Rose Milk Tea Recipe with Boba, Rosebuds or Syrup

Learn how to make rose milk tea with boba in under 20 minutes. We'll show you how to make our delicious, creamy, fragrant beverage using rosebuds. Alternatively, if you're short on time, follow our recipe using store-bought syrup instead. Both methods are equally tasty.

Also, we'll show you how to make homemade rose syrup and a caffeine-free version of this drink.

Taste

Rose milk tea is a creamy, fragrant, yet refreshing drink. The combination of rose and milk gives this drink a subtle floral taste and a smooth, rich feel in the mouth. Tea specialists such as Fortnum and Mason, Jing Tea, and Whittard all sell their own bespoke floral blends.

Jump to:

• Taste
• Rose milk tea ingredients
• Rose Milk Tea Recipe with Boba
• Rose Milk Tea using Syrup
• How To Make Homemade Rose Syrup
• Top Tips
• Rose Milk Tea Variations To Try
• Where Is It From?
• Health Benefits
• Strawberry Rose Milk

Rose milk tea ingredients

You can make rose milk tea with syrup, dried rose buds, petals, or powder. Here are the ingredients you'll need.

• 1 tablespoon of dried rosebuds (or 2 tablespoon of syrup or 1 tablespoon rose powder)
• 2 teaspoon of oolong tea
• 2 teaspoon of sugar (skip the sugar if you're using a syrup or rose water)
• ½ cup milk (we like to use oat milk or you can use a creamer)
• 2-3 tbsps cooked instant tapioca boba pearls
• Ice optional

We recommend oolong because of its mild flavour. The subtleness of Oolong allows you to enjoy the fragrance and mild taste of the flower. You can also use green tea. However, we don't recommend black loose leaf blends like Assam, Ceylon and Earl Grey because of their rich flavour that will overpower the floral fragrance and taste.

While we usually use dairy milk for most of our boba drinks, we prefer plant milk like oat or almond for rose milk tea. They are less creamy, but because of that, they allow you to enjoy the floral essence even more.

Using Syrup Vs Dried Rosebuds

Many recipes online say to use either rose syrup or dried flowers for this drink. Here is the difference between using syrup and dried flowers.

Rose syrup will give the drink a concentrated floral flavour and added sweetness. Some brands may add food colouring to the syrup, resulting in a brighter pink drink. However, as the syrup is premade, you can't control the level of sweetness and intensity of the flower’s flavour.

If you make your own syrup from rose buds, you will see that the pink or red colour is not as bright as some commercial syrups you will find online or at the supermarket. The colour of the syrup will depend on the flower buds you use. The syrup will turn slightly pinkish if you use many red-coloured dried flower buds. However, many dried flower buds are also purple and yellow in colour, making the syrup have a greyish hue when boiled together.

Rose syrup should be used in moderation for those who prefer a more subtle floral taste. This is also why some people dislike rose milk tea. Making your own homemade syrup is a good way around premade syrups that are too sweet. Cooking your boba pearls in the syrup can also give them more flavour.

That being said, a premade syrup is still a great alternative to freshly steeping the dried flower for this beverage. This is especially the case when you're short on time. Both options can be bought in most ethnic stores and are also readily available online.

Using Dry Rosebuds Vs Rose Petals Vs Hibiscus Petals

Infusing dried rosebuds or hibiscus petals with loose leaf blends like Oolong can give the drink a subtle floral taste. Boiling the buds to infuse its essence into a syrup will result in a syrup that has a strong floral fragrance. However, it doesn't translate into a strong rosy taste. Brands out there will use other ingredients to increase the potency of the rosy taste, but if you’re just using dried buds, the flavour will be subtle. Besides, you will be able to customise the drink's sweetness level by adding sugar later.

Most places sell dry rosebuds, flower petals, or hibiscus petals. There is very little difference in taste between the dried bud and petals of the flower. Typically the flower petals are more readily available and cheaper than flower buds. As it is in its loose form, the petals are easier to infuse with. For aesthetic purposes, you can choose either one.

Hibiscus petals are not the same as rose petals. This is a different flower and will give you a citrusy and fruity taste. Therefore, it may not go very well with the floral and creamy rose milk tea. Use sparingly if you want to use it as a natural food colouring in this drink.

How To Make Homemade Rose Syrup

Making a sweet floral syrup at home is relatively easy and only requires a few ingredients. You will need the following:

• 250 ml water
• 6 tablespoon of rose petals or loose flower buds
• 1 cup sugar, adjust to taste

Method

1. Bring the water to a boil in a pot and add the rose petals.
2. Allow the petals to simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes.
3. Incorporate the sugar in parts to adjust to taste. Depending on how strong you want the floral taste, add more dried flower petals or reduce the time it simmers for.
4. Turn off the heat and leave to cool.

Notes

The consistency of the syrup should be slightly thick. It should be enough to coat a spoon but still runny. We strongly recommend incorporating the sugar in parts rather than adding it in one go. This will allow you to adjust for the sweetness of the syrup.

The homemade syrup will be able to last in the fridge for up to 2 months and can be used for a variety of different recipes. Pour it over panna cotta, cheesecake, or make rose latte, puddings, milkshakes and cocktails with it. The syrup can also be used to cook alongside the boba pearls beforehand assembling the drink.

Top Tips

The milk used in the rose milk tea can be substituted with plant-based milk. However, we found that oat milk works best to keep the creaminess of the drink. Alternatively, use soy milk or cashew milk.

Avoid steeping the oolong and the flower buds together at the same time. This is because the flower buds will take longer to release flavour. Meanwhile, steeping oolong for too long will give you a bitter taste. This isn't desirable.

For better presentation, froth the milk and save a little of it to top off the drink. Serve this in a tall glass to see the slight colour change.

If you want a stronger pink hue in the drink, hibiscus petals can be used as a natural food colouring. However, as the flower carries a natural citrus taste, make sure to use it sparingly.

You can also use whipped cream and flower petal in powdered form as garnish.

Rose Milk Tea Variations To Try

There are a few recommended variations we would suggest. These are our top recommendations.

• For a very subtle floral taste without added sweetness, use rose water.
• Try adding a shot of Bailey's in this drink to make a cocktail.
• Make your own floral syrup infused tapioca pearls
• Experiment with a different kind of black tea such as Earl Grey, Ceylon or Assam. Or even try another type.
• Add soaked chia seeds, strawberries, coffee jelly or popping lychee boba. These will make a great alternative boba tea toppings.
• Let the base and chia seed sit overnight. This will make an overnight rose milk tea chia seed pudding.

Where Is It From?

As bubble tea continues to take over the world by the storm, we are seeing more creative boba tea flavours. Previously there has been a craze over the taro fresh milk, cheese tea, and more recently brown sugar milk tea. However, brewing in the background is a flavour that is regaining its popularity with the mass. This flavour is rose milk tea.

Infusing rosebuds into beverages is a practice that's been around since 141- 87 BC. One of the first recordings of floral infused drinks was during the Han Dynasty in China. In ancient Persia or modern-day Iran, this was more famously used to make rose water.

Health Benefits

Not only is this a delicious drink, but it also has some health benefits! Rosebuds are used in Chinese traditional medicine for their health benefits. According to studies, consuming this floral tea can have the following benefits.

• Aid Weight loss
• Antioxidants
• Menstrual Pain Relief

As our recipe adds oolong, the drink is no longer caffeine-free. To fully reap the benefits of the flower buds' property to aid weight loss, don't add excessive amounts of sugar to your beverage.

Strawberry Rose Milk

To make a caffeine-free version of rose milk tea, try making this. You will need 3 cups of strawberries, 600ml of milk and 3 tablespoon of tapioca pearls. In addition, prepare 4-6 dried flower buds and 2 teaspoon of sugar. To keep it caffeine free, don’t add any oolong.

Start by making your boba pearls. Boil these in hot water with 2 teaspoon of sugar and wait until they rise to the top of the water. Secondly, the dried flower buds are brewed in 2 cups of hot water and mixed well with the sugar.

In the meantime, blend the strawberries and milk together. Add the hot drink mixture and blend for another 30 seconds. Add the boba pearls and serve cold. Top with optional whipped cream and flower petals as garnish.

Let us know if you tried our recipe, and tag us on Instagram to show us your creations. Happy boba drink making.