Russian Caravan Tea

I don’t know how I forgot to add this to my cupboard but oh well! This blend is special to me because the scent reminds me of my Grandfather (he is still with us, it’s not morbid but just nostalgic!). That being said, I have to agree with a lot of the other notes…

This blend is more of a Russian Earl Grey rather than a Russian Caravan. Luckily, I like both. I tend to enjoy smokier teas though I don’t own many at the moment. This blend is a bit bolder than a traditional Earl Grey but I wouldn’t say that it is that smoky. Faintly, yes but it is rather nice.

I still can’t get over the fact that I have never spoken about this tea before! I love this blend and I think that I have been drinking it for around three years now. Yes, because my original start on Instagram and my old blog was back in 2019 and I think I found S&V in January of 2020 so… yeah. Pretty cool. I love it iced, cold brewed, as a latte, or hot with a touch of honey!

More like Russian Earl Gray, bergamont comes through over a nice quality black. Not a hint of smokiness whatsover- which may be good news for some. Despite the exotic notes by the maker, I just get bergamont/citrus. Not terrible, not great.

So, for those of you who may not know, Simpson & Vail is one of the most established tea merchants in the United States, having been around in one form or another since the turn of the twentieth century. They are still going strong today and continue to be renowned for their numerous high quality blended teas. This Russian caravan blend is one of the company’s original blends, having first been formulated at some point in the early 1900s. If one were to compare this blend to other Russian-style blends, however, one would notice something unique about this blend immediately. It does not contain any lapsang souchong. Rather, it is a mix of black teas with a dash of Earl Grey added for additional character. Think of it as something like Kusmi Tea’s Russian blends, only lighter, simpler, and more restrained.

In the glass, the infused liquor shows a clear, dark amber. Mild, layered aromas of leather, tobacco, caramel, cocoa, honey, toast, malt, lemon zest, and bergamot are most noticeable on the nose, though if I really focus, I also get subtle impressions of sweet potato, plum, orange, and apricot. In the mouth, the tea is nicely balanced, offering smooth notes of honey, toast, malt, molasses, mild cocoa, leather, tobacco, and caramel underscored by subtler notes of lemon zest, bergamot, sweet potato, orange, plum, and apricot. The finish is mild, and to me, a little clipped, with pleasant citrus, stone fruit, honey, malt, toast, and leather notes.

Okay, so this is really mild compared to the Russian blends available from many other vendors, and the fact that this is labeled a Russian caravan blend is a little misleading since it lacks the smokiness and woodiness of traditional Russian caravan teas. It is, however, both unique and pleasant. Overall, it is a subtler-than-expected blend with a nice layering of aromas and flavors. I rather like it and would recommend it to those looking for an afternoon tea with a little bit of kick, but without a ton of sharpness and astringency. Just don’t expect a heavy, smoky blend.

This tea is not bad and not incredible, it falls somewhere in between. It is not, however, a traditional Russian Caravan blend, which I didn’t realize when I bought it. It is really a Russian Earl Grey with bergamot added. It has a relatively nice lemony citrus taste to it. I wouldn’t rush out to buy more, I will probably finish it before it goes bad in about two years or so of storage. Fans of Earl Grey might really like this tea.

I brewed this once in an 18oz teapot with 3 tsp leaf and boiling water for 3 min.