and things went downhill from there

I was dubious at first, but one sip turned me into a convert. The preparation did not inspire confidence at all. She poured in a couple centimetres of syrup, topped it up with freshly-steamed milk and then dropped in a tea bag with the instructions that I should "let it steep for a few minutes" before I drank it.

Naturally the tea did not steep as well in steamed milk as it would have in boiling water, but I think that lent something to the subtly of the drink's flavour.