Honeybee Chia Milk Tea

Author: Layla Osberg

Every now and again I get a request from my coworkers at Murchie’s head office to mix up some “bubble tea” - an absolute pleasure as we have access to so many different tea types. The key, I’ve discovered, is to replace the traditional large tapioca pearls with chia seeds. The carb-heavy, chewy “boba” are indeed a large part of what makes the drink crave-worthy and delicious, it’s just that they take a long time on the stove to prepare. Simply adding a bit of hot water to chia seeds yields a delightful (and healthy) alternative with a fun mouthfeel in seconds.

Honeybee black tea - the perfect spring tea - has a rich, malty flavour that stands up to the addition of milk and sweetener in this recipe. Bubble tea is generally made with milk, but can be made with milk alternatives interchangeably.

Honeybee Chia Milk Tea

Redolent with bee pollen, Honeybee black tea is the perfect tea for this satisfying milk tea recipe.

Ingredients

• Milk of choice (we used standard dairy 2% milk)
• 2 tablespoons Murchie’s Honeybee black tea
• ¼ cup chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ cup hot water water 
• Ice cubes

Instructions

1.  Scoop the chia seeds and brown sugar into a heatproof measuring cup.
2. Pour ½ cup of freshly boiled hot water over the chia and brown sugar and stir until the chia plumps. Set aside. 
3. Steep 2 tablespoons of Honeybee tea in 1 cup of freshly boiled water for 2 minutes. Strain.
4. Add half a cup of ice cubes to the tea to cool.
5. Scoop a couple of tablespoons of the chia mixture into the bottom of a large glass cup(12-16oz).
6. Pour the cooled Honeybee tea over the chia and top up with milk. Add more ice, if needed.
7. Sweeten with honey to taste.