The basic formula for a café au lait is to use equal parts coffee, or in this case black tea and steamed milk (I used 1% to keep the decadence all in my head and not on my waistline).

To make the tea, add seven teaspoons lavender earl grey tea (for plain black tea, add a scant teaspoon of edible dried lavender as well) per six cups hot water.

Let the tea steep for about 3 minutes, then remove the tea leaves.

Reserve the tea and heat the milk (I used a frother, but heating the milk on the stove works just fine). Au lait bowls add authenticity and drama (but mugs would work well).

While the milk heats add one tablespoon honey to the bowl. Then add one cup of the hot tea. Stir.

When the milk is warm, pour one cup of foamed milk in over the tea.

For decoration, drizzle a very thin stream of honey over the foam (this won’t work if there’s no foam). Then sprinkle with a little more of the edible lavender. So good, so unexpected, so gorgeous.