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Back to the grind of reviews on this Tuesday evening, we come to Simpson & Vail’s Smoky Siberian Blend. This blend is a mixture of black teas from multiple countries highlighted by the smokiness of lapsang souchong. Compared to Simpson & Vail’s Russian Caravan Tea, which, in truth, is actually more of a Russian Earl Grey, this blend is more of a traditional Russian caravan blend.

I prepared this tea using my familiar one step Western infusion. I steeped 1 teaspoon of loose tea leaves in 8 ounces of 212 F water for 3 minutes. I also tried slightly longer infusions of 4 and 5 minutes, and of course, I will comment on those briefly. No additional infusions were attempted.

At first glance, the dry leaf blend appears to comprise mostly broken leaves, though I also noted the presence of a not inconsiderable amount of crushed leaves (dust and fannings). Clearly this is the type of tea one may wish to strain prior to serving. I don’t mind sediment though. A quick sniff of the leaves revealed a mild smokiness and woodiness. After infusion, the liquor showed a dark, rich copper in the cup. Mild, integrated aromas of smoke, pine, toast, cream, and malt were present on the nose. In the mouth, I easily detected a somewhat smoother than expected blend of smoke, pine, toast, cream, malt, caramel, and almond flavors underscored by a faint citrus fruitiness. The finish was mild, offering a lingering and effective juxtaposition of smoky/woody and sweet/fruity flavors. The slightly longer infusions produced a maltier, nuttier liquor with a more pronounced citrus character and a somewhat subtler smokiness.

This blend is a little better than I expected it to be. Oddly, the presence of crushed leaf did not really impart much in the way of bitterness or astringency to this blend. Instead, this is an approachable, layered blend in which the lapsang souchong is not overpowering. While I tend to prefer Russian caravan blends that have a more upfront lapsang smokiness, the easy drinking affability displayed by this one is still pretty admirable. I think this would be a solid introduction to Russian caravan teas or a good Russian-style blend for those squeamish about lapsang souchong.