# "London Fog" tea **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 27, 2026, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807 "2026-03-27T12:26:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807/1 "2026-03-27T12:26:21Z")
Wikipedia summarizes it as > A **London fog** is a hot tea-based drink that consists of Earl Grey tea, steamed milk, and a sweetener, often vanilla syrup. Earl Grey tea imparts its flavors of black tea and bergamot, a citrus… The basic ingredients of a London fog are boiling black tea, preferably Earl Grey tea, vanilla extract, and steamed milk of choice. A teaspoon of raw honey or maple syrup is used to sweeten it. Sometimes, a small amount of cream is poured on top of the drink, topped with sprinkles of cinnamon, nutmeg, or lavender. and claims that it was invented in Vancouver in the 1997 by Mary Loria, who never named it “London Fog”!? So, something about this history struck me as suspect, and I was wondering whether you might clear it up. For one thing, I have had the [incredibly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masala_chai) [original](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_tea) idea of adding milk (steamed or pre-mixed) to tea myself, and also, experimentally, to add exotic spices like sugar or honey or possibly cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, citrus, etc. (or simply to use those Earl Grey teabags because that is what is in the cupboard). But now it was invented in 1997 by a specific person? And it has a marketing-type name that is not simply “masala chai latte”, except the supposed inventor never actually named it? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807/2 "2026-03-27T12:28:05Z")
I think it’s the vanilla that’s distinctive. My wife once ordered some flavoured teas from a website and one of them was called London Fog; I found the vanilla flavour kind of overpowering. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807/3 "2026-03-27T12:29:13Z")
I suppose the real novelty is naming it “Londog fog”. Perhaps it has hair of the dog in it? Or is for pets, not people? Given how pet-crazy the world has gotten, I could sure believe that was recently invented. Perhaps even earlier today. 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807/4 "2026-03-27T12:35:29Z")
I must admit: I do not recall having ever tried adding vanilla, myself. That might be it, surely it is not just the Earl Grey with a dash of cinnamon. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807/5 "2026-03-27T12:47:55Z")
Looking at Google, it looks like the idea may have morphed to the more generic idea of any tea latte made with Earl Grey tea. I agree there’s nothing particularly special about that, but there’s nothing particularly special about vodka and orange juice either (IMO) and it has a distinctive name. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807/6 "2026-03-27T16:13:40Z")
This belongs in the category of “invention” that includes lots of food concoctions- at best the “inventor” is the person who most successfully came up with a name and marketing for an existing food preparation that either catches the zeitgeist or turns into the foundation of a lucrative business. Or, folks retroactively look for an “origin” to give a marketable and unique story to something that is commonplace. The only cite about the origin in that wikipedia article, which is a piece of local lifestyle journalism, can be summed up as: _There’s a woman in Vancouver who used to order this whacky combination of milk and Earl Grey tea. No one believed it would be good, but gol darn it, she told all her friends about this totally original combination. Some years later, she saw that combination on cafe menus under the name ‘London Fog’, which clearly means that her single-handedly “inventing” (no cite necessary) this odd combination lead to it spreading across the nation. But no one knows how, or why, or where the name comes from. But she totally invented it._ Sorry if my summary is a little harsh, but I am a bit surprised that wikipedia states its origins as factual, when they are nothing of the sort. My guess on the origins are more like: _With the development of coffee and cafe culture in the Pacific Northwest, coffee shops would maintain a small selection of teas as alternatives for customers who didn’t want coffee. Earl Grey was a common and easily accessible blend for tea non-sophisticates, with a name that doesn’t involve having to pronounce or be intimidated by ‘exotic’ SE Asian names. And, bergamot is tasty, and holds up to milk and milk alternatives. Any cafe serving milky coffee drinks would also be serving tea lattes as well, and Earl Grey is a likely option. Someone somewhere came up with the name “London Fog” for the Earl Grey latte, but they were not the first person to make an Earl Grey latte._ ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807/7 "2026-03-27T16:17:46Z")
London Fog? That ain’t no London Fog. THIS is London Fog! > **[LONDON FOG Men's Iconic Trench Coat, Dark Navy, 36R at Amazon Men’s Clothing...](https://www.amazon.com/London-Raleigh-Double-Breasted-Trench/dp/B0DQKX6X69)** > > Double breasted iconic belted trench coat with zip out liner ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807/8 "2026-03-27T17:46:48Z")
I love Lady Grey tea for a similar thing. I put milk in. Sometimes a little vanilla sugar. So I can see how a ‘London Fog’ might be tasty. Can I tell you how many things I “invented” only to find a similiar thing. (I’m talking to you ‘stretchy’ zip ties) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807/9 "2026-03-27T18:30:17Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > The only cite about the origin in that wikipedia article, which is a piece of local lifestyle journalism, can be summed up as As noted, the original has vanilla in it (which is slightly less obvious than just adding milk). Likewise, serving booze + mixer in a martini glass and calling it a “martini” is not exactly original, but you can’t pin the blame on the inventor of the martini. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807/10 "2026-04-20T02:28:20Z")
That tight-wasted, hobble kneed, blue, eight button overcoat – made from “high tech membrane” with “zip out liner” and “wool blend detachable collar”, is not a trench coat, iconic or otherwise. But I agree that “London Fog” is a fanciful name for a sweet vanilla milk tea. “London Fog” was a greasy yellow toned haze with high sulphuric acid content. The only thing that drink has in common is that it leaves a stain if it gets on your clothes. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807/11 "2026-04-20T10:02:08Z")
I don’t like bergamot tea, and can’t imagine that adding milk would improve it. Yeccch! 🤮 ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807/12 "2026-04-20T10:42:18Z")
Just for the record, don’t - if you visit London - expect either of those if you mention “London Fog”. In fact, don’t expect anything other than a quizzical look. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807/13 "2026-04-20T19:23:07Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > also, experimentally, to add exotic spices like sugar or honey or possibly cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, citrus, etc. Just curious. Where do you hail from, that sugar and honey qualify to be on a list of _exotic spices_? The Sentinel Islands? Please tell me that it’s the Sentinel Islands. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807/14 "2026-04-20T19:25:27Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Likewise, serving booze + mixer in a martini glass and calling it a “martini” is not exactly original, Or accurate. Or acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807/15 "2026-04-20T20:24:01Z")
I’ve never heard of London Fog tea, certainly not in England. You’d have to be very old to remember the London fog (smog, actually) now. Back then it was coal fires and steam locomotives. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2026, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-fog-tea/1028807/16 "2026-05-28T03:03:41Z")
Regarding vanilla flavor, I have discovered that Cha Tra Mue sells “Vanilla-Flavor Thai Tea Mix” which is 95% black tea with vanilla and sugar already added. The company was founded in 1945, but I do not know when specific flavors were introduced.