About Imperial Russian Caravan - Chinese Black Tea Blend

Our Imperial Russian Caravan is a smoky blend of premium Chinese Black teas. The tea is named for the trade relationship between China and Russia. Trade between the two empires began centuries ago. Caravans of 300 camels would travel the 11,000 mile journey taking 16 months or longer. The tea in the packs on the camels' backs most certainly aged and absorbed some of the aromas of the journey - one being the smoke from the fires the caravan drivers would make every night to cook their food and keep ferocious animals away.

Contemporary Russian Caravan teas have a smoked black tea in the mix rather than the more historic tradition of the slow exposure to campfire smoke and camel sweat. We add our organic Lapsang Souchong, which comes from the original and legendary Lapsang farm in the Wuyi Mountains of the Fujian Province in China. This tea is of orthodox manufacture and during the process it is smoked over indigenous pine logs. We blend it with full leaf teas from the Fujian, Yunnan and Anhui provinces of China to make this superior blend.

A Few Words On Taste
The liquor has a delicate smoky aroma and flavor with notes of malt and oak. Beautiful tannic structure, full body and silky smooth mouth-feel with a sweet finish. It can be drunk alone or with milk and/or a preferred natural sweetener.

Brewing Instructions

1. Fill your kettle with freshly drawn water from the purest available source.
2. Heat the water to boiling.
3. Measure approximately 1 rounded tsp. of tea per 6-8 ounces of water.
4. Place the tea in your preferred brewing vessel: teapot, gaiwan, Yi-Xing pot, filter basket, large tea ball, etc.
5. Pour the heated water over the tea and steep for 3-5 minutes
   (if a longer time is allowed the tea will become bitter), then
   serve.

Ingredients: Lapsang Souchong*, Golden Monkey, Keemun* and Yunnan Gold Chinese black teas (*denotes organically grown) . Contains caffeine.