I prefer my milk tea to actually taste like milk + tea (like the ones you order from Hong Kong themed cafes) so I might leave out the sugar syrup. I might give this a go if I ever see pearls for sale at my local Chinese grocers. I must admit I've never even thought to look.

Another drink I've been keen to reproduce at home is the Rock Salt Green Tea w/ Cheese from HappyLemon. Tastes better than it sounds!