• All ingredients ready? Let's begin!
  
• In a medium saucepot over medium-high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the brown sugar and stir to dissolve it.
  
• Once the sugar dissolves, turn the heat off. Add 1/2 cup of the tapioca starch to the pot and stir to combine well.
  
• Slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of tapioca starch, a little at a time, and keep mixing until a sticky dough forms and comes together. Set the pot aside to cool just until you can work it with your hands.
  
• Dust a clean, dry work surface with a bit of the tapioca starch. Transfer the dough to the work surface and knead a few minutes until it feels elastic and workable.
  
• Using a rolling pin dusted with tapioca starch, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough into 1/4-inch wide strips. Then, slice the strips at 90 degrees to form 1/4-inch cubes.
  
• Dust a plate with a little tapioca starch. Roll each cube into a small sphere. Place them on the dusted plate so they don’t adhere to one another.
  
• At this point, you can cook the boba for use in tea or wrap them well and freeze them for later use.
  

To Cook the Boba

• In a large saucepot over medium-high heat, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add the boba pearls to the pot and cook for 7 minutes.
  
• Reduce the heat to low and allow the pearls to continue to simmer for 8 minutes longer. As soon as the boba float to the surface of the water, remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Empty the pot. Return it to medium-high heat. Add 3 ounces of water to the pot and bring it to a boil. Stir in 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and cook until it reduces to a syrupy consistency, approximately 5 minutes.
  
• Meanwhile, submerge the cooked boba in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes.
  
• Reduce the heat under the pot of syrup to low. Drain the boba and add them to the lightly simmering syrup. Steep in the syrup for about 7 minutes, then remove from the heat.
  
• Add the warm boba to hot tea with milk or cool the pearls for about 15 minutes if adding them to cold tea.