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“Thought I’d give smokey teas a try again with this one. Still not loving it. My feelings about it have nothing to do with quality of tea, so I’m sure this is a good quality Russian Caravan. It...” Read full tasting note
“The tea is a dark brown with deep red undertones. It smells like the dried leaves did. It is like someone stuck a campfire in the tea cup. Breathing it in it is as though you are sitting right in...” Read full tasting note
“Vodka may be #1, but I will take this over it any day, any time, anywhere. A wonderful tea that both demands your attention and provides quiet companionship that does not intrude. I love the smoky...” Read full tasting note
A classic smoked black tea, made with a blend of lapsang souchong and other black teas. Russian Caravan is not actually from Russia, however it was made popular along the trade route from China to Russia.
The Lapsang Souchong in the blend gives the hint of mystery. In the days of the camel trains across Asia this mysterious character was absorbed on the trail from evening campfires or from the camels themselves. Imagine for a moment the starry nights on the plains of Asia enroute with your precious cargo of tea to the opulent courts of St. Petersburg. You are hunkering down under your blanket and sipping tea fit for a king while trying to ward off the cold bite in the night air.
During the Czar’s time tea was the most important drink after vodka. In fact, even today the tradition continues as Russia and the CIS are major consumers of tea in world terms. Their tastes have changed over the years but light bright flavorful teas are still in high demand in Russia. Quite often the tea is thrown into a pot and allowed to simmer and steep all day; evidence of this custom can be seen in the Russian samovar – the ideal means of serving tea Russian style. This is one reason you need a light liquoring tea with flavor to be considered for Russian Caravan Tea.
This tea is not for everyone, but those who have found a love for it will accept no substitute. It is also lower in caffeine then other black teas.
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Thought I’d give smokey teas a try again with this one. Still not loving it. My feelings about it have nothing to do with quality of tea, so I’m sure this is a good quality Russian Caravan. It has all to do with taste. It must be an acquired taste or something that just hits some people right. I’ll be passing this on to my dad who loves a good lapsang souchong.
The tea is a dark brown with deep red undertones. It smells like the dried leaves did. It is like someone stuck a campfire in the tea cup. Breathing it in it is as though you are sitting right in front of a fire. The tea is warm, not heat warm or spice warm. It has a flavor profile that is warm and makes you feel warm from the inside out. This would not be a tea that would make a lot of sense to try to make into an iced tea because of this warm flavor. It does sort of taste like drinking smoke. All the flavor of campfire or barbecue smoke is mixed up in the flavors of this drink. It’s not a sweet taste, although the start of it could be considered a little sweet, moving down into the a nutty and light flavor. This is a very thick tea, it sits heavy in your stomach. At the same time, it is surprisingly smooth.
For more information and pictures see below.
http://teasnobbery.com/2010/10/29/tea-review-russian-caravan-from-nm-tea-co/
Vodka may be #1, but I will take this over it any day, any time, anywhere. A wonderful tea that both demands your attention and provides quiet companionship that does not intrude. I love the smoky quality of a good Russian Caravan and this one definitely does not disappoint. It’s balanced.
Do smokey teas taste like bacon or campfire or both?
A little of both. This one had a bit more bacon :)