Lessons I Learned From Brewing My Own Milk Tea At Home

In the middle of the quarantine, the husband purchased a DIY Milk Tea Set from Tastexperts Manila. It included 2 big Assam tea bags (times 10 or 20 of a regular tea bag), 1 pack of vacuum-sealed raw tapioca pearls, 1 big bag of non-dairy creamer, 1 liter bottle of sugar syrup, 1 plastic powder scooper, pearl shake straws, 1 wire tapioca scooper, a shaker, a jigger (both brand new) and a sheet of instructions. The task looked daunting! It took me around 3 days to bring myself to do it.

Weekend came and I finally told myself, “Let’s do this“! To make the story short, it was all good and the family was able to enjoy a glass of milk tea after all the meals that weekend. I was also able to learn a thing or two about milk tea and life.

You don’t always get what you want.

I die for dairy. I wouldn’t be surprised if I will, one day, die of dairy. Haha! I hope not, though! I love cheese, eggs, yogurt and milk! So the first learning I got was that milk tea has no milk. They use non-dairy creamer, which was actually also fine by me since I also love cream, dairy or not. The instruction indicated 3 scoops of the creamer for every serving but I found it too rich for my taste, so I put 2 scoops in the next servings for my family and we were happy.  This brings me to the next moral of my story.

More does not always mean better.

Not only did I cut the creamer in the serving, I also reduced the prescribed amount of sugar syrup.  I poured 20 cc instead of 30 in each glass. I honestly liked my second serving better: a little less sweet and less creamy. It tasted just right. I saw that I sort of scrimped and saved to make things better. The value of saving tells us the same in that we make things better for our future when we save today.  Some of us might have already learned this lesson the hard way under our circumstances recently. 

Trust the process.

Cooking the pearls is easier said than done.  First, boil water in high heat then stir in the raw tapioca pearls until they float. Switch to medium heat, cover and leave for 30 minutes.  Never remove the cover.  Turn off fire and leave for another 30 minutes without removing the cover.  By diligently following the steps and using a timer, the pearls turned out perfectly well!  However, it took courage to keep myself from removing the lid! I had to busy myself within the 2 sets of 30 minutes to stop myself from worrying about how the pearls are doing.  The DIY set was bought from a milk tea supplier so I know that they know what they are doing.  It’s a good thing that I trusted the process, and we ought to always do the same, especially in situations when others are more knowledgeable and experienced than ourselves.

It’s the little things that make life big.

I love how they included a jigger in the set.  The instructions said to use it to measure the tea and sugar syrup and I appreciated its handiness and transparency so much!  It was very easy to measure and pour, not to mention, that because of its size, it was also easy to wash.  I say, it had a very important role in the set, otherwise, I would have just estimated the amounts of liquid using what I have at home (my measuring spoons and cups).  The jigger, no matter how small it is, made a big difference in its group.  In life, especially today, we see the value of the little things:  our family, our home and true friends.  No matter how small others, or us ourselves, see them at times, they are the ones who complete us and give meaning to our lives.

Some people leave a mark and it’s up to us what to do with it

After boiling and draining the pearls, I found that they stained my pot.  It took a bit of scouring to remove the stain completely.  The Assam tea was consistent and also left map marks on my plastic cup (the one I used to get and pour since I did not have a large thermos as what was suggested).  I saw it in the morning after, since somebody else washed the dishes for me that night.  It took a bit of scrubbing and the stains were gone as well.  From this, I realized that people we come across with give us either good or bad memory but we do not have to remember them all.  We can choose to cherish the good ones and forget the rest.  Then, aim to leave good marks, as well, on others by lifting them up whenever and however we can.

Give it your all.

It’s my first time to use a shaker.  It made me feel like a cool barista and also felt some fats jiggle so I knew I got a little exercise here and there every time I prepared the milk tea.  Hehe!  I used one hand to hold it together and shake but some liquid squirted out. I almost spilled the entire thing when the top part loosened.  Maybe I just have small hands, but I knew, then that I should give it my all.  So I used both my hands and it was perfect.  No spills!  To achieve a goal, we ought to give it a 101% effort, so whatever happens, you stand tall knowing you gave it your all.  And lastly…

Savor and enjoy life.

The DIY set can apparently make 10 to 20 glasses of milk tea with pearls.  Considering its price, it was a good deal.  The experience to prepare it even makes it a better deal.  Plus, gaining the feeling of confidence and empowerment after preparing the 12^th glass, makes me want to make it into a full side hustle.  It was so worth it! My family and I enjoyed sipping and chewing away, knowing that we can have that second serving if we want to.  Such simple joys!

We have only consumed the first half.  Next weekend, I know I’ll meet my shaker and jigger again to prepare my family’s milk tea with a concoction of love, wisdom and perhaps more of life learning as these.

Stay safe at home, you all!