Have you ever tried cold brewing your Earl Grey tea directly in milk? If you’ve struggled to make a creamy iced Earl Grey milk tea at home, it’s likely because standard brewing methods require a lot of water and ice that instantly dilute the final drink.

By using an overnight cold-brew method inspired by Japanese royal milk tea, you eliminate the dilution problem! It’s the secret to a cold-brewed milk tea that’s creamy, flavorful, and smooth (no bitterness). Best of all, it’s insanely easy to make.

Here’s how to make a delicious cold brew Earl Grey milk tea at home!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• No Diluted Tasting Tea: By steeping tea in milk, the tea remains rich and full-bodied from the first to last sip.
• Smooth and Creamy Flavor: Cold steeping the tea stops the release of bitter tannins, so the end brew is naturally smoother than its hot-brew alternatives.
• Super Easy Recipe Anyone Can Follow: This elevated method gives you a cafe-quality milk tea right in your home kitchen with minimal hands-on effort. Who doesn’t love an easy recipe you can set and forget?

Can You Cold Brew Earl Grey Milk Tea? 

Contrary to popular belief, you can cold brew tea in milk. The process is the same as cold brewing coffee: add the tea and milk together and let it steep overnight in the fridge. However, this method will give you more of a tea-flavored milk than a milk tea (if you catch my drift). Milk has more molecules (like protein, lactose, etc.) compared to water, so it’s less effective for osmosis, which shuttles flavor from the tea to the liquid.

So, to make the flavor stronger, I like to brew the tea in a little hot water to bloom it, which gives the finished brew a stronger flavor. 

By steeping your loose-leaf tea in a tiny splash of boiling water for a few minutes first, you fully hydrate the leaves. This draws out the water-soluble flavors and wakes up the bergamot oil (the fragrant Mediterranean citrus fruit that gives Earl Grey its signature floral flavor). Once bloomed, it’s easier for the tea to infuse into the cold milk overnight.

I’ve also brewed tea in hot milk, then let it cold brew overnight in the fridge. This way is also delicious (and how you brew royal milk tea), but it gives an evaporated milk flavor to it, which I like in royal milk tea, but not in Earl Grey milk tea. 

With the method in this recipe, you get a delicious, strong, and creamy milk tea that’s sooooo addictive and easy!

What Does Cold Brew Earl Grey Milk Tea Taste Like?

Unlike traditional hot-brewed milk teas, which can lean sharp or astringent if overbrewed, the cold-brew yields an incredibly rounded flavor profile. The cold brew version of Earl Grey milk tea is smooth and creamy with notes of citrus and vanilla. The bergamot flavor isn’t as strong, and reminds me of a tea creamsicle, slightly sweetened, or an Earl Grey pudding. It’s really unlike any regular milk tea you’ll have since this has more milk, which makes it more creamy. You could say it’s a strongly tea-flavored milk! 

There’s also a subtle malt flavor as well, which really enhances the drink.

Cold Brew Earl Grey Milk Tea: Ingredients You’ll Need

• 10g Loose-Leaf Earl Grey Tea: Use a high-quality loose leaf over commercial tea bags. Standard tea bags often use “tea dust,” which is broken fragments left behind from tea production, giving you a flat, bitter cup. Good for the company but not for taste. Whole loose leaves offer a much cleaner, more vibrant citrus note. It’s often not flavorful, flat, and brewed as a poor cup of tea. Use loose-leaf if you have it for a much better, fresher flavor! 
• 500g Fresh Milk: Whole dairy milk or a high-fat barista blend yields the creamiest result!
• 20-30g Brown Sugar: The molasses in brown sugar perfectly complements Earl Grey! It’s my sweetener of choice for milk tea.
• 60g Boiling Water: Just enough to expand and bloom the leaves, we don’t want to add too much water.

How to Make Cold Brew Earl Grey Milk Tea

1. Bloom Tea. In a heatproof jar or cup, add your Earl Grey tea and hot water and brew for 3-5 minutes. Do not remove the tea leaves after. 
2. Sweeten Tea. Add your brown sugar directly into the hot tea, stirring thoroughly with a spoon until completely dissolved.
3. Add Milk and Steep. Pour your cold milk directly into the sweet tea concentrate and mix until well-combined. Let the jar sit on your counter for 15 minutes to cool slightly, then seal the lid tight and place it in the refrigerator to steep overnight.
4. Strain and Serve. Take it out from the fridge and strain out the tea leaves before either drinking it immediately or sticking the milk tea back into the fridge to chill until ready to use.
5. Pour and enjoy!

Notes: If using tea bags, ensure the tea bag string is not completely submerged in the milk. Also, you’ll want to use more tea bags than this recipe might call for.  

Tips for the Best Earl Grey Cold Brew

• Don’t over-steep (can get bitter): Have you ever had milk tea that was bitter and astringent? That’s thanks to overstepped tea. The longer you let the tea brew, the more bitterness and astringency you’ll get. While it’s easier for it to happen when hot, it can also happen if you leave cold-brewed tea too long! Don’t forget about your tea!
• Add vanilla: Vanilla is one of the most popular and common pairings to have with Earl Grey milk tea. You can add a little bit for a flavor boost! To make it even fancier, you can cut and scrape vanilla bean seeds into your tea, heck, through the empty pod in too!
• Try oat milk: While I love dairy myself, oat milk is honestly a great milk to use for milk teas because it’s usually extremely creamy and has a great mouthfeel. Plus, the oat flavor works nicely with a bolder tea. 
• Use as base for drinks: I love using this cold-brewed milk tea for other drinks, like an iced matcha latte or iced latte. It’s strong and smooth, but doesn’t overpower other flavors, and when mixed with matcha or coffee, the flavor changes completely! 

Substitutions and Variations

• Make it vegan: No milk? No problem. Swap it with your favorite non-dairy plant-based alternative milk. Try to use a milk that’s more creamy or has more fat in it for the best texture. Also use one that has a more natural flavor; something like almond or soy milk will have a strong taste. 
• London Fog twist: Who doesn’t love a London fog? You can make a cold brew London fog by adding either vanilla or lavender syrup, depending on what you consider a London fog. 
• Make it sugar-free: Omit the sugar from the recipe or use a sugar-free sweetener if you still want it to taste sweet but not spike your blood sugar. This tea is fantastic unsweetened, too, and it’s easier to control the amount of sugar when adding it to the brewed tea rather than before. 
• Make it dirty: Did you know you can also cold brew coffee in milk? Add coarsely ground coffee into the milk tea before you put it in the fridge. You’ll end up with a cold brew coffee and milk tea mix that’s super delicious and bold.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much caffeine is in Earl Grey milk tea?

Because Earl Grey has a black tea base, a single serving can contain up to 75 mg of caffeine, which is slightly more than a standard shot of espresso.

Can I make this with Earl Grey tea bags?

Yes. If you don’t have loose-leaf tea, you can substitute it with 3 to 4 premium Earl Grey tea bags (double the amount of loose-leaf). To maximize flavor, gently snip the bags open and let the tea leaves soak freely in the liquid, filtering them out with your sieve at the end. If you keep them in the bags, ensure the strings hang outside the jar lid so they don’t fall into the milk.

How long does cold brew Earl Grey last?

Stored in a tightly sealed container in the fridge, this cold brew milk tea will last up to 1 week in the fridge, but it’s best consumed within 3-4 days for maximum flavor and freshness. Once the milk tea starts to go bad, you’ll know. The texture will turn gloopy, and it will smell badddd. 

Can I drink it unsweetened?

Yes! Just make sure to omit the sugar in the beginning so that you make an unsweetened cold brew milk tea. It tastes crisp, flavorful, and milky! You can always add sugar to your own cup before drinking. As I always say, you can always add more, but you can’t take it away.

Other Cold Brew Drinks You’ll Love

Making cold brew milk tea is so easy, and once you practice the method, you can swap out the teas to make all kinds of cold brew milk teas.

You can use a similar approach to perfect a classic, Japanese royal milk tea or play with brighter, floral flavors by making a fragrant Jasmine matcha latte.

You can also adapt this method to your morning coffee routine. If you want a luxurious texture, make a Japanese milk brew coffee, where you steep coffee grounds in milk overnight.

For a fruitier afternoon pick-me-up that stays crisp on a hot day, make a refreshing cold brew peach jasmine green tea!

No matter which drink you choose next, cold brewing makes your drinks stay bold, smooth, and completely un-watered down.