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Have you ever wondered how to make a London Fog Drink? It’s the ultimate tea latte recipe with a hint of sweetness and boost of caffeine. Perfect for cold winter mornings or afternoon pick-me-ups!
This post was updated in March 2024 with helpful tips & tricks to make this recipe easier for you to make. It has 40+ 5 star reviews so I know you’ll love it!
How has it been 18 years since I graduated from high school? I mean I have zero interest in turning back time or reliving my high school days, but it really doesn’t feel like 18 years have passed.
But for all of the changes that have unfolded since my high school days, one thing has remained the same, The London Fog.
When we were old enough to get free periods, me and my sailor suit sporting friends (I do still really miss the uniform…) would walk over to the Forest Hill village to order ourselves a Starbucks London Fog Drink. This was the height of Mary Kate and Ashley sporting their Venti Starbucks Lattes, but we weren’t nearly old enough to appreciate or enjoy coffee. The London Fog was the perfect solution. A Starbucks London Fog tea latte that was sweet and delicious without the unappetizing taste of coffee (how little teenage Davida knew…).
What is a London Fog?
For those of you who don’t know, a London Fog is an earl grey tea latte with foamy milk and vanilla. The most important factors are these:
- The right kind of tea- good quality Earl Grey Tea is essential. It adds that bergamot flavor that is quintessential for a London Fog. You could also reach for lavender earl grey which is a nice variation.
- Hot, foamy milk – you can use whatever kind of milk you like but I prefer almond or oat milk in my lattes
- Vanilla – Starbucks uses their pumps of vanilla syrup but vanilla extract will work just fine.
- Sweetener – you can opt out of sweetener but I do find a little bit of raw honey builds out the flavor of this London Fog
It was the perfect sweet drink at 16 and remains my go-to Starbucks drink. Once I was old enough to start drinking coffee (ahem, college), The London Fog became my afternoon pick-me-up during finals and remains a nice afternoon treat and caffeine boost for those extra tired days.
Do You Need a Frother?
Nope! I prefer to use a frother since I upgraded my frother but mainly so I can eat the foam with a spoon. You can always pour your milk into a mug and heat in the microwave or heat on a stovetop, though it will be warm milk rather than steamed milk. If you have a frother I highly recommend it!
How to Make a London Fog
- Make the Tea – Boil water in a kettle. Steep your tea bag in 1/2 cup of hot water for 3-5 mins (depending on strength preference)
- Froth Your Milk – Mix together almond milk and vanilla extract and steam or froth depending on what tools you have.*
- Sweeten – Stir sweetener in with steeped hot tea and top with frothed milk.
*If you don’t have a milk frother, heat up milk on stove top. It won’t get foamy but it does the trick!
Is a London Fog Caffeinated?
Yes it is. While it has much less caffeine than a coffee or espresso, Black Tea does contain caffeine. I find it’s an easier caffeine boost for that 3:00 PM crash because it doesn’t contain quite as much caffeine as coffee. You could also opt for decaf earl grey tea if you prefer.
–>London Fog FAQs
They are very very similar. An earl grey tea latte would be steeped earl grey tea + milk (and optional sweetener if desired). A London Fog is the same thing plus added vanilla and sweetener.
Yes! Simply steep the tea then allow it to cool in the fridge. Instead of frothing the milk you’ll just combine the cooled steeped tea, milk, sweetener and vanilla over ice.
Absolutely! This London Fog recipe tastes great with whatever kind of milk you have on hand or prefer. My personal favorites are vanilla almond but oat milk, coconut milk or even whole milk all taste great!
It’s a personal preference! I like to control the amount of sweetness in my recipes and rather than using pumped vanilla (Starbucks uses 3-5 pumps which is a lot of sugar) I prefer to use honey and vanilla extract.
This london fog recipes serves 1. You can always double or triple it if desired.
Yes! A london fog typically uses Earl Grey tea but you can make a different tea latte recipe by subbing in whatever tea you prefer.
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- DIY Cold Brew Coffee
- Lavender Simple Syrup
How To Make a London Fog
Have you ever wondered how to make a London Fog Drink? It’s the ultimate tea latte recipe with a hint of sweetness and boost of caffeine. Perfect for cold winter mornings or afternoon pick-me-ups!
- Prep Time: 1 minute
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 6 minutes
- Yield: 1 mug 1x
- Category: Drink
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 Earl Grey tea bag
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or other milk of choice)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1–2 tsp raw honey, maple syrup or sweetener of choice
Instructions
- Steep your tea bag in 1/2 cup of hot water for 3-5 mins (depending on strength preference)
- Mix together almond milk and vanilla extract and steam or froth depending on what tools you have.*
- Stir sweetener in with steeped tea and top with frothed milk.
- Enjoy hot!
*If you don’t have a frother, heat up milk on stove top. It won’t get foamy but it does the trick!
I love Earl Grey strong while in London. So now back in the states I still enjoy my Earl Grey to help me get through life. I like anything purple which lavender suggests so would like to try it. I am going to use the recipe for the tea London Fog as I need good memories to ward off the loss of my 93 yr old mother. The recipe sounds delightful.
Extra Bold. I drink a travel mug of Twinings Earl Grey made strong everyday day on my drive to work. I love it. I add sweetener only. I would love to try the Extra Bold.
I love Twinings tea and I can’t wait ti try the Lavender tea. I only drink tea every morning and every night. Would love to win.
Extra Bold for me please! I usually drink my tea with a little honey- but you can bet I’ll be trying a London Fog real soon!
I recently tried a London Fog in a neighborhood coffee shop….then I remembered I had seen them on this site but hadn’t tried. I just got a frother and some earl gray lavender and wow…..this will be great to cozy up to. My mugs are big, so I need to put in a bit more hot water, but this tasted really similar to the coffee shop version. LOVE!
I normally drink my tea with sugar or honey, no milk but this recipe has intrigued me. It is getting colder here in the states and I can’t always drink that afternoon cup of coffee. I can’t wait to try this!!
I am an old school plain Earl Grey, but the lavender sounds like a wonderful cup of relaxation at the end of a long day.
I love a warm savory London Fog on s cold afternoon. I have never tried Lavender Earl Grey tea and would love to! I love Lavendar Chamomile tea, do I can bet the Earl Gray Lavendar would be my new favorite! Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe?
I would love to try the extra bold Earl Grey. I like my tea with a little locall honey.
I would love to try the lavender! Can’t wait to try the latte! I normally drink chamomile.
The way I drink my tea depends on what kind it is. I drink my green tea w/ just sugar and my African chai tea w milk and sugar. I would love to try the Lavender, sounds relaxing.
Happy tea drinking everyone!
Lori