Caravan of Camel - Image via Squiddo.com
Last night, I published a post on tea trade via clipper ships. Today, it’s tea trade via camels. I’m really on this historical tea trade kick. Anyway, one of my favorite cold weather tea is Russian Caravan tea (sometimes referred to as Lapsang Souchong, although Lapsang is an entirely different tea in itself…). It is the perfect tea for a crisp, fall day. It’s warm, smoky and savory…almost like smoked meat in the form of tea. It’s a black tea, so it can handle milk and sugar but I prefer to drink it plain. Actually, I can’t imaging sweetening a smoky and savory tea. When I first took a whiff of this type of tea, I immediately thought of a bonfire and roasted, toasted wood. If you haven’t tried it, now is the perfect time. Here is a bit of history…
True Russian Caravan tea is from China. It is a mixture of
Image via twinnings.com
straight-up tea leaves (no flavorings or fruit) from the camellia sinensis tea plant and has Lapsang souchong, oolong and keemum teas in it’s blend. Here is the cool part, though—back in the 18th century, camel caravans handled the rough terrain and journey between the tea producing hot spots better than man alone. The camels were of huge help in the tea trade business and assisted traders in carrying the tea on a six thousand mile journey from the border of China to Russia.
Russian Caravan Tea - Image via culinarydelights.com
