Solstice Russian Caravan Loose Leaf Tea (8 ounce Bulk Bag); Specialty Hand-Blended Tea from Oolong, Assam, and Lapsang Souchong; Makes 90+ Cups of Tea

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.

Russian Caravan is a strong black tea that has a smooth smoky flavor. It is most delicious when served sweetened and with cream. A must try for black tea lovers.

My mom jokes that this tea smells like Home Depot for the strong woody/smoky aromas but the taste is so good! It’s smooth and not bitter in the slightest if brewed following their directions. I love it with oat milk and a tablespoon of sugar but I did as the other reviewer suggested and tried it with a pinch of salt and it’s really good too! You get a lot of tea for the cost, no reason not to try it if you’re curious! If you like really strong teas/coffee like Irish/Scottish Breakfast (Assam) or don’t mind the overly smoky Lapsang Souchong notes you’ll keep coming back for more.

I was searching for a daily drinker that wasn't as expensive as the Russian Caravan blend I'd been drinking. This sort of worked. The tea they sent me is delicious, but it didn't have that signature bite of smoke that I was hoping for. Fortunately, it's such a large bag that all I had to do was add a pouch of lapsang souchong and it evened out perfectly. I will definitely buy again, but if you're looking for a hearty smoke flavor, you're going to want to add more lapsang souchong.

This is my favorite tea blend. I’ve had other manufacturers’ Russian Caravan Tea (over the years), and they paled in comparison when it came to flavor and aroma. Unfortunately it is a product that is blended in batches, so availability has been spotty on occasion throughout the years. I’ve taken to having having a couple of orders on hand in my larder, so I don’t run out. It’s quite smoky and not to everyone’s taste. My wife refers to it as my morning cup of campfire...

This tea has a great flavor to me. The smokey flavor is a plus because it harkens to the Samovar experience I would assume. Anyway, I like it. It just doesn't last very long for the price.

I have been drinking this half lb bag of Russian Caravan for a few days now. I brew it with an in-cup steeper, and boiling water, for exactly 5 minutes. The brew is consistent cup to cup, and is an excellent flavor. I really like my caffeine, so it was a nice surprise to see on the bag a clear label of "High caffeine content 50-75mg per cup." Really? NICE! So that means this tea has about as much caffeine as coffee. I'll qualify that by saying that yes, I know there are lots of coffee beverages that are over 75mg caffeine per serving, but still, to find this in a black tea at this price is fantastic. Just have to remember that even though it's tea, it's best not to have this one too late in the day, or you'll have trouble sleeping.

After reading reviews this seemed to be a good Russian Caravan tea. It is not and maybe should be named something else. There is barely a hint of smoke in its taste. Very disappointed.