Chocolate Milk Tea with Black Tapioca Pearls, Sweetened with Monk Fruit
Sweets and drinksDrinksEurope and North America20 to 30 minutes steeping the tea, about 1 hour in total including cooking the pearls
Chocolate milk tea with black tapioca pearls starts with a batch of really strong black tea concentrate, and only then comes the milk and the chocolate. A good glass keeps the tea finish clear, with the light bitterness of cocoa rising behind it rather than covering the tea. The hardest part is the water temperature for steeping and the amount of cocoa powder, since a small slip leaves the whole batch harsh or sharply bitter.
The steeping water should cool to around 80 to 90 degrees C. Water straight off the boil pulls the tannins out fast, leaving a cloudy concentrate that catches in the throat. Sprinkle the milk powder in slowly while stirring, because tipping it in all at once leaves lumps that never dissolve.
This batch weighs about 2.8kg, at roughly 77 calories per 100g.
Method
Melt 15g of unsweetened dark chocolate chips in a bowl set over a pot of hot water, add 5g of finely ground kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, stir until smooth and glossy, and let it cool a little.
Mix the melted chocolate with a little hot water and stir until it runs in a smooth stream to make the chocolate syrup.
Put 100g of black tea into a steeping pot, pour in a little hot water, swirl gently and tip that water away, which gives a clearer, more fragrant concentrate.
Pour 2 litres of hot water at about 80 to 90 degrees C into the pot, steep for 20 to 30 minutes, then strain out the leaves.
Stir 315g of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend into the tea concentrate until dissolved, then sprinkle in 400g of milk powder a little at a time, stirring thoroughly to make the milk tea base.
Cook the black tapioca pearls over low heat with the lid on so they cook through, then lift them out and soak them briefly in cold water.
Mix the milk tea base with the chocolate syrup and 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder, stirring in one direction.
Pour into glasses with the pearls and ice cubes.
Tips
Chocolate that catches water seizes up, so the bowl and the whisk have to be bone dry before melting.
Stop the cocoa powder at 1 teaspoon, because any more and the bitterness takes over the tea finish.
Tea steeped past 30 minutes turns harsh, so watch the clock and strain it straight away.
Soaking the cooked pearls in cold water for about a minute keeps them chewy and stops them sticking together.
Let the milk tea cool completely before the ice goes in, since pouring it hot melts the ice and thins the glass out.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.