This Side of the Pond

There’s a new trend in town – and it’s got me thinking that you guys might just be ready for the next level of your libation education. According to your friendly local coffee shop owner, one particular drink is experiencing a surge in popularity.

I’m thrilled to report that a significant number of Sundance residents are now starting their day with a London Fog. She’s not sure why she suddenly can’t keep the ingredients in stock, but I maintain that you don’t need a reason to have good taste.

Unfortunately, I can’t claim the credit for this delightful blend of tea and vanilla syrup with milk, despite its name. It was invented in Vancouver, Canada by a pregnant lady who was craving coffee but wouldn’t be allowed to drink it for about the next nine months.

The clever soul figured out she could make a delicious beverage using the baby-safe alternative of tea, and thus the London Fog was born. The London part of the name refers to the fact it’s made of tea, I assume, while the fog is the frothed milk that’s paired with it.

Not everyone is pleased the drink was invented outside of the UK, of course. We Brits are not ones to miss an opportunity for passive aggressive snark so, in Scotland, it will come as no surprise to hear that the drink is referred to as Vancouver Fog.

If you want to be counted among the fashionable – or simply value your taste buds – I recommend paying a visit to the coffee shop. I’ve been enjoying her London Fog for years, which I suppose makes me a hipster when it comes to teabags.

And if you do find yourself taken on a sensory journey by the delicate aromas of bergamot and vanilla, you may be interested to know that you are partaking of one of Britain’s most famous tea blends. London Fog does not use ordinary black tea; instead, it is brewed with Earl Grey.

According to legend, Charles Grey, Prime Minister in the 1830s and second Earl Grey, was presented with the blend in 1803 as a gift from a Chinese mandarin whose son was rescued from drowning by one of his men. Unfortunately, this is probably a lie, because Grey never went to China (and the Chinese were not using bergamot oil in their tea at that time). Literally nothing about this story checks out.

More likely is the tale told by the Grey family themselves, who claim the tea was blended for them by a Mandarin-speaking individual to suit the water at Howick Hall, their family seat. As a political hostess, Lady Grey used it for entertaining guests in London and was eventually asked if it could be sold to others – which is how it became a brand of its own, marketed by Twinings.

Thanks to the bergamot oil, Earl Grey makes a more fragrant cup of tea than regular black leaves. As this is apparently right in line with Sundance’s current palate, you may be interested to know that we have plenty more where that came from.

She had nothing to do with its invention, which only happened in the 1990s, but Lady Grey now has her own tea blend. It’s similar to Earl Grey, but the bergamot oil is joined by lemon and orange peel and its taste is more delicate than her husband’s version.

For a blend of black teas from Assam, Ceylon and Kenya, try English Breakfast Tea (or Irish or Scottish, for that matter, which are based on different combinations). Breakfast teas provide a richer flavor than you’ll get from a standard teabag and are designed to go well with milk and sugar (which, if you ask me, is the only way to drink a cup of tea).

Queen Victoria is said to be responsible for its popularity. She tasted a blend at Balmoral in 1892 and came back to London with her own supply. No word on whether she shared her stash or made her courtiers buy their own.

You guys are partly responsible for its name. A British immigrant in New York started a tea company in 1834 and his blend became popular quickly. Other retailers wanted to stock it and sent letters to London pleading for supplies, but nobody had ever even heard of it.

Because tea drinking is a serious business back home, you can also indulge in blends for other times of the day. The Prince of Wales tea blend, for instance, was devised for King Edward VIII as a full-bodied drink that’s often served in the afternoon with scones.

Feeling frisky? The British Army has you covered with their own invention of one cup of black tea and a shot of rum. I’m dubious, personally, but our servicemen are not; it has become a tradition for officers and NCOs to serve it to the lower ranks before a morning attack or on Christmas Day while deployed.

Or how about Russian Caravan, the name of which pays tribute to the long journey from China along the Silk Road, over the Russian Steppes, which brought tea to the West by camel caravan. This blend contains oolong tea from Fujian Province and Taiwan, giving it an earthy flavor.

Or perhaps a chai blend, named for the Indian word for tea. You may have experienced the combination of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and other spices as a latte drink (which our local coffee shop owner will inform you is my standard order), but it started out as a comforting cup of tea.

When a nation drinks enough of one thing that they might as well administer it using a drip, it doesn’t take long for the imagination to kick in. The good news is that this means there are endless delights in your beverage-based future, should you decide it’s time to experiment. And if not, we’ll still always have the London Fog to warm our souls on a winter’s day.