the final result you are looking for. One of the favorites I make is Spicy sweet, pickled garlic. (Yes, paprika powder comes from a pepper plant.)
Hi guys ! I super recommend the Trader Joe’s boba kit if you live near one or even close enough to one! But it doesn’t come with milk tea just so you know. It tastes just like tiger sugar if you just use milk
I got a pack of that cheap kit brand from Costco in assorted flavors- it was fine. Decent, not great, but the ease of having it in your pantry to make whenever you want was nice. So it had perks, and worked for what it is (one flavor was way too sweet for me, but personal preference). But I also like just buying dried boba and keeping it in the pantry, then making what I need each time, and my own teas and stuff to go with it. Little more work, but not crazy. Also I bought a set of rainbow metal boba-sized straws, for when I do.
You like the cheap powder ones because most milktea shops use powedered flavoring then add freshmilk(in some) and the tea, so powder milktea tasted familiar. My friends use to cook boba with brown sugar syrup instead of just soaking it in, they just simmer the already soft(boiled) boba until it gets thick and sticky ( hence in some milktea place they served boba still slightly warm, to keep it almost dissolving in mouth after few chew, which is what I personally preferred if I ever have to eat bobas, most of the time tho I asked for poppong boba sinkers instead😂)
The Jway instant boba is really good! I'm not a big milk tea person, but they have a green tea fruity boba. It's quite sweet on its own so I usually stick a green tea bag in there and that cuts it a bit. They also have a taro milk tea one, but it can get very sweet as well. I don't really follow the directions on those to the T 😅 I microwave the boba packets on a plate in the microwave for about 40 seconds, and put the balls in after I mix in the packet of tea flavoring. Then a handful of ice cubes, and fill the rest of the cup with milk or water. We also like to add caramel syrup to the regular brown sugar boba. Very excited to hear your thoughts on them! :)
I find you can cook a big batch, then completely cover it in the brown sugar syrup, then freeze it flat in a ziplock bags. You can then break of the amount you need (the syrup if it’s concentrated enough, it doesn’t get that hard in the freezer) Then in the cup you are going to be drinking out of, put the frozen boba (that already has the syrup with it), and microwave it until it’s warm. You get the same texture as cooking it fresh. Which means you can easily just brew some high concentration tea whenever you want, and warm the boba up while it’s brewing. So it’s more like prepping one big batch. And then 3 minutes of waiting in the tea whenever you want to make some. I also recommend getting a glass boba straw for home use. Because it’s actually nicer than the plastic. And since boba straws are so wide, it’s actually really easy to give a quick rinse to clean.
GUYS, i loovve making my own boba at home with the “WuFuYuan Boba Tapioca Pearl, Black Sugar Flavor, Ready in 5 Minutes” it is literally soooo so quick to put together. it boils super fast and then you shock the boba in water and slotted spoon them in to a bowl with a couple Tbsp of brown sugar. i still brew my own tea for it but you can easily buy milk tea powder in bulk and uses that instead! please please give it a try !! ✨❤️✨❤️✨❤️
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You didn't warm up the Boba the second day like you did the other ones like in the microwave you the second day ones are just like the packets or the Boba. They usually make them before, and then warm them up in small batches throughout the day, and the next day they need to be slightly warmed before they go in the tea and I would probably add some ice to fill up the glass.
good to know for next time!@@shellnet411
@@EvanAndKatelyn2 if you want the pointy end on the cheap set, just cut the straw end at an angle... or I am sure you can just buy some online with a point ( or steal them from the Boba Store lol)
Idk if you guys have heard about hello fresh's working conditions for their employees. It is very sad, many of the employees can't even afford the boxes they work to make, and I know I will not be supporting such a company since they won't even let their employees unionize 🥺
@@EvanAndKatelyn2 you can also buy the tea and boba separate,,, not in a kit! I love Japanese royal milk tea/matcha and black sugar boba (dehydrated but boils in 5 mins!) you can make a brown sugar syrup (I like Demerara) and it keeps forever if you do a 2:1 sugar to water. Sometimes I splurge on fruit boba, but they do not keep as long. Also way more expensive. Mango lassi with strawberry boba 😋
Homemade boba nerd here. Not rinsing the cooked boba in cold water immediately after removing them from the warm soak definitely affected the texture. Boba has to be warm to be soft, and a blast of cold then makes it chewy. Science! If you want chewier boba, soak them in an ice water bath after the cooking/resting process is done. The longer they soak in ice water, the firmer they will get. This is why they get hard in the fridge! This is also the wonderful thing about homemade boba, you can experiment with different cooking times and techniques to get the perfect texture you love.
To reuse the boba after it's hardened up in the fridge, you just need to add a little water and reheat it to make it soft again, Pop it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or until the syrup starts to bubble, and that softens it up again. If you forget, just fish out the boba from your drink into a little bowl and do it, it's not too late.
Also, brown sugar is way, way better than white sugar for the sugar syrup, IMO. You can also add a little honey or molasses for additional flavor. I cook my sugar syrup down so that it's more concentrated, that also keeps longer in the fridge. And if you can get okinawa roasted brown sugar, it's even better.
And! Making homemade boba is not difficult! It's just brown sugar, tapioca flour, and water, with a few steps to form the dough properly. You can also use any tea you prefer (good quality black tea is the way to go, IMO, but YMMV).
Ooh, thanks for the heating up leftover boba tip - I have a big bag of large tapioca that's a pain to cook and it's easier to cook a large batch and then add in as needed.
YAAS, as a boba nerd myself, I agree uvu
Yes! When they reduced the sugar for the simple syrup for soaking I was so distressed cause it would both affect the taste and texture of the boba balls 😢
Used to work in a boba shop and came here to say everything you just said!!! Can confirm!
I understand this is up their alley for content but it killed me that they went with kits, when boba tea is so simple to make! And cheaper!
As someone who used to work in a cafe that made its own boba tea, I can tell you you can buy bulk bags of dried tapioca pearls that you can boil in batches and keep sealed for months in an air tight container. Allowing you to then make your own tea flavours every day. It also stores well cooked for about a week. So you’d be looking at $100 for a years worth of boba.
You also make the syrup to soak and reheat the boba is by saving the boiling water from cooking the boba and mixing that with brown sugar. Recommended to keep the cooked boba in this brown sugar goo syrup when storing. Storing it in thick syrup instead of thin milky tea stops the pearls going mushy and dissolving
Somehow this reminded me of the 4,000$ starbucks gift card episode of Linus Tech Tips intel makeover.
KATELYN WHAT ABOUT THE FUEL NEEDED TO GET TO YOUR BOBA SHOP?!? If that is taken into consideration, is it still cheaper than the "cheap" 3 pack?
That is what i came to comment!! Also what about the time!
exactly, its a 40min drive there and back
This !!
That's a good point!!!
I thought the same thing! You have to add the cost of gas too. And time away from Joob.
as someone who has been perfecting homemade boba for a few months now, here is my advice
go to your local asian supermarket and get the boba that comes in the shrink wrapped packages (i get the stuff in the bright red bag, its $5 for 2 pounds and makes 20-25 drinks worth of boba)
boil a cup or so of it for 5 mins, then drain most of the water and add about a cup of brown sugar. cook for a few more minutes until you get a good syrup
get some cheap but not awful tea, and brew a large pot of it slightly stronger than the package recommends
put your tea and your boba/syrup in separate containers and refrigerate
to make a drink, just put some boba in the bottom of a glass and microwave it for about 30 sec to soften the pearls. then, add your ice, milk, and pre-chilled tea. it's super easy with limited prep, and i've found the pearls last a little over a week in the fridge. and, if you can find everything for the same price i paid, it works out to $0.72 a cup ($0.06/oz)
Yes! I was just about to say, @EvanAndKatelyn2, get the 5-min-cook boba, and microwave them to rescue them if you keep them overnight!
As a fellow lazy boba lover, I found you can buy a big pack of dry boba balls at most Asian grocery stores. You can make it all yourself like with the expensive kit. It takes like 15min and way cheaper than all of them.
I make a mini pitcher of tea and do the bulk boba on a hot day.
Yup
This is what I do, but since I'm only one person I make the full bag and then freeze the boba in the sugar syrup in an ice cube tray. Then I'm able to pop out single servings of boba. Heat in the microwave for 50 secs and then add my tea. So easy!
This is what I do
Came to say the same. I’ve bought big bags and made a little at a time, just takes a few minutes. Plus you can control sweetness
Some notes for boba: using a brown sugar syrup rather than a simple syrup will give you those caramely toasty notes that people like in boba, you should rinse in cold water after taking it out of the hot water to stop it cooking and give it a good qq texture that boba is known for! Good luck on your home boba journey : )
Just in case you didn't know, you can also make your own boba using tapioca starch, and it is quite quick! You then get to use you favorite teas or coffees for the drink portion, and soak the pearls in your preferred syrup flavors! We make it often at home, because I am too lazy to drive to go bring some home 😅
I'd love to try that, maybe I'd have better luck! do the balls stay good in their "dough" form for a long time or do you have to make a fresh batch each time?
it is not quite quick, but tastes a lot better homemade.
edit: but it is a lot cheaper
@EvanAndKatelyn2 You would need to make a new batch each time, but from start to finish, it takes me about 15 minutes now if I make just enough for my husband and myself. The most stressful bit is to knead the dough and shape the balls quickly enough, but we don't mind when they are wonky (as long as they fit through the straws!) Edit: These comments are teaching me that you CAN make some and save them in the freezer or refrigerator - that is awesome!! Thank you to everyone for sharing!!
@hi-wf9ql I guess you're right - 15 minutes to make them is far faster to me in Los Angeles, than driving in our traffic, lol. It might be faster for them to drive and pick up in their part of the country than it is for me, for sure, lol! 😅
@@EvanAndKatelyn2 From what i've seen from people who make their own custom boba it can usually be stored in the freezer afterwards. just make sure theres enough extra tapioca starch to prevent them from sticking
as someone who used to work at a boba shop:
- the main deference is that the instant is BROWN SUGAR boba vs normal tapioca causing a major difference in taste
- you can buy large quantities of tapioca from your local asian store
for a lot cheaper and mass brew tea for usage
- we always threw out boba after a few hours it gets gross quickly
- brown sugar boba gets incredibly difficult to make at home due to stickiness tbh
You can buy a bag of super cheap tapioca balls in Asian supermarkets. Steep your favorite tea for 5 minutes and then add ice and to cold brew for a couple hours. This makes it strong and not bitter. Make a lot of tea, enough for the week, and keep it in a pitcher in the fridge. Add a bit of sweetened condensed milk and some milk. Plus your balls of course. Super easy and cheap. The sweetened condensed milk really adds something nice.
I like the WuFuYuan brand of tapioca pearls. It's easier than anything else, especially if you make the simple syrup ahead of time.
You can bulk make the tapioca pearls ahead of time, let the pearls sit in some brown sugar syrup and place them in a zip lock bag and throw them in the freezer, lay it flat, that way it’s thin enough to break apart or freeze them in mini individual servings (best kept in a sealed tight container). Afterwards you can then boil/microwave the amount you need and it’s just as good as how you made it the first time 💖💖💖 (commenting this again because this hack has helped me get my boba fix quicker)
So, as someone who worked in a boba tea shop, the reason you might like the instant boba pearls more is because they have SOAKED in simple syrup while being delivered and everything. That makes them sweeter than the ones you prepared yourself. Not to mention they could have made brown sugar simple syrup, or used jelly instead of boba (which is similar, but can stay refrigerated or sit in a closed container for multiple days). Ok love you, byyyyeeeee
Yess. Them cheaping out in the simple in the second one killed my soul a little bit.
Agreeeeeeed haha I also left a whole long comment on my opinion lol but they would’ve liked it so much more w brown sugar and the right creamer 😭
I think it just boils down to inexperience and following the kit instructions very carefully.
@@shiny0tinfoil0girl93 also a really unhealthy view of sugar. They are always saying they don’t like things to be too sweet. But it’s mental. If they don’t know it’s super sweet, they love it. Haha.
WHAT THE FUDGE EVAN&KATELYN?
PLASTIC STRAWS NOT COOL!
I’ll let it slide cuz they’re pointy(cool)
from someone who works at a boba shop -- the second brand is basically how we make boba for real. It takes about an hour to cook where I work (30 mins boiling, 30 mins simmering). We make a brown sugar syrup, which is what gives boba the brown sugar flavor. You didn't add brown sugar so it wont have that flavor lol 😂
also, boba can definitely not last multiple days. At my store, we have to throw it out after 4 hours, though I think the specific time depends on the brand.
The pointy straw is actually important for keeping a portion of the straw off the bottom of the glass, both for allowing the boba to slip into the opening without you holding the straw up, and for keeping you from getting suction to the bottom of the glass.
It’s only pointed so it can pierce the lid. Regular boba straws aren’t pointed.
i was so hoping someone would comment this so i didn’t have to! science adjacent for fluid dynamics! it’s a good way to see if boba places are legit or just buying the cheapest straws they can!
I worked in a boba shop (technically two boba shops) for a year and the way I cooked boba was similar to this but there are a few things that you guys could do to make the bulk tapioca pearls turn out better than the instant ones! Firstly, I would make brown sugar syrup rather than just simple syrup and it definitely needs to be thicker. I would also just buy small reusable tea steepers, they come in all sorts of cute shapes and sizes. Filling these up will get you a pretty accurate amount of tea needed for one serving. I also recommend playing around with different boba tea flavors, like taro, red bean, coconut etc. You can find the powders online in bulk and they're surprisingly good even though they typically don't have tea. Pro tip: try coconut powder or flavoring with earl grey/black tea and brown sugar syrup, its literally the best boba creation to exist.
I was thinking the red bean flavor would be good with soaking the boba in a honey mixture.
Kind of like dorayaki and anko.
You have no idea how much I love this episode!! I’m sure others have said this before, but as a former No barista I’ve got a few tips for the expensive boba kit!! First off, absolutely so NOT save the boba for the next day (hard and yucky)!!
The cheap kit’s tea probably tastes better because most milk tea in boba shops is made using milk powder/powder creamer. “Fresh Milk” tends to be the one made with liquid milk. I’d recommend using the powdered dairy creamer instead of half-n-half!
For the boba pearls: use brown sugar syrup!! The brown sugar is very important for the flavor of the tea. Typically for our tea sweetener we use a regular simple syrup, but the pearls were always soaked in brown sugar syrup.
Lastly for the teas, the temperature and steep time makes a difference! Thai tea and black tea can be steeped hotter for longer, but green tea needs to be 135 and 5 minutes max! My boba chain did Thai tea at 212 for 25 minutes and black tea at 212 for 10/15 if I remember right.
Have fun using the rest of your kits!!
@@AllmightIsVeryDeformed OH, I didn't know that! That makes sense though considering Chai also means tea haha I'm not sure how else to differentiate the kind of tea most places call "Thai tea" though. If you happen to know the actual name please share! I'd love to spread it around :33
Drinking boba right now 😂. I buy the pearls dried in bulk and boil them myself. I get the "ready in 5 minutes" ones so it's about the same as the kits. Use honey or syrup to keep them good for a few hours, and add to your fav. tea!
5:30 scissors. cut straw. voila.
That’s what I thought lol, you can also buy boba straws with the cut in bulk or buy a reusable one too
the instant boba can be found in costco with more flavors and 10 servings but its only around 10 dollars (I don't remember exactly). the flavors were milk tea (4) taro (2) passion fruit (2 also comes with its own differently flavored boba) and creme brulee (2)
I get that one in Canada Costco and it's a 12 pack for $20. Love it!
i think buying the boba in the lil bags (about $3 usd) and making the tea yourself (this varies GREATLY in price depending on taste) and finding a good recipe of how to make the syrup might end up being cheaper and easier than some kits, while also using ingredients you already have around the house. The amount of work is, imo, somewhere between the cheap and the expensive kit, but with the added benefit of customization and pre prep. You can prepare the tea in advance so it's nice and cold, but you can make how much actual boba you want per cup since the ones that come in the bag only take 5 minutes to boil so there's no time commitment
I think if you love boba, you've *gotta* go to an Asian grocery store! There's a place I go that literally sells canned boba tea for like 3 dollars, as well as a bunch of different types of instant boba kits, or you can just buy a whole bucket of tapioca balls & go wild.
I think you're right about that! it's a good mix between the 2
100% agreed. We always have simple syrup in our fridge because we like to make cocktails fairly often, and it lasts in the fridge for quite a while. It seems to me that the boba is really the only thing that isn't practically right there in the pantry already (since it seems they have plenty of tea). Maybe they can update us on instagram if they try different instant boba or if freezing boba in syrup fixes the problem of the boba getting hard!
@@leahgroess5361 The trick to getting boba soft is to heat them up (that's why even the quick kit heated them). So if E&K heated the boba from the day before after sitting in the fridge, they wouldn't have been so hard.
@@EvanAndKatelyn2 Try looking for the WuFuYuan brand of tapioca pearls. You should be able to find them at most local Chinese grocery stores or HMart. The texture is not as soft as homemade but it's pretty comparable to most tea shops.
(4:48) I agree! I think that the pointy straws help with slurping up the boba because they're a bit more spoon-like, rather than contacting the bottom of the cup where only liquid gets slurped up like with the non-pointy straws. Fun video! Thanks for making it!
As a British person, and a tea addict (although that kind of goes as said), I have never seen tea bags that big before and now I desperately need them
They're American sized 🦅🦅🦅🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Just kidding xD but mood. The big bags are so nice
I'm sure they're makeable
@@tibbynibby everything's bigger in Texas I've heard!
Im not british but im deffently a tea adict and SAME. Ive just got normal tea bags and then plastic bags filled with massive ampunts of tea.
@@rosehipowl it's true xD (for many things lol)
As someone who works in a boba shop, I love this ! I wish I could get the boba ready sooner than 10AM, but the second kit is much more accurate time-wise. :)
I wonder if you warm up the boba from the "expensive" kit before putting it in your tea the next day, if that would help the hardness of it. Anything that starchy generally stiffens when cold but becomes chewy again if warmed up
interesting!! I'm down to try it
@@EvanAndKatelyn2I work at a boba shop and our first batch of bubbles in the morning is actually from the night before. We call it the flash batch because it only needs to be boiled to reheat and soften them in the morning. They’re not as good as fresh but because a fresh batch takes a while that’s what we do to get started when we first open. So a fresh bubbles takes 35 minutes to cook and we cook them for 40 minutes (our batches are huge and take forever to cool) and the flash is cooked for 5 and cooled for 10 then we soak everything in simple syrup
The instant is likely just this “flash” situation. They’re precooked and soaked and you need to reheat them
Yeah I thought Boba needed to be soaked before cooking (like recommendation on brown rice)
@@catherineliu06 the dry boba doesn’t need to be soaked before cooking. They can go right in the pit then once their cooked, cooled, and rinsed…they soak in simple syrup. Then to reheat those already cooked boba they can use the flash or instant instructions
Great video guys! I’ve worked at multiple boba shops and have been a tea steeper at home for many years and it’s awesome to see you two getting into it! Here’s some information that I think you guys would benefit from-
High quality boba & tea at home is definitely a hobby, and not a convenience 😅 if you’re looking for fun, fast, easy boba at home then the instant packs are great! BUT there is definitely a lot of potential in high quality boba supplies. This kit may have cut some corners, and the things that got cut seemed to be the things that you two value in boba-brown sugar, and milk tea taste. Most boba shops soak their boba in a brown sugar mixture after cooking, which leads to that classic taste, which this kit didn’t include. A lot of boba shops use a non-dairy powder creamer for their milk teas, which, when added to high quality fresh brewed black tea creates that classic milk tea taste. The instant milk tea is most likely non-dairy creamer mixed with concentrated black tea, which is why it had that classic taste. You can get non-dairy creamer on Amazon from a company called Tea Zone, and this is the same stuff used by boba shops. (Not all boba shops, but a lot of boba shops.) When you steep good quality tea at home (like from the kit) and add in the non-dairy creamer, you are replicating the process that high-quality shops use to make their milk tea! I think this kit was just simplifying some things to make it easier for the first-time at home boba maker, but these upgrades (potentially with the same supplies from the kit) might give you a way better experience! ALSO it would make a great video if y’all made boba from scratch, it’s definitely challenging and I’d love to give you some advice if you’d like to consider going with that route 😂 me and my partner got in a fight and almost rage quit the first time we made handmade boba from scratch, but we’re basically pros now haha. I hope this information helps, I love boba and tea and I’d love to see you guys give the high quality process another shot!!!
I am going to take this moment of being early to request that y’all do a will it Rice Krispie episode with your magic broccoli
I am going to take this moment to support this request :]
@@naranja8896i also take this moment to support this request
I’m going to take a moment to third it.
I shall fourth that request
5th moment here
you can freeze boba after making a large batch ! it reheats in the microwave very well. we make it and freeze in portions in a icecube tray ! also, use brown sugar syrup instead of plain simple syrup:)
the more expensive boba requires more prep work :( you have to use actaul sugar, honey and molasses for the true brown sugar boba flavor. it also helps to keep it warm
Why are y’all complaining about the sugar taste not being strong enough AFTER YOU SPLIT THE AMOUNT NEEDED IN HALF!😂
Trader Joe's also sells frozen boba. You need to provide your own tea but the boba is fantastic. I just microwave that packet of boba .
I love theirs!! I just add milk because it has the sweetness already and it is delicious
TJ’s decided to throw in with Elon Musk to campaign for screwing over employees.
No more TJs for me.
@@divaleaoh ew gross!
I was looking for this comment! Love their boba tea ^^
Yes! i just heard about it last week and i've been begging my mom to take me since i'm thirteen and cant drive myself. conveniently, there's also a boba store around the corner :D
Making homemade boba is the best. I definitely would love to see you guys make your own boba at home and try different recipes. There's even recipes for homemade popping pearls.
We live in a remote area of Japan, and there's no bubble tea shop nearby. We turned to the "instant" version you tried, and like it quite a lot.
It's also available at our supermarket.
Cheap way to keep our kids happy :)
I love the microwave boba! I keep that brand/kit on hand for when I want immediate boba lol. Tips: it microwaves just fine. I make the tea part first and dump it over the ice to cool it down. I also add way more liquid than the 6oz or whatever it says. It's pretty concentrated and I think it's better with 12oz+ of liquid. Then I toss the boba in the microwave with an edge torn off the packet to let steam out. Everybody's microwave is different so figure out what's best. IMPORTANT: stir the drink as you poor the boba in. That way the boba doesn't clump together. And don't heat up the boba and then let it cool down in the packet or it'll clump (or even continue cooking).
I prefer the microwave boba, hontly. It' super quick. I have a Keurig that i'll run hot water through for the powder, mix it while the boba is heating, add ice and milk then add my boba at the end. Taro is my favorite flavour lol
I love Evan’s painted nails!!
i was today year's old when i learned evan & katelyn are tea addicts! it's quite the fun addiction to have - until your cabinets are screaming for relief and drawers are packed full of different teas.
*sigh at Americans* you brew the tea XD
the process to make the boba in the "expensive" kit is almost identical to the way boba shops make it (or at least it was for the place that i worked at). the biggest difference is the solution the pearls sit in after they're cooked. in the kit, they have them sit in simple syrup, whereas most other tea places, especially those that market brown sugar boba, will soak it in, well, brown sugar. you can experiment with different solutions to soak them in too which will affect the flavor. honey is another common one!
This was exactly the video I needed right now. Am also in my boba era. I discovered that I could find a selection of bubble tea supplies in an oriental shop nearby so have been experimenting with making my own for the last month. It's very fun.
I too have a boba addiction (but thankfully I live about 5-10min away from like 10 locations 😅
With the fancier kit, you probably didn’t get the brown sugar taste because boba wasn’t specifically brown sugar boba (I bet if you made a simple syrup using brown sugar it would’ve made a difference). If you’re ever in Portland, OR, you gotta try Toast La Tea. They make their boba from scratch and sauté their boba in brown sugar so there’s crispy sugar bits in your drink. 1000% the best brown sugar boba I’ve ever had 🤤
Came here to say that too. The expensive kit is just plain boba and simple syrup but the cheap kit is specifically brown sugar boba.
Heating plastic releases a lot chemicals in to your food
They have a Boba kit at 5 below so ...
THICK-IT BOBA TEA
This makes me want to make my fav drink from Fruit Land, which is this cold, blended ice sakura latte type drink with flavored popping pearls (NOT BOBA, THERES A DIFFERENCE). I pay about $8 for my damn drink, and its the smallest size with some whipped cream
If anyone knows how to make it, i would LOVE that so i cant just make a mega drink for much cheaper XD
It should be easy, just watch them make it for a starting point. You can buy popping pearls and sakura latte powder in bulk online. I assume the rest of it is probably just ice? Unless you see them put in extra water or milk or something else.
@@ryantakahashi9130 problem, you can't see them make it XD there's a little partition wall, I can only see the top of the employees head. I only know it's blended ice cuz they run the blender (I can hear it) and that the drink has mild amounts of caffeine, as caffeine has a distinct aftertaste in any drink. It also comes out a vibrant light pink color
I'd like to know what powder they're specifically using, as I don't want to run off and end up buying tons of Sakura tea powders and whatnot that just don't taste right. Cuz I've had the same issue with Thai sweet teas. I can tolerate most, despise a few, and only love one or two, but they're all technically the same drink?? It's weird, lol
I tried making boba at home before and I failed miserably.... I think there's a learning curve. If you practice enough times with tapioca starch I think it'll be much more worth it than buying pre-made boba. You can customize the flavors and sugar however you want!!!!! I've tried the dry boba that you boil and it didn't taste great, and I've also tried a canned drink with boba in it and the texture was weird. Generally I'd say your best bet for boba at home is learning to make it with tapioca starch and then you can put it into any tea or coffee you want!
The Evan black and white quote bits re: balls really got me on this one. I also like boba a lot and understand your pain, Katelyn. I'm glad to know that the instant version is Pretty Good!
My mom used to own a frozen yogurt shop and she did Boba tea. Once you know how it is done it’s pretty easy and not too bad. I’m just sitting here yelling at the screen trying to tell you how it’s done. 😂
You could also test out the popping boba! i've seen big tubs and wonder if it would freeze or refrigerate well
However, if you are driving 20 minutes each way to get your Boba, wouldn't that make it MORE expensive than the cheaper one?
you should test more boba kits to find the perfect one based on like taste and price!! this was such a good video
WuFuYuan's boba is great, affordable, and available at many places including hmart! And hmart does delivery too! They have different flavours, and all you have to do is boil water, put them in, and cook from 2-6 minutes depending on boba size and doneness preference. I like putting them in some sugar for a few minutes, but it's not necessary. I also prefer them in hot tea, or if cold I just use Calpico usually because I'm not much of an iced tea person.
Im a little depressed right now and im not gonna lie i straight up just started crying half way through this video and idek why.
If you have a Sams Club near you, they sell frozen boba in little packages like the instant version, just on their own without the milk tea powder packets. They come in cases of 12. The best part is you get to choose your tea and customize your sweetness level. Much cheeper than the expensive set but just as customizable.
evan w painted nails makes me happy
I can make it for a total of $6 for $20 from premade tapioca balls from the Vietnamese or international grocery store, net of your liking, in a 20 pack of box, and of course milk and brown sugar (for the tapioca balls)
Evan is really rocking that nail polish tbh
Trader Joe's has started selling frozen boba in syrup + straws. Its 4 sets in a pack for like $5? It's like the cheap boba kit y'all used without the instant tea. Trader Joes also sells Assam black tea (which is what's traditionally used for milk tea), so I make my own milk tea and add the boba. I've been drinking it still hot, so idk how chilling affects the texture. But it's pretty good for the price!
As someone who lives in China, I know that most of the boba tea places here use instant powders to make the boba so that is probably the more familiar taste to you. Making boba or milk tea with the actual, loose leaf tea is consider the posh way of doing things here because it's quality tea instead of ground up leftovers and tea dust (stuff that usually goes into tea bags you buy in the supermarket).
16:00 I love Katelyn's humor, just cutting off that sparkling sound effect midway 😂
I am in love with Even's black nail polish.
Nails look great Evan. Keep on keeping on.
Not only are your content and personalities really
refreshing, but I love your editing! It’s so goofy and it’s cool to see how it’s evolved over time to develop your own unique style :)
I just get vacuum sealed boba (like from the expensive kit) from the Asian market, boil oh for a bit, throw some brown sugar on top, and add instant milk tea like from the cheap one in it!
J Way boba is my absolute favorite. So easy and affordable.
I've found microwavable brown sugar tapioca pearls/boba at my local asian store and they actually come out the perfect texture! They're easy to make in single serving amounts and you can brew some loose leaf tea while microwaving the boba. Also I completely understand your annoyance with boba places not opening till 11am. I often want it in the morning, like as a treat to sip on while running errands on my day off or driving a long distance to spend the day at my friend's house.
Hi Katelyn so you can buy the milk tea powder online from Japan . I also recommend using brown sugar for simple syrup if you make it from scratch
The editing in this video was super fun, great job!
I just watched the 2nd channel video where you guys make your own nail polish, so the first thing I noticed in this video was Evan's nails, and I love the color.
As a person who has been drinking boba for over a decade and has had places like kung fu tea and knows people who have worked at those places, its extremely common boba places, like kung fu tea, usually use powder instead of actual tea. Flavor is depending on the person, i usually prefer when the tea is actually brewed because its much more of a floral taste mostly in tea types such as Jasmine. If you are ever near the Anaheim/Irvine area, I have some boba place recommendations.
When I saw those 'cheap' boba tea kits I got really excited! Those boba kits are absolutely my top favorite, and it comes in a variety of flavors. I just recently tried an 'apple pie' flavor and it had itty bitty chunks of apple in the packet. Anytime I'm heavily craving boba, I buy a box of the J-Way Boba Kits and just enjoy 3 days of rather tasty boba tea! I microwave it [because I'm lazy and it takes 18 seconds, no boiling needed], and I will have to say that yeah-boiling it probably works better, microwaving it causes a few to be a TINY bit chewy but. Other than that very good! I will warn you guys-if you wanna keep getting it and trying different flavors, since you two don't really care much for sweet stuff, don't go for the Taro flavor! It tastes like overly sweet candy coated animal crackers. Just one sip was giving me a sugar rush!
I loved this! The item comparison, then price comparisons and adjustments, this was fun to watch!
Omg I love boba and just like every other video you guys make I got so excited
Love this video so cute to see Katelyn geek out over something she really likes. This video gave such good vibes 💖💖💖
I highly reccommend trying the leftover boba in a hot tea, ( I use chai) it gives them a little refresh
2:45 Your alarm is the same alarm I use to wake up in the morning; the same time I feed my supervisor.
She was sitting on my lap while I was watching this and heard the alarm on YOUR phone and started meowing at me like, "c'mon!!! We gonna go eats?!'
I genuinely never skip your ads, and this is the only channel I can say that about. Even when I have no need for the product, it feels disrespectful not to slow down and enjoy the art and effort that goes into each one!
This was a super fun video! I like instant boba, cooking it at home/brewing the tea at home, AND going out to buy it hahah.
The way I get the ‘toasty brown shugar flavour’ -> when boba fully cooked I just strain them but not rinse them and in a jar combine them with brown sugar
I used to work at a boba shop and, although not prefered but you're in a pinch for boba at the start of the day, you can reheat boba that was made the previous day. You just need to microwave it and have extra syrup on hand to help with the clumping. Refidgerated boba the next day will always be hard so you could potentially separate your drink and boba if you wanted to drink it later.
Honestly, for anyone who wants Boba but cheaper I just buy the actual Boba pearls precooked. They make them in a little proportioned packets that you can just heat and serve, there on the cheaper side to (per packet).
The premium kit feels like it accomplishes showing you how boba's made which makes it way better for a party or "craft" session where you just want to try out a new skill with friends. The instant ones honestly seem like a good option to just keep in the cupboard since they're better when counting in the gas and time it takes to get to a boba place but honestly they're all good. If your out anyway get your store boba, if your at home wanting some boba at odd hours of the day instant is great and maybe just leave the premium kit as a party activity
I will note that the kits seem like a great way to handle portion control! I bought some a while back and when I'm out, I ALWAYS feel pulled to order a large(fries, boba, whatever). But when I was enjoying the kit, the small was plenty.
I'm in LOVE with jay way boba packets. Ive been buying it for years. Cosco sells a giant back of i believe 2-3 each of brown sugar, carmel, mango (with NOT popping pearls but still fruity!), and Taro. I believe it's like 14 bucks too!
I love the music when Katlyn was figuring out the boba prices at the end it reminds of playing Castlevania on NES... yes I'm old lol
My son and I absolutely love the instant Boba tea kit! And yes, we also like it more than our local boba store. I add a little nore milk instead of ice and it's just sooo good! The brown sugar boba balls are so good and chewy!!
Bought the instant one on your recommendation after i saw they had Taro.
Taro boba is my favorite! A year ago we did a big move across states from a much "hipper" area to one that isn't but is cheaper. No boba place near me...there are like 3 within 30m drive has Taro.
Anyway both the Taro and original milk tea versions were good so glad I ordered it!
I loved this one. The whole video was very entertaining because I could tell you had fun with this one and Katelyn was very into the process. Also I perk up when the 'commercial' came on because you guys make the advertising so much fun. Thanks! I wish we could get some reviews of the factor meals from you guys. Ones you like etc.
Katelyn and I drink our boba with such force and demand. I love that. Show 'em how!
It should also be noted that both salt & sugar are desiccants, which is why, it's good to put a few grains of rice in a salt or pepper shaker- the rice absorbs the moisture instead of the salt, preventing the salt from clumping together when there's too much moisture in the air. In solution, salt & sugar do the same thing- the sugar syrup is already at max concentration (1/1) . As a result; when you left the boba in syrup overnight, the sugar is trying to reach a state of molecular equilibrium- so it draws moisture out of the boba. But there isn't enough water contained within it to reach that state of balance, causing it to dehydrate. There are various drying & pickling methods using one or the other & even both depending on the final result you are looking for. One of the favorites I make is Spicy sweet, pickled garlic. (Yes, paprika powder comes from a pepper plant.)
This was really fun and from what I'm reading in the comments, your exploration with Boba is not over and that is exciting :D
Hi guys ! I super recommend the Trader Joe’s boba kit if you live near one or even close enough to one! But it doesn’t come with milk tea just so you know. It tastes just like tiger sugar if you just use milk
We all know Katelyn finished filming and immediately ordered a dozen more boxes 😄
I got a pack of that cheap kit brand from Costco in assorted flavors- it was fine. Decent, not great, but the ease of having it in your pantry to make whenever you want was nice. So it had perks, and worked for what it is (one flavor was way too sweet for me, but personal preference). But I also like just buying dried boba and keeping it in the pantry, then making what I need each time, and my own teas and stuff to go with it. Little more work, but not crazy. Also I bought a set of rainbow metal boba-sized straws, for when I do.
You like the cheap powder ones because most milktea shops use powedered flavoring then add freshmilk(in some) and the tea, so powder milktea tasted familiar. My friends use to cook boba with brown sugar syrup instead of just soaking it in, they just simmer the already soft(boiled) boba until it gets thick and sticky ( hence in some milktea place they served boba still slightly warm, to keep it almost dissolving in mouth after few chew, which is what I personally preferred if I ever have to eat bobas, most of the time tho I asked for poppong boba sinkers instead😂)
The Jway instant boba is really good! I'm not a big milk tea person, but they have a green tea fruity boba. It's quite sweet on its own so I usually stick a green tea bag in there and that cuts it a bit. They also have a taro milk tea one, but it can get very sweet as well. I don't really follow the directions on those to the T 😅 I microwave the boba packets on a plate in the microwave for about 40 seconds, and put the balls in after I mix in the packet of tea flavoring. Then a handful of ice cubes, and fill the rest of the cup with milk or water. We also like to add caramel syrup to the regular brown sugar boba. Very excited to hear your thoughts on them! :)
THANK GOODNESS!!! I’m not crazy! 11am is way too late! What if I want to start my day with a lil boba? What then?! I’m here with you
Oooooo I like this style/format of editing!!! It's funky and funnn. It feels 90s for some reason? Maybe early aughts? I like it 👌🏽
I find you can cook a big batch, then completely cover it in the brown sugar syrup, then freeze it flat in a ziplock bags.
You can then break of the amount you need (the syrup if it’s concentrated enough, it doesn’t get that hard in the freezer)
Then in the cup you are going to be drinking out of, put the frozen boba (that already has the syrup with it), and microwave it until it’s warm.
You get the same texture as cooking it fresh.
Which means you can easily just brew some high concentration tea whenever you want, and warm the boba up while it’s brewing.
So it’s more like prepping one big batch. And then 3 minutes of waiting in the tea whenever you want to make some.
I also recommend getting a glass boba straw for home use. Because it’s actually nicer than the plastic. And since boba straws are so wide, it’s actually really easy to give a quick rinse to clean.
GUYS, i loovve making my own boba at home with the “WuFuYuan Boba Tapioca Pearl, Black Sugar Flavor, Ready in 5 Minutes” it is literally soooo so quick to put together.
it boils super fast and then you shock the boba in water and slotted spoon them in to a bowl with a couple Tbsp of brown sugar.
i still brew my own tea for it but you can easily buy milk tea powder in bulk and uses that instead!
please please give it a try !!
✨❤️✨❤️✨❤️
I'd love to see Evan and Katelyn try to make boba from scratch and do something eith it like with the rice Krispies series
Try boba bam in the frozen section!! It comes in many flavors and hands down the best kit I’ve tried