How to Make a London Fog

This week, I thought I would share a fabulous recipe with you.  A London Fog, first invented in Vancouver, Canada (not London) is a tea drink made with Earl Grey black tea, frothed milk, vanilla, and sugar.  It is also known as an Earl Grey Tea Latte or a Vanilla Tea Misto. 

So, let’s get started!  This is a super quick recipe and is perfect on a chilly and rainy morning snuggled up with a book.   You’ll need:

            -2 teaspoons of Earl Grey black tea (I like Earl Grey Crème)

            -8 ounces of water

            -1 tablespoon of sugar

            -1/2 cup of milk, creamer, or half & half

            -1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

First things first, add your sugar to your mug.  You’re going to need a mug big enough to hold 12 ounces.

I use German rock sugar.  It sweetens while bringing out the flavor of the tea instead of changing it like white granulated sugar does.  It is kind of hard to explain but once you try it, you’ll understand.

Next, add your tea.  If you’re using loose-leaf tea, you’ll need a strainer.  Normally, your tea ratio would be 1 teaspoon for every 8 ounces, but since we’re adding milk, we’re making it stronger than that.  If you’re using bagged tea, use two tea bags instead of one.  Next, add your water.  Black tea should be steeped at 195F degrees for 3 minutes.  DO NOT STEEP LONGER THAN 3 MINUTES!  Steeping tea for longer than the recommended steep time will never make your tea stronger, it will just make it bitter.  If you want stronger tea, add more tea but stick to the correct time.

Fun Fact:  Keurig brewers generally brew at the perfect temperature for black tea.  So, I am cheating and using this instead of waiting for my electric stove to boil a teapot.  Seriously, I hate my stove.

While you are waiting for the 3 minutes to pass, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to ½ cup of milk.  Now here is where I really cheat.  You’ll want to heat/steam your milk.  Rarely do I do this on the stove (see above vent about electric stove top).  I pop my Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave and heat the milk/vanilla for 60 seconds.  That seems to steam it at just the right amount to really get a good froth.  Like I said before, you can also use half & half or a liquid creamer, but I find that I get the best froth out of regular milk.

Once the milk is heated, get frothing!  I use a nice, battery operated milk frother I got at Meijer for $9.99.  If you don’t have one of these, a hand whisk will work fine but definitely won’t give you the foam that really makes the drink.  See the below picture for beautiful frothy peaks.

Hopefully, you set a timer for the tea and haven’t forgotten about it.  Remove the steeper or tea bags and stir so the sugar is fully dissolved.  You won’t want to stir after you combine the tea and milk or you’ll lose the froth that makes it a latte.  Once you’ve removed the tea and the milk is frothed, pour the milk into your mug, using a spoon to scrape out any stubborn foam that might have stayed in the measuring cup.

Ta-da!!!  I had to switch mugs because once I removed my steeper I noticed I had no room for milk and foam.  You can see the lovely pile of foam on top of the tea.  It is one of my favorite drinks and is a nice way to switch up a regular cup of tea.  You can use any variation of Earl Grey for this recipe (crème, lavender, etc.).  A variation of this is available at Starbucks (just ask for an Earl Grey tea latte).  Honestly, I wouldn't recommend getting it there.  They give it to you with the bag in the cup.  So, if you're using the drive thru and are unable to remove the bag at the 3 minute mark, the tea will definitely come out bitter and unpleasant by time you get to where you are going.  If you want to try it dining in, that might be a little better since it won't steep for too long.

Try it out and let me know what you think in the comments below!