In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a rolling boil over medium heat.
Once the water is boiling, remove it from heat. Add the black tea leaves or tea bags to the hot water and let it steep for approximately 5 minutes.
After steeping the tea, incorporate the fresh peppermint leaves into the mixture and let them steep together for an additional 3 minutes.
Carefully strain the tea into a clean pot or pitcher to remove the leaves and peppermint.
In a separate saucepan, gently heat the milk over low to medium heat until it's warmed through but not boiling. Stir in the vanilla extract if desired.
Pour the warm milk into the peppermint tea infusion and sweeten with honey or sugar according to your taste preferences. Stir well.
Carefully pour the peppermint milk tea into individual cups and top each cup with whipped cream if desired.
Sprinkle crushed peppermint candies over the whipped cream for garnish.
Notes
For an appealing display, serve the tea in clear glass mugs and consider drizzling some melted chocolate on top of the whipped cream.