I am a lover of all things tea. My journey with it started my first year out of college when I worked for a newspaper. I was interviewing a woman from Australia for a piece that I was working on. Instead of meeting her out somewhere, she invited me to her home for… tea time! Sugar cubes and all. It reminded me of Anne of Green Gables and was totally taken in by this lovely mid-day respite.
That same year, Rick bought me my first pottery tea pot, sugar bowl, and creamer. Then, I discovered loose tea. The rest is history…. I’ve been blissfully making pots of tea ever since.
Fast forward to a few years ago when I discovered tea lattes. My favorite is the London Fog. Yum! What I’m not a fan of is paying $4 for one. Especially since I have one every day. If I make it at home, it’s more like 30-40 cents a cup.
In addition to saving money, I like to customize my homemade version. I’ve discovered that I like mine with a bit of lavender in it. Most London Fogs that you order out and about are made by combining earl grey tea with steamed milk and vanilla syrup. No lavender.
Bonus tip: Lady Grey tea from Twinnings has the lavender already in it. But, if you only have access to Earl Grey, you can always just add a pinch of lavender to your tea before you steep it. I can’t find the Lady Grey locally so I have to order it online – usually through Amazon.
Here’s my recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
London Fog
Ingredients
Method
- Pour water over loose tea infuser basket into mug to brew a strong cup of Lady Grey tea. (If you are using Earl Grey tea instead, add a pinch of lavender to your infuser.) After 4 minutes, pull the tea infuser out. Add your sweetener and the vanilla extract. (I'm trying to avoid sugar but you can sub sugar or a simple syrup for my homemade stevia blend if you'd like.) Stir.
- While the tea is steeping, steam half and half. I don't have a steamer so I warm it up in the microwave or on the stove top and whip it with my Aerolatte frother. Pour frothed milk over prepared tea.