I love a good London Fog. This is one of those drinks that is especially wonderful when you’re tired or in need of good company. It’s warm and smooth, with a hint of bergamot and vanilla. If you’ve never made one before, today is the day you learn how to make this delicious tea latte at home!

What is a London Fog?
Simply put, it’s an earl grey tea latte. Earl grey has the wonderful, fragrant flavour of bergamot, accented in this drink perfectly with a bit of sweetness (if you like it that way), a touch of vanilla, and smooth, creamy hot milk.
What is bergamot?
Bergamot is the name of a variety of orange native to southern Italy. Extract or essential oil from bergamot oranges are used to make earl grey or lady grey teas. It has a wonderful, distinct, fragrant flavour.
How to make a London Fog
There are a few different ways to do it, but today I want to teach you this simple method. I like to make this recipe with a strong tea concentrate on the stovetop and then top it with frothed milk (see below for the recipe).

Tips for making perfect tea lattes
As is true of most things, there are a few tips for making sure that your latte turns out to be incredible. Here are a few tips to making sure you get the best results.
- Choose quality ingredients.
Want a remarkable latte? Make it with remarkable ingredients. You may notice that in this tutorial, I’ve opted to go for pretty cheap, easy to access versions of all the things. The reason for that is (quite simply), this recipe is designed to be easy, both financially and practically.
That said, if you want to step up your game a little, try using quality loose leaf tea, real vanilla, and whole milk (nothing low fat). - Let the tea get nice and strong.
The milk dilutes the flavour a lot, so making sure that your concentrate is strong is the best way to make sure that incredible, fragrant taste comes through! - Make sure your milk is hot enough.
Getting the milk is hot enough one of the best ways to make sure it gets a good, thick froth to go on top of your latte.
For the milk: answering some questions
Can you froth milk that has been frozen?
Interestingly, no. I have sometimes put milk in the freezer to keep it longer (this works well for regular use), but I find that I cannot froth milk that has been frozen before.
Why won’t my hot milk get frothy?
There are a few reasons this might happen, but here are the most common ones in my experience. You may find that your milk won’t froth properly if:
- Your milk is about to expire
- The milk has been frozen before
- The temperature is too low
- Your hand-held frother has low batteries
Can you use other types of milk for a London Fog (ie, can you use milk alternatives)?
Yes, although it is true and worth noting that not all types of milk are able to froth the same way and the flavour of the milk will change the end result accordingly. You can use any of the following to make this recipe:
- Lactose free milk (produces incredible results)
- Oat milk (doesn’t froth as well)
- Coconut milk (will add distinct coconut flavour/doesn’t froth as well)
- Almond milk (doesn’t froth as well)

Can you use a London Fog recipe as a base for other tea lattes?
Absolutely. Any black tea base (chai tea, cardamom tea, orange pekoe, etc) will work with this recipe. Just make sure to omit the vanilla if you’re going for a flavour that doesn’t suit that component well.
The best tools to use for making a London Fog
I’ll include a full list of what you’ll need below, but I’ll mention here that the real key to making a homemade latte is your milk frother. I’ve tried using a hand held frother (the cheapest option, featured in this tutorial), or a pump frother (which is actually my favourite).
You can also use a steam wand from an espresso machine, or an electric milk frother for fantastic results; however, since those are less accessible to many people (and appliances eventually break!), I am going to recommend one of the first two options for this recipe.


Like this tea cup pattern? Check out this beautiful tea pot.
For this recipe, you will need:
- Ingredients (see the recipe card, below)
- Small pot
- Tea ball (if using loose leaf tea)
- Glass measuring pitcher
- Measuring spoons
- Spoon
- Mug
- Milk frother
Scroll down for step by step pictures.


Easy London Fog
This wonderfully smooth, delicious earl grey tea latte is so easy to make and perfect for those chilly days. This recipe makes 1 cup.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 Earl Grey tea bag (or 1 tsp of loose leaf tea in a tea ball)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 Tbsp. sugar or honey
Instructions
-
In a small pot, combine the water and tea bag and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
-
Once the 10 minutes are up, turn the stove right off. Stir in the sugar (or honey) and vanilla until the sweetener is dissolved. Cover the tea with a lid, and allow it to rest with the tea bag in while you work on the milk.
-
Heat the milk until very hot, but not boiling. (You can do this on the stove or in the microwave for about 1 minute and 10 seconds.) Froth the milk.
-
Discard the tea bag from your hot tea concentrate, and pour it into the bottom of your favourite mug.
-
Pour the frothed milk into your tea concentrate, spooning the last bits of foam over the top. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Making more than one cup?Â
If you are making more than one cup at a time, you will need 1 tea bag per cup of water to get the best, strong flavour for the tea concentrate. If you want to stretch it out, you can (for example, using 2 cups of water per tea bag)– but note that the earl grey flavour may be a little less prominent.



















Now, rumour has it…
I’ve heard that you can froth milk with a French press. Is that true?? Let me know in the comments if you know!
If you like this recipe, you may also like:
That’s it! Enjoy this recipe with a good book or a sweet friend.
Back soon,
–Naomi
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[…] instead of coffee, I’ve opted for a nice homemade London Fog, which is just perfect on a grey day. (Which by the way, if you’ve never made one before, […]
One of my favourites!