Indian tea, meets a Taiwanese beverage, meets an Italian treat. This Chai Bubble Tea Affogato is quick, easy, and sure to be a dessert favorite!
So I kinda went down the rabbit hole with this one. It started out innocently enough… I just wanted to make a glass of bubble tea. Then I wanted something a little more… I wanted a bubble tea dessert.
Popsicles? No, I wanted the boba (tapioca pearls) to keep their soft and chewy texture. How about an affogato? YES! Do I use espresso, as traditionally used in an affogato, or a milk tea that’s common in bubble tea? Ooo, milk tea… chai, my favorite kind of milk tea. Chai Bubble Tea Affogato – done!
Just to give you a little background on what each one of these components are, let’s first talk chai. Masala chai, meaning ‘mixed-spiced tea’, and sometimes known as just ‘chai’, is a black tea infused with spices like green cardamon pods, cloves, cinnamon sticks, black peppercorns, ground ginger, and traditionally served with buffalo milk – it’s warm, creamy, and wonderfully aromatic.
Bubble tea, the drink that you can chew, first appeared in Taiwan in the 1980’s and has slowly gained popularity around the globe. There are numerous variations of this drink, but generally you find fruit-flavors or milk teas. The boba, or tapioca pearls are added to give the drink a pleasant chewy texture. With milk tea being a popular base for bubble tea, masala chai is a natural bridge in this combo.
Back in my college days, I spent a semester in Italy learning the language. One of my favorite after-dinner-treats was affogato. The marble-swirled dessert comes from the word ‘affogare’, meaning ‘to drown’. Aptly named, it’s a scoop of gelato literally drowned in a shot of espresso. The gelato melts and turns into the most wonderful dessert drink.
The culmination of these three drinks is pure perfection! It’s truly a combination that works! The contrasting textures and temperatures is enough to send your mouth into pleasure-overdrive!
- ¼ cup black boba (tapioca pearls)*
- ¼ cup chai latte concentrate*
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk or regular milk
- 2 small scoops Tahitian vanilla bean gelato or French vanilla ice cream
- 1 pirouette cookie, cut in half (optional)
- Cook the boba according to the package directions.
- In a small saucepan combine the chai latte concentrate and milk. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat.
- Scoop two scoops of gelato or ice cream into a cup or small bowl and top with the boba. Pour the chai latte overtop and serve with a pirouette cookie. Enjoy immediately.
* Chai latte concentrate can be found at most general grocery stores in the tea aisle. It comes in a rectangle box that's similar in size to boxed chicken broth. My favorite brand is Oregon Chai.
LOVE the idea of combining bubble tea with affogato…and these pictures are SO pretty!
What a creative dessert drink! I love the background information and I’m totally jealous of your time living in Italy!
I love love love affogato..and well chai, indian, do the math 😛 never had bubble tea before but this sounds soo good! Really really delicious. I so wish I could get my hand on some black tapioca pearls now!
I’m so happy you showed us how to make this, Kathleen!
Bubble tea is something I’ve seen around over the past few years (a new shop’s just opened in my town, even!) but I’ve never really known what’s in it.
I’d love to try those little ‘bubbles’. Maybe I’ll pop into my local Asian shop and see if I can find some! 🙂
Well, I’m super happy you went down the rabbit hole, Kathleen! I like your thinking, girl 🙂 I absolutely love chai tea (especially hubby) and those boba are fun and I love the texture of them. Oh, and you spent a semester in Italy learning the language? That must have been amazing! Hubby and I would love to visit Italy one day. It’s on our list of places to visit for sure. This is such a delicious recipe. Can’t wait to try it! Have a wonderful weekend!
Ah oh my this looks so good! I literally (just about) drooled when I saw this on the FBC pinterest board! Beautiful pictures too.
Thanks so much Tina! I’m so glad you like it 🙂
Thanks so much Tina! I’m so glad you like it 🙂
This looks so beautiful with the tapioca peals and I am a big chai fan so this is right up my alley 🙂 Love it!
Looks so cool! Need to definitely try it! Pinned!
This is so genius, Kathleen!! I love affogato and boba, so the fact that you were able to combine both into this tasty drink is so awesome. <3 <3
So many of my recipes start the same way! This looks amazing. I cannot wait to try it. xx
Thanks Liz! I hope you enjoy!
You’ve included everything I love in one glass. I will definitely make this. Yummy!!
Thanks for the note, Tanya! Hope you’re enjoying your weekend (what’s left of it) 🙂
Affogato is one of my all-time favorite desserts. And I love chai and bubble tea (honeydew!) so this looks like a delicious trifecta!
Do you still speak Italian? I tried so hard to learn it and thought I had a small grasp, but when we were actually there trying to talk with people I sounded like Tarzan. 🙂
Ooo… bubble tea honeydew?! That sounds wonderfully refreshing! I still know some Italian – I can get by. Though I’ve kinda fallen into the ‘if you don’t use it, you lose it’ category. Craig and I go back to Italy about once every other year, so after about a week a decent amount starts coming back. And don’t worry about sounding like Tarzan! My Italian teacher told us Americans that we all sound like we have marbles in our mouths when we speak, lol!
I like your train of thought and how you think. Exotic, international and so tasty looking. A perfect treat after dinner. Gotta try this!
Thanks, Kevin! I hope you’ve had a great weekend! And I hope you enjoy 🙂
Love, love, love this! I am addicted to bubble tea and make it almost every weekend at home. My favs are avocado and coffee and know yours will become a favorite of mine too. Yum! 🙂
Ooo… I haven’t tried avocado boba yet! You’ll have to send me your recipe 😉
Ohhhh! Affogato is one of my favorites and you’ve managed to take it to a whole new level! My kids introduced me to boba and I love it! This would be a true treat in our house!!
Thanks, Annie! Affogato is definitely a favorite of mine too! And the boba just kinda make everything a bit more fun 🙂
What a beautiful dessert! Love the blend of flavors from different cultures! I LOVE boba. It’s great to have something sweet to chew on in a cold iced tea. Ice cream, boba, and coffee? I don’t think anyone can say no to this! 😉
There’s something so addictive about boba, isn’t there? I think it just makes it more fun 🙂
Affogato is my favorite Italian dessert too. This is an amazing treat and I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks, Janette!
I wanted to try this chai bubble tea for so long, but couldn’t find black tapioca pearls in a local grocery. But after seeing these beautiful photos, I will have to rush to Asian grocery. Can’t wait to try it for myself.
That’s great! If you can’t find them at an Asian grocery store, I ordered mine from Amazon.
Well if this is you going down a rabbit hole, I’m thinking you need to perform that action all the time, because this looks AMAZING!! You are always so creative, Kathleen and this affogato is no exception! Love that you combined three amazing drinks to form one seriously genius and delicious treat! I could totally drink this for breakfast, dessert and every minute in between! Gorgeous shots, as always! Cheers, dear!
Aw… thank you my dear 🙂 I really had a lot of fun with this one! Usually when I go down one of these ‘rabbit holes’ I end up with a relatively involved dish so I was really happy that this one stayed super simple and quick 🙂
Kathleen!! This looks amazing! I love allll of these things. Can’t wait to try.
Thanks, Hillary! 🙂
Love all three individually, together I am already in love with it. Buba is my favorite.
Me too! Thanks, Suchi! 🙂