Give Yourself a Royal Treat By Sipping Queen Elizabeth’s Favorite Tea—and Making It Just the Way Her Majesty Would

Afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace is probably a bit fancier than your own midday caffeine ritual, but the brand of tea is pretty easy to acquire.

As Town & Country reports, Twinings has been the official tea provider for the royal family since Queen Victoria assumed the throne in 1837. Though the company is tight-lipped about Queen Elizabeth II's favorite kind, former royal chef Darren McGrady has revealed it to be Earl Grey—with a little milk, but no sugar. If you’d like to follow suit, you can buy 100 bags of Earl Grey on Amazon for $13.

As for how to brew it like a Brit, steer clear of the microwave. Twinings director of corporate relations (and member of the Twining family) Stephen Twining told Town & Country that you should swish hot water around your kettle (or pot) to warm it up, dump that out, and then fill the container with cold water. As soon as it comes to a boil, fill your cup and let it steep for as long as the instructions recommend. Removing the bag prematurely might result in too mild a taste, while over-steeping could give you a slightly bitter beverage. Just because the queen skips the sugar bowl doesn’t mean you have to avoid it, too. According to Twining, “You must enjoy it the way you like it.”

Perhaps the reason Queen Elizabeth II prefers unsweetened tea is because she’s known to drink it with a slice of chocolate biscuit cake on the side. So can you—McGrady has also shared the details of that recipe.