📖 Instructions

1. Gather your ingredients: you'll need water, an Earl Grey tea bag (or loose leaf tea), honey (or your preferred sweetener), milk (dairy or non-dairy), and lemon (optional).
2. Heat the water: Pour 1 cup of fresh, cold water into a small saucepan. Bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Avoid letting it come to a rolling boil, as this can make the tea taste bitter. I've made that mistake before, and trust me, it's not a pleasant experience.
3. Steep the tea: Once the water is simmering, remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the Earl Grey tea bag (or 1 teaspoon of loose leaf tea) to the hot water. Let it steep for 3-5 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea. Remember, steeping it for too long can also lead to bitterness.
4. Remove the tea bag (or strain the tea): After steeping, carefully remove the tea bag from the saucepan, squeezing gently to extract all the flavorful liquid. If using loose leaf tea, pour the tea through a fine-mesh sieve or strainer into your mug to remove the leaves.
5. Add honey (or sweetener): Stir in 1-2 teaspoons of honey (or your preferred sweetener) into the hot tea. Adjust the amount to your liking, tasting as you go. Everyone has different sweet preferences, so find what works best for you.
6. Warm the milk: In a separate small saucepan or in the microwave, warm ½ cup of milk (dairy or non-dairy). Be careful not to scald it. You want it warm, not boiling. Scalded milk has a weird flavor profile, trust me on this one.
7. Froth the milk (optional): If you have a milk frother, now is the time to use it! Frothing the milk will add a lovely, creamy texture to your elixir. If you don't have a frother, you can whisk the milk vigorously by hand or use an immersion blender. It’s not the end of the world if you skip this, but it def adds a lil sumthin' sumthin'.
8. Pour the milk into the tea: Gently pour the warm (and frothed, if you chose to froth it) milk into the mug of tea. Stir gently to combine. Watch how the milk swirls into the dark tea – it's kinda mesmerizing.
9. Add lemon (optional): If you like a little zest, squeeze a few drops of fresh lemon juice into your Earl Grey Elixir. Start with a small amount and add more to taste. A little lemon can brighten up the flavors beautifully, but too much can make it sour.
10. Stir and enjoy: Give your Earl Grey Elixir one final stir. Take a moment to inhale the aromatic blend of tea, honey, and milk. Then, take a sip and savor the warmth and flavor. Ahhhh, that's the good stuff. Sip slowly! Enjoy! You deserve it!