Is there anything better than curling up with a hot cup of tea on a cold day? One of my favorite tea blends is Russian Caravan—that name coupled with the smokiness of the tea itself conjures images of travelers huddled around a campfire, wagons and tents pitched nearby. I imagine they’re sharing food and stories, tired from a long day on the road, but excited about their ongoing adventure.
You can buy preblended Russian Caravan tea, but making this tea blend yourself is very easy! Russian Caravan tea is a mix of Oolong, Keemun, and Lapsong Souchang teas. All you must do is mix the three teas together in the following proportions: 2/5 oolong, 2/5 keemun, and 1/5 Lapsong Souchong. Lapsong Souchang may be the smallest out of the three components, but it gives the tea blend its signature smoky flavor without being as overwhelming (in my opinion) as it is in its pure form.
So now you have the Russian Caravan blend, but we’re not done! There’s the matter of brewing the tea.
In my debut novel, The House of Frost and Feathers, Baba Zima is very specific about how her tea is prepared. When one of the assistants or The Hands makes tea for her, they pour a small amount of a concentrated brew of Russian Caravan tea intro a saucer and then dilute it with hot water from the samovar. Depending on her mood, she may then sweeten it with some sugar, even sipping the tea through a sugar cube. Marisha sweetens her tea by adding a spoonful or two of sour cherry jam. Olena prefers a touch of lemon along with a spoonful of sugar.
✨🫖Brew Russian Caravan Tea with a samovar🫖✨
- Make a concentrated brew of Russian Caravan tea by steeping two spoonfuls of the tea leaves into hot water and letting it sit for ten minutes.
- Add a small amount (10 ml) of the concentrated tea to a cup.
- Top it up with hot water from a samovar (or a kettle if you don’t have a samovar.)
✨🫖Brew Russian Caravan Tea with a kettle🫖✨
- Steep 1-2 tablespoons of tea leaves in tea kettle for 3-5 minutes depending on how strong you enjoy your tea.
- Strain into a teacup.
However you prepare it, you can sweeten it to your taste. Adding milk is uncommon, but I quite like it (don’t tell Baba Zima!).
Enjoy!
