I love a fun food trend. First, it was hot chocolate bombs all over the internet and now it’s tea bombs! I love my morning coffee, but I’m also a big tea person.
I love making hot drinks like Earl Grey Tea Lattes or cold Thai Tea with Boba, so when I heard tea bombs had hit the world, I was more than happy to try one.
I love things that are quick and easy to make, so I wanted an easy tea bomb recipe that you didn’t have to be super skilled to make. Now, you may be asking …
What is a tea bomb?
Great question! A tea bomb is a collection of tea (either in bags or in a powder form) and other fun edible items like dried edible flowers or sprinkles that are captured inside of a dissolvable sugary sphere.
When you add the ball to a mug or teapot and pour hot water over the tea bomb, the sphere magically dissolves (sweetening your drink) and the tea inside starts to steep to create your perfect cup of tea!
What types of things can you put in a tea bomb?
Well, tea, of course, but also things like star sprinkles, edible flowers, or even edible glitter are popular.
Can I use loose leaf tea in a tea bomb?
Technically you can, but you’ll want to do it in a way that you can still strain your tea before drinking (like putting it inside a teapot with a strainer that strains as you pour).
Using a tea bag for a single cup method is more helpful, or you can put your loose leaf in a pouch like this first.
What is Isomalt?
Isomalt is a sugar alcohol that is used to substitute for sugar. It is sweet, but easier to work with for some edible decorations.
Unlike sugar, it has no impact on blood sugar levels and does not promote tooth decay.
It’s sugar-like properties make it a great substitute for use in edible decorations.
Professional cake decorators or pastry chefs use it all the time to make fun creations.
Can I use regular sugar for a tea bomb instead of Isomalt?
Yes! It is possible to use regular sugar instead of Isomalt, but it does take a little more time, a few more ingredients, and you need a candy thermometer. I find the Isomalt a lot more user-friendly since it’s just a melt-and-go process.
Supplies:
–Isomalt
–half round molds for spheres
–star sprinkles, edible flowers, edible glitter, and tea of your choice (I used Rose Lemonade and Pink Kashmiri Chai powder)
-small pan for melting Isomalt
–heat protective gloves
How To Make Easy Tea Bombs:
1. Melt: Melt your Isomalt in a small pan on low heat until melted (I used about 1/4 cup per full sphere). I like to shake the pan a bit rather than stirring every now and then (the crystals just stick to your spoon and shaking it does the mixing job well enough).
2. Pour: Once melted, pour some melted Isomalt into your mold and tilt and rotate your mold so that the liquid coats the inside of the sphere half.
You are trying to get it as close to the top edge as you can, but if you are a little under the lip, that’s OK. I pour in more than I think I will need and then pour any excess back into the pot so you are just using enough to cover the mold.
You can also use the back of a spoon to spread the Isomalt around the mold, which works fine, but the overall dome will be a little lumpier looking on the inside if that’s OK with you.
Note: Isomalt, like sugar, gets extremely hot when melted, so wearing heat protective gloves when handling liquid Isomalt or sugar is recommended.
3. Remove: Allow the Isomalt to fully cool (I’d give it at least two hours, but some people wait until the next day) and carefully peel back the mold to pop your shells out (you can push up from under the middle of the mold).
I would always make a few extra as you never know which ones will break.
TIP: If you break any shells when popping them out of the mold (hey, it happens!), you can melt the broken ones back down to pour again so you don’t waste any Isomalt!
4. Flatten Edges: Once the shells are out, warm a pan over low heat and place one of your spheres upside down on the pan to melt the edges and flatten your edges so it will seal better.
5. Fill the bombs: Fill the half sphere with your tea (tea bag string/tag hanging out if it has a string), dried edible flowers, and edible glitter or sprinkles.
6. Seal the bomb: Warm the second half of your sphere on the pan to flatten the edges and attach that half to the half filled with tea while still warm so it will seal together. Now your tea bomb is ready to use!
7. Enjoy! Pour however much hot water (or hot milk if using a powdered tea like this Pink Kashmiri Chai—so yummy!) over your tea that is called for by the tea amount you put in the sphere.
Watch your sphere melt and allow the tea to steep the appropriate time before drinking. Thin Isomalt spheres will completely dissolve in the tea, but if you have a chunkier section it may take longer to melt.
If you love yummy hot drinks, try …
- Nutella Hot Chocolate
- Earl Grey Tea Latte
- Make Your Own Latte at Home (Without An Expensive Espresso Machine!)
- Gingerbread Hot Chocolate
As you can see, these tea bombs are beautiful and delicious. The Isomalt will add some sweetness to your tea, but it’s not overpowering so you may also want to add extra sweetener if desired.
Hope this gives you a fun way to create your own easy tea bombs at home! xo. Laura
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I clean my pan after melting the Isomalt?
After you’ve melted your Isomalt and poured your molds, put hot water and soap into your pan and allow it to soak.
The hot water will eventually dissolve all the Isomalt, but it helps to pour and scrape any extra into a mold before washing it so it has less Isomalt to dissolve in the pan.
You can also add water to the pan and boil the water. Simply dump out the water/Isomalt when hot.
How long can I store the tea bombs?
You can store the tea bombs for up to two weeks uncovered and they make great gifts as well!
Can too much Isomalt bother your stomach?
It is possible for a lot of Isomalt to upset your stomach, but it takes quite a bit to do so. So the amount in a few tea bombs should not upset your stomach unless you just happen to be extra sensitive to it.
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup Isomalt per sphere (varies with sphere size)
- star sprinkles, edible flowers, edible glitter, and tea of your choice
Instructions
- Melt: Melt your Isomalt in a small pan on low heat until melted (I used about 1/4 cup per full sphere). I like to shake the pan a bit rather than stirring every now and then (the crystals just stick to your spoon and shaking it does the mixing job well enough).
- Pour: Once melted, pour some melted Isomalt into your mold and tilt and rotate your mold so that the liquid coats the inside of the sphere half. You are trying to get it as close to the top edge as you can, but if you are a little under the lip that’s OK. I pour in more than I think I will need and then pour any excess back into the pot so you are just using enough to cover the mold. You can also use the back of a spoon to spread the Isomalt around the mold, which works fine, but the overall dome will be a little lumpier looking on the inside if that’s OK with you. Note: Isomalt, like sugar, gets extremely hot when melted, so wearing heat protective gloves when handling liquid Isomalt or sugar is recommended.
- Remove: Allow the Isomalt to fully cool (I’d give it at least two hours, some people wait until the next day) and carefully peel back the mold to pop your shells out (you can push up from under the middle of the mold). I would always make a few extra as you never know which ones will break.TIP: If you break any shells when popping them out of the mold (hey, it happens!), you can melt the broken ones back down to pour again so you don’t waste any Isomalt!
- Flatten Edges: Once the shells are out, warm a pan over low heat and place one of your spheres upside down on the pan to melt the edges and flatten your edges so it will seal better.
- Fill the bombs: Fill the half sphere with your tea (tea bag string/tag hanging out if it has a string), dried edible flowers, and edible glitter or sprinkles.
- Seal the bomb: Warm the second half of your sphere on the pan to flatten the edges and attach that half to the half filled with tea while still warm so it will seal together. Now your tea bomb is ready to use!
- Enjoy! Pour however much hot water (or hot milk if using a powdered tea like this Pink Kashmiri Chai-so yummy!) over your tea that is called for by the tea amount you put in the sphere, watch your sphere melt and allow the tea to steep the appropriate time before drinking. Thin Isomalt spheres will completely dissolve in the tea, but if you have a chunkier section it may take longer to melt.
Delicious!
Sounds like fun!! I will try this.
So fun!
This is the prettiest treat ever!! So excited to have another use for my molds!
I love tea but had never heard of a tea bombe before so will definitely be trying this! Thank you from across the pond!
WOW!! This is so fun and creative – I love hot chocolate bombs, I would love to try this!