Earl Grey Milk Tea

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How to make the most delicious Earl Grey Tea with milk

While earl grey is already delicious on its own, the combination of Earl Grey tea with milk has a special and delicious quality to it.
The aroma of the tea flavors the milk giving it an elegant and refreshing touch that’s difficult to describe.
No wonder it’s one of those tea types that are often enjoyed with milk!

But if you’re wondering whether Earl Grey could cause milk to curdle or if you simply want easy and clear instructions on how to make Earl Grey milk tea like you would find in a tea shop, keep reading: this post will answer all your questions!

What is Earl Grey milk tea?

Earl Grey is a type of tea that consists of black tea flavored with the oil extracted from the rind of bergamot oranges, a citrus fruit.

This tea blend is named after Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey, who was a British Prime Minister in the 19th century and it’s known for the distinctive citrusy aroma that comes from the bergamot oil.

Earl Grey is a popular and well-loved tea worldwide that tastes great as plain, but also with milk.

Since milk enhance the richness of the tea, Earl Grey milk tea has become a favorite amount tea enthusiast around the world and a popular choice in tea shops.

Can you add milk to Earl Grey?

Since citrus fruits are acidic and can cause milk to curdle, you may wonder if adding milk to Earl Grey, which contains bergamot oil, a citrus ingredient, is a good idea.

Fortunately, the likelihood of Earl Grey causing milk to curdle is quite low.
As a hardcore Earl Grey milk tea lover, I’ve personally tried various types of Earl Grey with different milk options, and I have never experienced curdling.

However, if you have encountered clumping or curdling when adding milk to your Earl Grey, there are a few things you can try:

• Warm your milk before adding it to the tea – by the way, milk froths better when it’s warm, so warming milk before adding it to tea is a common practice to make tea latte anyway
• An alternative way to warm your milk – Some people like to pre-warm the cup with hot water, then discard the water before pouring in the milk, so the milk doesn’t experience a temperature shock when mixed with the hot tea.
• Another tip is to add the milk slowly, pouring it in a gentle and gradual manner.
• Since bergamot oil is the ingredient that can potentially cause curdling, tea blends that either don’t contain it or have lower amounts (such as those using bergamot peel) are less likely to induce curdling.
  However, I personally haven’t experienced curdling even when using my homemade Earl Grey, which contains pure bergamot oil.
• In my experience, if you’re preparing iced tea, it doesn’t matter if the milk is cold, as the tea itself is also cold.

How to make Earl Grey milk tea

Instructions

Variations

Iced Earl Grey Milk Tea

Making iced Earl Grey tea with milk is actually quite easy.
The only difference compared to making it hot is that you use less water, so when you add ice cubes, the tea doesn’t get diluted.

Here’s how you make cold Earl Grey with milk:

1. Steep earl grey in fresh boiled water.
   For each serving you’ll need 1 tsp. loose tea or 1 tea bag and only 1/2 cup of water.
2. After the steep time is over, remove the tea solids either by straining the tea or removing the tea bag.
   Sweeten to taste while the tea is still hot. This way, the sugar will easily dissolve.
3. Fill a glass with ice cubes and pour the tea over them.
   I recommend letting the tea cool down for at least 30 minutes if possible.
   But if you’re in a rush, you can pour it directly onto the ice.
   In this case, pour it slowly to prevent the glass from cracking.
4. Slowly pour some milk into the tea and enjoy the beautiful swirls and clouds it creates.

Earl Grey bubble Tea

To make a earl grey milk tea like in boba shops, just add your topping of choice, like cooked tapioca balls, grass jelly or brown sugar syrup.

Rooibos Earl Grey Milk Tea

If you’d like a completely caffeine-free version, you can substitute the regular earl grey for my homemade rooibos earl grey tea blend.
It’s incredibly delicious!

For a decaf version, you can also make your own decaf earl grey.

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