Russian Caravan Tea
Can anyone make some recommends of Russian Caravan teas to try?
My roommate and I adore the Caravan tea from Andrews & Dunham but we’re starting to run a little low. We don’t want to repurchase the whole Series 3 so we’re looking to trying caravan teas from other companies?
The darker and more smokey, the better. Thanks everyone!
Murchie’s Tea makes a very nice Russian Caravan blend that isn’t overly smokey.
http://www.murchies.com/wwww/coffee.php?wCat=tea&sCat=3&lst=long (scroll down, it’s just over half-way down the page)
and it is SO GOOD! Mind you I only had a sample while in the store, but it was enough to entice me to put it on my shopping list.
White August makes a really good Russian Caravan
http://www.whiteaugusttea.com/products/Russian-Caravan.html
Upton’s has a finest Russian Caravan that is pretty good-but not very smoky. Samovar’s also has one as well…
Russian Caravan can be another term for Lapsang Souchong. A lot of companies use the sames interchangeably.
The name Russian Caravan actually refers to the story of the origin of Lapsang Souchong. The story is about how there was a war in China, and the tea traders had to dry their tea leaves quickly to avoid the invading force. So they smoked the tea over pine embers, put it on the caravan and sent it to Russia. Hence Russian Caravan tea.
‘Choice’ makes a good russian caravan but I haven’t tried any others, so I’m not sure how it compares!
The Russian Tea Room in San Francisco traditionally used Czar Nicholas ll (Blue) from a company in Sacramento that still exists…they also make a red label Czar Nicholas Valentine. What is done at times for dessert (a Russian Orthodox Priest in Saratoga,CA did this when preparing tea for me) sour cherry preserves are put in the teacup with a spoon…(several tablespoons full of jam) and you sip and nibble jam from the spoon. Delightful! You can purchase both on Amazon and elsewhere.
Bonnie,
We have some red label Czar Nicholas tea, my boyfriend loves it! You can buy it in San Francisco on Clement Street. It has a bit too much bergamot for me.
Jenny, as for Russian Caravan, he got a really good one at the Tea House Covent Garden, lots of dark smooth black tea and not much smoke – BUT that’s in England. Oh well…
The Carävan thunders onward! The hardest rocking tea returns:
http://damnfinetea.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=15
(end of sales pitch guitar solo)
I think each russian caravan is very different. I have tried very sweet and citrucy ones with bergamot without any hints of smoke! I tried really smokey ones, like someone just soaked the leaves in some smoke like chemicals! And then I tried real expansive ones, like Caravan Triad by Brooklyn Tea Blends, which I recently bought on amazon. So I think just go with any blend that has good quality lapsang souchong in it.
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