Okinawa Milk Tea

Okinawa milk tea is such a treat in any weather. This is because it has such a rich, smooth, and sweet flavor.

The distinct golden brown in appearance of this milk tea against the dark boba pearls makes this drink pleasing to look at and just like if you had bought it.

Okinawa milk tea is a refreshing blend of black tea, sweetener, milk, and tapioca pearls (boba).

What is milk tea?

There are many variations around the world which are classed as milk teas. Milk teas vary in creaminess and taste depending on how strong the tea is and how much milk is used.

The tea and kind of milk used in each different milk tea varies depending on the recipe. Some may have a very strong tea flavor while others may have a milder and more mellow taste.

Popular milk teas include bubble (boba) milk tea, Hokkaido milk tea, tea lattes, and even Masala Chai.

As the name suggests, Okinawa tea has origins in the Okinawa region located in the south of Japan. This milk tea is unique because it uses sugar that is traditionally made in Okinawa, kokuto sugar (Okinawa brown sugar).

Types of sugar

The reason this tea is unique is due to the type of sugar it uses. Traditionally, Okinawa milk tea uses Okinawa brown sugar, also known as kokuto sugar.

Okinawa brown sugar is prepared using a different method to other commonly found brown sugars. This kind of sugar is produced when pure sugarcane juice is slowly cooked down. This allows kokuto sugar to have a rich flavor which has a high mineral and vitamin content. Kokuto sugar is widely used in cakes, mochi, milk tea, and even sweet soups.

If you are unable to get kokuto sugar for this recipe, a suitable substitute is dark muscovado sugar. This kind of sugar has a toffee-like taste which adds extra flavor to the tea.

Muscovado sugar is a less refined type of brown sugar. This means that it contains more molasses. The more molasses sugar has, the darker color it has.

Demerara sugar is also a suitable substitute if you are unable to get dark muscovado sugar or kokuto sugar.

I also tested the recipe with other sugar substitutes: light brown sugar and dark brown sugar.

I found that both the light and dark brown sugar did not provide as nice of a flavor in comparison to kokuto sugar or dark muscovado.

But, if you still want to try this recipe using light or dark brown sugar, you can. Bear in mind the taste will differ slightly as to what it is meant to taste like.

Types of Tea

The best kind of tea to use for this refreshing drink is a black tea. You can use either tea bags or loose leaf tea.

I recommend using black tea such as Assam tea, Earl grey, or English breakfast.

Most commonly, Assam tea is used for Okinawa milk tea. Assam tea has a dark rich color when brewed and has a stronger and brisk taste as opposed to some other black teas.

For this recipe, the stronger you brew the tea, the nicer the overall drink will taste.

What does Okinawa milk tea taste like?

This milk tea has a rich, malty, and velvety flavor. It has a hint of roasted caramel flavor due to the Okinawa brown sugar it has. This tea is not overly sweet or too milky. It’s the perfect balance of creamy and smooth.

The tapioca pearls (boba) add a unique texture which breaks up the smoothness of the drink with a chewy and soft taste.

❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe

• This recipe only has 5 ingredients! Most of these ingredients you should already have.
• This milk tea is super simple to make and doesn’t even take that long to make. You can even make the milk tea in advance and boil the tapioca pearls when you want to drink it.
• It only takes 4 simple steps to make this milk tea.
• Okinawa milk tea has such a unique and pleasing flavor which makes it refreshing and delicious.
• It is a lot healthier than other milk teas. This is due to the kokuto sugar it uses.

• Black tea of choice: You can use a tea bag or loose leaf tea. Assam, Earl grey, and English breakfast tea all work well with this recipe. The stronger you brew your tea, the better flavor the drink will have.
• Water
• Tapioca pearls (boba)
• Okinawa brown sugar (kokuto): If you are unable to get kokuto sugar, you can substitute dark muscovado sugar, demerara sugar, or dark brown sugar.
• Milk: You can use any milk of choice. I used rice milk.

🔪 Instructions

This recipe serves 1. It can easily be doubled or tripled depending on how many people you want like to serve. A serving size for this tea is 375 ml.

Step 1 - Brew tea in hot boiling water to your liking.

Step 2 - Cook tapioca pearls (boba) to packet instructions. If using quick cooking boba, bring a small pot of water to boil. Then add the boba and reduce the heat to a simmer. Place a lid on the pot and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat.

Step 3 - Once boba is cooked, rinse in cold water and then mix through the sugar.

Step 4 - Place boba in a drinking glass or mug, pour tea* and then add the milk. Mixed until combined. Serve hot or cold.

*If you are using a drinking glass, make sure your tea has cooled down before adding it to the glass. Otherwise you may crack the glass with the heat of the tea.

⭐ Tips for Success

• If you don’t have kokuto sugar, you can substitute dark muscovado sugar, regular brown sugar, or demerara sugar.
• The stronger the tea is brewed, the nicer flavor it gives to the milk tea.

📖 Substitutions / Variations

You can use any kind of milk you like, even plant based milk. I like to use rice milk.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

Okinawa milk tea can be enjoyed both hot or cold.

If you do not want to have the tapioca pearls (boba) in it, you do not need to include them in the recipe.

🌡️ Storage

You can store this tea in the fridge with the boba in a bottle for 1 to 2 days.

However, if you make this tea without the boba (and add the boba when you are ready to drink it) you can store Okinawa milk tea for up to 7 days in the fridge.

📝 FAQ