Follow package instruction for cooking tapioca pearls. This should take 3-5 minutes.
Once cooked, drain tapioca pearls immediately under cold water and set them aside in a bowl of cold water. This prevents them from sticking together. Leave them in the cold water until they are ready to be added into the brown sugar mixture.
Brown Sugar Syrup
In a small saucepan, heat brown sugar and water over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved.
Simmer for 3-5 minutes to thicken the mixture (it will thicken as it cools).
Remove from heat and add the cooked, tapioca pearls to the brown sugar syrup mixture.
Steep tea bag (or tea leaves) in hot water for 5 minutes.
Remove tea leaves (or tea bag) and add taro powder and mix well. Set aside to cool.
Assemble Taro Milk Tea
Make sure you're using tall glasses. Add in brown sugar and tapioca pearls mixture to the glass.
Add the tea and then finally the milk.
Enjoy!
Notes
To infuse the boba with more flavor, let the tapioca pearls and brown sugar syrup mixture sit for about an hour for an incredible flavor.
If you want to enjoy the boba milk tea iced, steep the tea first before doing any of the steps above in the recipe. This way, the tea has time to cool.
Make sure you make the boba fresh as they will become hard as they chill. It's best to consume the boba within 4 hours of making it.
Serving warm tapioca pearls is the best way to serve your boba milk tea as they are the softest at this time and will taste the best. The longer you let them sit out, the harder they will become.
To adjust the sweetness to your liking, add less or more of the brown sugar syrup - or omit it altogether if you're using a store-bought brand of taro powder that is already sweetened.