All aboard the Russian Caravan
Posted by Anita on Mar 01, 2015
In Russia today tea is drunk by 80% of the population and one of the country's most interesting teas is known as Russian Caravan.
Today, Russian Caravan is a strong, dark, smoky tea with some malty undertones. It was originally a blend made only of Chinese teas whose character was changed during the long journey it endured from China to Russia. Long ago, before the days of faster transport, traders spent months travelling all the way from China into Russia on a route often referred to as the Silk Road. Traders would travel with caravans of camels and horses laden with silks, furs and tea ready to be delivered to the Russian upper-classes. When the traders rested by the bonfire so too would their tea and so over the many months, the tea would absorb the smoke from the bonfires changing its character to create a tea with a smoky flavour - which the Russians loved and named 'caravan tea'.
So the traders continued to leave their tea in the smoke of bonfires, some say that even today there are still people who allow their tea to be engulfed by the smoke of fires in the very places where the traders camped. However, for those of us who don't have a camel, campfire or time, we've managed to recreate this wonderful smoky blend using Lapsang Souchong, a matly Assam and a lovely, bright Ceylon tea.