Updated review 8/20/2020: I decided to give it another try, and I’m glad I did! It tastes exactly like what the description leads you expect: a mild smokiness, and a balanced flavor between bold (assam) and light (oolong). What I really like about this blend (this batch, at least) that I didn’t expect, is a nice, cozy malty layer. I used 2.6 grams (a little less than a tablespoon) with full-boiling water steeped 5 minutes. That’s about the amount in a typical tea bag, but the fuller the leaf, it will need to be brewed a little longer because it has less surface area.
This bag contains plenty of full leaf tea, at least at the top (naturally, if you ship it in a bag, there will be more broken pieces that settle). I might suggest the manufacturer inflate the bag with some nitrogen to cushion it during shipping, but for the price, I don’t mind if some gets a little crushed.
Prior review, January 2020:
I think I got the dregs. (See update!)
My favorite way to drink Russian Caravan is sweetened, with a good amount of milk or cream, and a pinch of salt! The milk and salt give it a buttery flavor, and along with the smoke, it brings me old memories of my mornings sipping yak butter tea in the hills of Dharamsala. If the salt sounds weird to you, think of the little bit of salt in hot chocolate. Give it a try sometime!
I was so excited at first to find an affordable replacement for my beloved Choice brand Russian Caravan tea. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this purchase. The smoke was very light, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, depending on your preference, but too light for my liking. The remaining tea flavor seems very thin to me, even using a generous portion, 2 grams (about two teaspoons) for a mug of tea. Not the bold, hearty brew I’m accustomed to in black tea. Maybe the Choice brand I was used to had more assam and less oolong.
The bag I received had an awful lot of crushed leaves, a lot more than I expected from my experience with other loose teas. The particles are not so small that a lot escapes the infuser. It was shipped in a padded envelope, which was probably not adequate protection (fulfilled by Amazon).
I noticed that this item has gone out of stock. The Lapsang Souchong by the same company seems to have consistently good reviews, so maybe I just got a bad batch that had been sitting around too long.
Update June 2020: The seller, Soulstice Trader, replied immediately to my enquiry and cheerfully refunded my purchase. Great customer service! I am trying to decide whether to take a chance on the Russian Caravan again, or go to the even smokier Lapsang Souchong.
loose leaf keemun black tea (50%) and loose leaf China Young Hyson Green Tea (50%)
