How to Make a Lavender London Fog with an Espresso Machine

At Pluck, we love finding new ways to reimagine classic tea moments. On our recent trip to Japan, we noticed something inspiring in cafés: baristas using espresso machines to steep tea. The result? A concentrated, flavourful extraction that tastes bold and unlike any other tea.

Naturally, we had to try it ourselves. What better tea to experiment with than our Lavender Earl Grey Cream? It’s the perfect balance of bergamot, black tea, and Canadian lavender with a creamy finish.

This method works beautifully for other bold black teas too, like our Organic Pekoe or Earl Grey Cream. Here’s how to bring a barista-style lavender London Fog into your own home kitchen.

What You’ll Need

• Espresso machine

• Portafilter with paper liner

• Clean coffee grinder

• 2 tsp Pluck Lavender Earl Grey Cream (or your black tea of choice)

• 150 ml milk (or alternative of your choice)

• 1-2 tsp of your preferred sweetener (optional)

• Ice (for iced version)

Step 1: Grind the Tea

Using a clean coffee grinder, add 2 teaspoons of tea and hold for about 5 seconds. You don’t want a fine powder, just a slightly broken leaf that will extract quickly.

Step 2: Prep the Portafilter

Line your portafilter with a paper liner to prevent small tea particles from slipping through. Add 2 teaspoons of your ground tea.

Step 3: Pull the Tea-Spresso

Pull a 150 ml extraction of “tea-spresso” over 25 seconds into a spouted vessel. This concentrated tea shot will serve as the base for your Lavender London Fog.

Step 4: Sweeten (Optional)

Add your preferred sweetener directly into the tea-spresso while it’s hot, stir to ensure it dissolves smoothly.

Step 5: Build Your Drink

For an Iced London Fog:

• Fill a glass with ice.

• Add your preferred milk to half of the glass.

• Pour in the tea-spresso on top.

• Stir well and enjoy
  

For a Hot Lavender London Fog:

• Steam your milk (or dairy alternative).

• Pour the hot milk into your mug.

• Top with the tea-spresso.

• Stir and enjoy!

Why This Works

By treating tea like espresso, you unlock bold flavours while keeping the rich character of the leaf. The creamy notes of Lavender Earl Grey Cream shine beautifully in this method, creating a London Fog that’s as comforting as it is elevated.

Explore our black teas here!