London Fog (Earl Grey Latte)
A London Fog is an Earl Grey tea latte: strong Earl Grey let down with steamed milk and sweetened, usually with vanilla syrup. It is the black-tea counterpart to a matcha latte, and the bergamot of the Earl Grey carrying through the milk is the whole appeal. Quality depends on brewing the tea strong enough to stand up to the milk, and on real bergamot rather than synthetic in the base.
It lives or dies on the base tea: a strong steep of a good Earl Grey with real cold-pressed bergamot carries through the milk, while a weak or synthetic-bergamot base disappears under it. Vanilla syrup is traditional but optional. Pre-made London Fog powders and syrups are mostly sugar; a real one is just strong Earl Grey, steamed milk, and a touch of sweetener.
The London Fog is a modern café drink generally credited to Vancouver, Canada in the 1990s rather than to London, and the name evokes the hazy, milky look of the drink rather than any British origin. It belongs to the same tea-latte wave as the matcha latte and chai latte. Because it is a preparation, the variables are the Earl Grey base, the milk, and the sweetener.
Brew a concentrated base: roughly 4-5 g of Earl Grey (or two bags) in 120 ml of 95°C water for 4-5 minutes, so it is strong enough to survive the milk. Add 120-150 ml steamed or warm milk and a little vanilla syrup or sugar to taste. Iced: brew the strong base, cool it, and pour over ice and cold milk. A green or oolong-based Earl Grey needs cooler water (80-85°C).
Made at home it costs only as much as the Earl Grey used (see Earl Grey for ranges); a café London Fog is far more per serving. Pre-mixed London Fog powders are mostly sugar and not worth it.
Prices reviewed June 2026
Despite the name, the London Fog is widely credited to a café in Vancouver, Canada, where the story goes that a pregnant customer wanting something other than coffee asked for a vanilla Earl Grey latte. The name refers to the drink's hazy, milky appearance rather than to London.