Profile : Organic Russian Caravan
Loose - Organic - Specialty Tea
March 5, 2019
CUP CHARACTERISTICS: Memories of camel trains across the desert. Full flavored with distinct notes of pine and hickory smoke.
Ingredients: Black tea* *Organic Certified Organic by Pro-Cert Organic Systems
INGREDIENTS FROM: India / China
REGION(S): Assam + Nilgiri / Fujian
SHIPPING PORT(S): Calcutta + Haldia + Cochin / Fuzhou
GROWING ALTITUDES: 500 - 6500 feet above sea level
GRADE(S): OP (Orange Pekoe)
MANUFACTURE TYPE(S): Orthodox (Traditional leafy)
ANTIOXIDANT LEVEL: High
CAFFEINE LEVEL: Medium
VEGETARIAN: Yes
VEGAN: Yes
INFUSION: Bright cup with hints of coppery orange
INFORMATION:
Presenting
a tea that owes as much to politics and diplomacy as it does tea
husbandry. The existence of Russian Caravan, a smoky blend of black
teas, (traditionally comprised only of Chinese teas, in ours a blend of
Chinese and Indian) is the direct result of a 1689 treaty between Qing
Dynasty China and Russia. The treaty brought an end to decades of border
conflict between Russian Cossacks and the Manchu people of Northern
China. As part of the treaty, Russia agreed to give up its expansionist
push eastward to the Sea of Japan, but gained direct trading access to
Beijing. The treaty forever changed the way business was done between
the two countries and produced a famous tea blend in the process.
The
trail from the Chinese border to Russia covered more than 6000 km,
(3728 miles) through harsh and unforgiving mountain passes, deserts and
rivers. Caravans comprised of horses, camels, mules and men took more
than a year and a half to complete the journey with many men and beasts
perishing along the way. Even so, the route was a popular and lucrative
one - in 1696 alone more than 50,000 rubles worth of furs made the
voyage, a fortune in today's dollars. In addition to furs, one of the
most important commodities on the trail was Chinese tea, imported to
fulfill Russia's growing demand. As can be imagined, the tea took quite a
beating on the grueling trip and often had an entirely different
character by the time it was unloaded in Moscow. One of the most notable
was the rich flavor of smoke, absorbed from a year and a half of
campfires along the caravan trail.
Russians grew to love the smoky
tea and dubbed it caravan tea. Eventually, with the advent of rail
travel, the old trading routes died out and with them, the naturally
smoked tea. To compensate, tea blenders began to create blends of
Lapsang and other black teas to fill the void. Our Organic Russian
Caravan tea is a stunning example of the finest of these recipes. The
heady mixture of Lapsang, Assam and South Indian teas offers an
assertive cup with smoky depth rounded by thick notes of malt and a long
finish. To diplomacy!