The London Fog’s History Is Anything But Clear

You’d be forgiven for thinking a London Fog—the tea latte with Earl Grey, steamed milk, and vanilla—originated in London. The city’s right in the name, after all. But in a caffeinated twist, the drink doesn’t originate anywhere near London. It was actually invented in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Well, according to lore.

Supposedly a pregnant woman named Mary Loria invented the drink in Vancouver in the mid-1990s. She wanted to have something without caffeine to replace her coffee habit during her pregnancy. So she stopped into the now-closed Buckwheat Café on Fourth Avenue. She ordered Earl Grey with skim milk, and then sprinkled on vanilla sugar. That brewed up the mixture that makes the London Fog we know today, according to the news site Vancouver is Awesome.

But many people find this story to be confusing, especially since London Fogs have caffeine in them—and because Mary Loria is not the only purported creator of the drink. Canadian outfit Grow Tea Company says that Island Coffeehouse in Langley, Washington, claims the invention because they made it pre–Mary Loria. They just used peppermint tea instead of Earl Grey. And in the early 2000s, Starbucks and other coffee shops in Calgary began offering the drink, seemingly of their own accord. Others claim that any allegiance the drink has to Canada is misplaced, and London Fogs were actually invented in the U.K.

“I have absolutely no idea when I found out about the drink or how. But everyone in my world knows it’s my drink order and has been for over a decade,” says Denver-based London Fog fanatic Johanna Voss. “Perhaps I’m obsessed because I’m 50 percent. My mom is from London so maybe it’s in my DNA.”(Voss sometimes has her London Fogs iced in the summer, but usually gets it made hot with frothy oat milk.)

A trip to Vancouver began a days-long search to find the true history of the London Fog. Was it, in fact, a pregnancy craving replacement? Or does it go deeper than that?

The search began at Guffo Café, just up the hill from Canada Place, the Port of Vancouver’s cruise terminal. Guffo opened in 2023. One of the baristas there is from England. He remembered selling London Fogs in the U.K., but didn’t know the origin story. The ’90s, though, seemed about the proper timeframe, he said. His advice? Go to Granville Island and ask the folks at the tea shop there.

The London Fog at Guffo’s comes sweet or unsweet, with a bit of an astringent finish on the palate. The cup has a big-eyed cartoon owl on it looking a bit tweaked out from all the caffeine. On the other side of the cup, the owl is in tree pose atop an espresso machine, looking awfully Zen.

Over in the Granville Island Public Market, at the Granville Island Tea Company shop, the cashier had no idea about the London Fog’s history. “Go ask Jayson at the loose-leaf counter,” she said. “He knows everything there is to know about tea.” Granville Island Tea Company opened in 1999, specializing in bulk loose-leaf tea and drinks from the tea bar. Choosing leaves here is like science, with binders full of tea flavors that can be mixed and matched and weighed out as you please from canisters on apothecary-style shelving.

Jayson, a tatted man with “TEA TIME” inked onto his fingers, did not know the origin of the London Fog. He did note, however, that there’s a drink called a Vancouver Fog. It’s a London Fog with a bit of lavender added. Jayson suggested checking with Murchie’s, a tea blender from British Columbia that opened in 1894. They have four Vancouver outposts.

The word on the street outside Granville Public Market, at least from Vancouver resident Nikki B., was that Murchie’s invented the London Fog. Nikki shared that she’s always known that to be truth, and has shared that knowledge with others. Nikki and Jayson may have been on to something. At long last, the tea latte’s history could theoretically be traced fully back to the original creators, Murchie’s Tea and Coffee. Except really, it couldn’t. Murchie’s tea director, AJ Ward, says the company had nothing to do with the creation of the drink.

“It’s a nice idea, but I don’t think so,” she said. Ward did a deep dive into the Murchie’s archive, reading old newsletters from the 1990s and flipping through old photos of the barsat different locations during that time period. Neither the newsletters nor the photos of old menus said anything about London Fogs. “I confirmed with someone who had been with the company since ’92, and [they’re] fairly sure tea lattes didn’t start showing up on the menu until sometime into the 2000s,” she said.

And mugs of discovery drained across Canada.

Perhaps Mary Loria, the “inventor” of the drink, could shed light on the actual history? “I began drinking London Fogs because I had severe morning sickness and couldn’t tolerate the smell or taste of coffee,” Loria told me over Instagram message. “I wanted something more rich like a latte. And Earl Grey was a flavor I could tolerate. I came up with the idea of the drink myself, I just asked the café to make me Earl Grey with steamed milk. They had vanilla sugar so I just used that.”

As for the claims from other coffee shops that they were the true creators? It’s possible, Loria says. “I am definitely not the first person in the world to think about adding milk to tea,” she said. “And I am sure there could have been other places that started making that drink without it ever being ordered by me. I think that more than one person can invent the same thing at the same time.” Loria says she no longer drinks London Fogs—she thinks they’re too sweet, though she does still love Earl Grey tea.

Regardless of where it was or wasn’t made, though, a London Fog will always remain a hug in a mug. And the drink is definitely having a moment. Pepperidge Farm’s current special cookie flavor is a London Fog Milano, which (from anecdotal experience) sells out almost immediately after it hits the grocery store shelves. London Fog flavors are everywhere, from doughnuts and ice cream to truffles and cocktails. The combination of bergamot and vanilla makes people feel a little fancy, too.

“London Fogs are soothing but still feel elevated,” said Alisa Dan, associate director of marketing and sales at Pitango Gelato, a family-owned company in the Washington, D.C. area. “[It’s] a great ‘gateway’ tea latte. It feels familiar and indulgent while still being kind of sophisticated.”

And that’s a gateway I’ll pass through anytime.