London Fog Tea Latte Recipe For A Sweet Homemade Treat

London fog can mean many things today. It can refer to the actual fog in London, the fashion company, or my favourite – the tea latte.

When talking about the tea latte though, a London Fog is really just a fancy way to say an Earl Grey tea latte. But I’ll admit, you sound very cool when you order one. It’s kind of like ordering a mocha latte instead of a plain latte with chocolate.

I love a classic Earl Grey tea, but every now and then I like to treat myself to a London Fog. But most coffee shops make it so sweet that I can’t really enjoy it.

So I decided to venture out and make my own London Fog tea latte recipe that I liked, so maybe you’ll like it too!

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

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First, A Little Background About London Fog Latte

The London Fog is rumoured to have been invented in 1996 in … Vancouver, B.C. (Canadians represent!) for a pregnant woman (women represent!), as a coffee alternative during her pregnancy.

But that still doesn’t tell us why it’s called a London Fog. Apparently, only the Scotts got it right and named it a Vancouver Fog.

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So What’s in a London Fog?

The original London Fog recipe is Earl Grey tea, steamed milk (or cream), and vanilla.

And that’s pretty much it.

My London Fog Recipe Tea

I don’t like it when my tea is too sweet so I add less vanilla than is normally recommended and zero sweeteners.

I also like to add some fresh lemon to bring out the citrus flavours of the Earl Grey tea. Butthe lemon will make your milk curdle a bit, I don’t mind it but some might. In that case, just don’t add a lemon slice.

Sometimes if I need more of a kick I’ll even make it with two tea bags instead of one.

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What You’ll Need

Makes: 1 cup of Earl grey tea latte

1 Bag of Earl Grey tea* I like Ahmad or Higgins and Burke
1 Shot of Vanilla (about a 1/8 of a tsp)
3/4 cup of Steamed milk (I use 1% but you can use what you prefer)
1/2 cup of boiling water
Lemon Slice (Optional)

You might also be interested in reading…

Finding The Best Earl Grey Tea: A Comparison Between Popular Tea Brands

Why Do I Use A Tea Bag Instead Of Fresh Loose Leaf Tea?

When I make tea with loose leaves, I want to taste the freshness and intricacies of the tea leaves. With the latte, I’m adding extra ingredients so it becomes less about the tea blend.

Fresh leaves would be a waste in a latte. Instead, I enhance the flavours of the tea bag by making it into a latte.

London Fog Tea Latte Recipe For A Sweet Homemade Treat | Afternoon Tea Reads (6)

How To Make A London Fog Latte?

Step 1: Steep Your Tea

Place your bag of Earl Grey in 1/2 cup boiled water. Wait 3-4 minutes (or follow the steeping directions on the bag). While it’s steeping throw in your slice of lemon.

Step 2: Steam Your Milk

While your tea is steeping, froth/steam your milk. It’s easier if you have a milk frother or steamer for this ( I use the Nespresso milk frother), but don’t worry if you don’t own one. The important part is that you heat it up, and you can easily do that in the microwave and then use a handheld frother (like this one on Amazon).

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Build & Track Your Tea Journey

Refine your tea palette with my Tea Tasting Journal to record and take notes on every new tea you try.

Step 3: Add Vanilla & Enjoy Your London Fog Latte!

Remove your lemon slice, pour the milk in your tea, add your vanilla, and give it a good stir.It’s as easy as that, there’s really nothing to it!

London Fog Tea Latte Recipe For A Sweet Homemade Treat | Afternoon Tea Reads (8)

Prepare Your London Fog Tea Latte For The Week

If you love homemade London Fog lattes as I do, The Busy Baker suggested making them ahead of time to have them ready for on the go. I love this idea. Instead of making them in a mug, make them in a mason jar to store in the fridge.

Alternative Tea Lattes

If you thought the Earl grey tea latte was the one and only tea latte that existed, you’d be very wrong. Like coffee, there are actually many different kinds of tea lattes you can make.

Not only that, but there are several city based tea lattes as well! They’re all named after a city, followed by “fog”, with a few exceptions. Maybe your city has a famous “Fog” latte named after it, you can see the alternatives here.

Here are some of my favourites:

London Fog Tea Latte Recipe For A Sweet Homemade Treat | Afternoon Tea Reads (18)

Dublin Fog

Replace Earl Grey for Irish breakfast tea (of course!). Keep everything else the same – add milk and vanilla to taste!

Winter Fog

The Winter Fog sounds like a nice warm hug in a cup. Reduce the amount of vanilla and add clover honey to taste.

London Smog

I think this has to be my favourite alteration of all. Make a regular London fog tea latte and ADD a shot of espresso. I’m definitely going to try that recipe one day.

And so only one question remains… why is it named after London, and why fog? Have any ideas? Let me know in the comments below.

London Fog Tea Latte Recipe For A Sweet Homemade Treat | Afternoon Tea Reads (20)

How To Make An Iced London Fog Tea Latte?

If you want to make your London fog tea latte iced there are two changes to the recipe that you’ll need to do. I’d also use a larger cup (maybe even a mason jar) because ice takes up a lot of space. So I’d use a cup that holds 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups.

First, steep your Earl grey tea in a lot less water (like us a 1/4 of a cup of boiled water). While thats steeping, you can froth your milk. Take note that you do NOT want to heat up your milk first. If you’re using the Nespresso milk frother (like this one on Amazon), press the button for longer until it turns blue. This indicates that it’s simply frother the milk without heating it up.

If you’re using the handheld electric frother (like this one on Amazon), just don’t put it in the microwave first!

Once the tea is steeped (about 4 minutes) add your frother milk, and then add as much ice to fill up your glass! Enjoy!

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Choosing The Best Earl Grey Tea For Your London Fog Latte

Don’t have a favourite Earl grey tea yet? I tasted the most popular Earl greys so you didn’t have to. Read my post to find the best earl grey for you, and which one would be best suited for your latte.

Remember, you want a stronger tea than you’re used to because you’re mixing it with milk and vanilla. My favourite would definitely be Ahmad Earl Grey tea (find it on Amazon here).

Read more about the different types of Earl grey tea here.