How to Make a London Fog Tea Latte (Earl Grey Tea Latte)

London Fog Tea Latte

I literally remember my first cup of tea ever. Really. My best friend and I were playing school and we each made a cup of tea to be like our teacher. Granted it was Lipton tea, cold milk and sugar, but I fell in love with the flavor that very moment. It was like heaven in a teacup.

Little did I know then, but my first hot tea somewhat resembled a London Fog Latte, also known as an Earl Grey Tea Latte.

I guess, loosely speaking, its three ingredients (black tea, milk and sweetener) are similar anyway.

What is a London Fog Latte?

The London Fog tea latte is said to have originated in the Pacific Northwest in Vancouver.

It’s a relatively new recipe as far as tea goes, but as is the case with many hot drinks, its popularity grew when it made its way to the Starbucks menu.

A London Fog Latte has three ingredients:

1. Earl grey tea
2. Steamed milk
3. Vanilla Syrup (vanilla extract & sugar)

So how is it that these ingredients that we all probably have in our kitchens, come together to create little sips of heaven?

There’s just something special that happens when the citrusy bergamot and hints of lavender in the earl grey come together with creamy milk and a touch of sweet vanilla throughout.

Three ingredients—sounds simple enough, right? But as is the case with most things, it’s all in the details.

First of all, let’s talk about the ratio of tea to milk. Many London Fog aficionados insist upon equal proportions. However, if you like more tea than milk, which is the camp I fall in, then adjust to your taste, but never go more than 50% milk.

How to Make a London Fog Tea Latte:

1. Steep the earl grey tea.
2. Steam and aerate (froth) the milk.
3. Stir vanilla syrup into tea.
4. Pour the milk into the tea.

Step 1: Steep the earl grey tea.

When it comes to a tea latte (which is about 50% milk), the tea needs to be stronger than what you would normally make. This means you should use 2 tea bags or 2 teaspoons of loose leaf earl grey per cup of boiling water.

Let the tea steep for 3-5 minutes so all the flavor is extracted. Be careful, however, not to over-steep this black tea blend. It can become bitter if you do.

If you enjoy black tea as much as I do, be sure to see my other tips on how to make black tea properly.

You can see that I used two tea bags, however, you can also steep loose tea in a glass teapot like mine; I love it!

Its strainer is large so the tea leaves have room to expand and it’s just pretty and unique with its squared edges.

Step 2: Steam & froth the milk.

While the tea is steeping, steam an equal amount of milk on the stovetop or microwave, being sure to not let it come to a boil.

When it’s warmed up, use a handheld milk frother to aerate it. The goal is to achieve silky microfoam.

I love a topper of frothy milk on my London Fog since it resembles the fog of the Pacific Northwest.

You can also steam/froth the milk with an electric aerator like the Nespresso Aerocinno.

Electric milk frothers are quick and easy to use. Not to mention, a snap to clean up.

Step 3: Add the vanilla syrup to the tea.

Once the tea has steeped go ahead and remove the tea bags and add a little vanilla simple syrup. Or if your syrup is cold, go ahead and warm it up in the milk.

Did you know you can make your own vanilla syrup? And let me tell you, it’s so simple to do!

You can see how I make my homemade vanilla syrup right here.

Step 4: Combine the tea and milk.

It’s said we taste with our eyes first, so serving up your earl grey tea latte in a glass cup is the perfect way to enjoy your tea latte.

Pour the steamed milk into the tea, holding back the foam with a spoon and watch the magical swirls of milk. It reminds me of a lava lamp.

Can you tell I love the look and feel of tea as much as the taste?

Once all the milk is poured in, scoop the remaining foam onto the top.

London Fog at Starbucks

Like I said earlier, you can get a London Fog at Starbucks. Perhaps it’s even the first place you heard of this delectable tea concoction.

A Starbuck hot London Fog latte is made with Teavana Earl Grey tea, 2% milk and vanilla syrup. There’s really no need to add any other sweetener since the syrup is already sweet.

If you want your homemade London Fog to taste like Starbucks, you can actually buy your own bottle of Starbucks vanilla syrup. I keep a bottle of it handy in my pantry.

Tips to duplicate a Starbucks London Fog Latte

• Teavana Earl Grey tea sachet. They use 1 sachet for a Tall cup (12 oz.) drink; and 2 in the Grande (16 oz.) and Venti (20 oz.) sizes.
• Starbucks Vanilla Syrup They use 3 pumps in a Tall, 4 pumps in a Grande, and 5 pumps in a Venti.
• 2% Milk This is the default milk they use, but you can ask them to use another kind if you prefer.

Is an Earl Grey latte at Starbucks the same thing as ordering a London Fog?

In general terms, a tea latte is usually equal portions of tea and milk. So, if you order a Starbucks earl grey tea latte the drink is half tea and half milk.

On the other hand, if you order a Starbucks London Fog, you’ll get half earl grey tea, half milk AND 3-5 pumps of sweet vanilla syrup.

So if you want the vanilla taste and sweetness you can either order a London Fog tea latte or you can order an earl grey latte WITH pumps of vanilla. But if you simply order an earl grey latte don’t expect it to have vanilla syrup in it.

London Fog Latte Recipe