The Potting Shed

Guides, gift ideas and honest answers from the people who hand-pack every kit.

All articles Kintsugi Cheese making Gin making Meat Chilli sauce Wine making Kimchi Gift guides

A small jar of clear sugar syrup and two bottles of fruit syrup beside a bowl of glossy tapioca pearls and a glass of iced fruit tea.

Bubble tea sugar and syrups: simple syrup, fruit syrups and how sweet to go

Sweeten the tea while it is hot and the pearls afterwards in syrup. A five minute simple syrup recipe, where fruit syrups belong, and how to find your level.

A bubble tea kit laid out on a worktop with loose leaf tea, tapioca starch, syrups and two finished glasses of iced milk tea with pearls.

Is a bubble tea kit worth it? What you get, what you add and what it makes

What is actually in a bubble tea kit, what you supply yourself, how much work the pearls really are, and the three honest limitations worth knowing first.

Loose leaf black and green tea in two small bowls beside a glass teapot and a tall glass of iced fruit tea with tapioca pearls.

Which tea for bubble tea? Black for milk tea, green for fruit tea

Black tea stands up to milk, ice and sugar, while green tea is lighter and blends with juice and fruit syrup. How to brew both strong without making them bitter.

Three tall glasses of iced bubble tea made with different plant milks, each with dark pearls settled at the bottom and a wide straw.

Dairy-free bubble tea: coconut, oat and soya milk compared

The pearls are already vegan, so the milk is the only dairy decision. Coconut is the richest swap, soya and oat come next, and fruit tea skips milk entirely.

Cooked tapioca pearls glossy with syrup in a small bowl beside a tall glass of iced milk tea with a wide straw.

How to cook tapioca pearls at home: timing, ratio and keeping them chewy

Boil tapioca pearls in plenty of already boiling water, longer than fifteen minutes for big chewy bubbles, then soak them in syrup and use them warm.

A kitchen worktop with a tall glass of boba milk tea, a bowl of fresh mozzarella in water and a gold mended bowl out of reach at the back.

Gifts grandparents can do with the grandchildren: cheese, bubble tea and a golden repair

Kits that split into a grown up job and a child sized one: fresh cheese in an hour, boba milk tea in an afternoon, and kintsugi for the adult alone.

A tall glass of iced milk tea with dark tapioca pearls at the bottom, beside loose leaf tea and a small dish of uncooked pearls.

How long does a bubble tea kit keep? Tea, tapioca and what to do with leftover pearls

Bubble tea kits keep 18 months from packing, while the drink is a same-day affair. Storing tea and tapioca, and why cooked pearls should be made in small batches.