Organic Russian Caravan Tea

Best Russian Caravan ever had. Strong but not overwhelming, with more notes and complexity than Lapsang Souchong (though their L-S is great for those days desiring the extra kick). The R-C blend is brilliant; so happy to see them venturing into blending.

I’ve gotten russian tea from other companies online, and they were never able to get it right. The best I’ve had, even better than the stuff at this Russian food festival

I bought the tea hoping it would be something very different from the Golden Monkey, White Peony and Black Snail I’ve favored for the last year. From the moment I opened the bag, I knew it would be spectacular. The aroma of smoke fills the air and floats over the cuppa. It’s great at the end of the day because it’s rich flavor brings focus to one’s senses and work troubles are left behind.

This is a fine and carefully made Russian Caravan-style blend, although not quite the one the company’s description led me to expect. On the website it is presented as the familiar combination of lapsang souchong, jade oolong, and Keemun black tea. The package I received, however, lists Wuyuan black instead. That is not a trivial substitution, and it makes itself known in the cup.

The blend remains recognizably within the Caravan tradition—smoke present, structure intact, and the teas evidently chosen with care—but it arranges those elements differently. The lapsang is handled with restraint, lending atmosphere without dominating the cup, while the Wuyuan black takes on some of the work one would normally expect from Keemun. There is a faint fruity-floral undercurrent just beneath the surface, enough to keep the blend from turning austere, but it is subtler and less defined than the stewed-fruit or blossom notes Keemun often brings. The result is not a loss of nuance so much as a shift in how that nuance is expressed.

All of this gives the tea a different bearing. Where a more traditional Keemun-led Caravan often gathers toward darker tones and a more inward, evening-facing character, this one keeps to a brighter register. It feels more like the polo lounge than the club room: still polished, still composed, still touched by smoke and old-world formality, but more clearly lit, less inclined to brood, and carried with a certain ease.

That ease proves to be one of its virtues. Unlike some heavier Caravan blends, this one recommends itself across the day. It is light-footed enough for afternoon drinking, yet retains enough presence to serve as a satisfying evening cup when one does not want the fuller, more meditative weight of a stronger blend. It occupies a middle ground that is often harder to achieve than it sounds.

I cannot quite set aside the discrepancy between the description and the composition, as Keemun is not an incidental part of the traditional profile. But judged as the tea in the cup rather than the tea described on the site, this is an enjoyable and well-mannered blend: smoky without excess, nuanced without insistence, and marked by a refinement more polished than brooding. Not the classic form, then, but a capable and appealing variation on it.

Love all the teas I’ve gotten from LRT, but my faves are the smoky blends, Russian Caravan and Lapsang Souchong. Fabulous rich aroma and flavor.

Smoked tea was new for me an I wasn’t sure I would like it. Turns out it is every bit as warming and delicious as advertised!

Smoky and complex and wonderful

The Organic Russian Caravan is among the best versions of this blend that we have tried. It's smokier than most, leaving a rich, luxuriant aftertaste. This is a great tea for morning charge-up or as a later-day treat.

Without question this is one of the best, if not the very best Russian Caravan blend I have ever had. Full, strong, pleasantly smoky, solid, sturdy tea. Bought the smaller amount to try it out but will be ordering a full pound very soon. The tea's description says it is good for cold winter days, but this particular blend will become a staple in my kitchen year round.

I love this tea: the tea leaves are fresh and you can differentiate the ones used to make the blend. I always receive a handwritten thank you note from Mike who packs the tea (& an annual lunar new year postcard!). Highly recommend purchasing from the Little Red Tea Cup Co.