Russian Samovar

Long before black tea was imported from China and until the end of the 17 century, people living at the time of the czars had been drinking “Smitten’, a brew made with hot water, honey, and herbs. Today, tea is the most popular non-alcoholic drink in Russia. Our black tea blend, not to be confused with the Gruziya tea of former times, is based on an old Russian recipe and is perfectly suitable for being served from a samovar. A highly aromatic and, at the same time, soft tea with a very slight, smoky note.

Serving Size: 1 level tsp./6oz serving

Brew Temp: 203 to 212 degree F

Brew Time: 4 to 5 Minutes

2 Tasting Notes

Ellyn

I was excited to try this tea as I love a subtle smokey flavor. Russian blends often work well but a full on lapsang souchong can be too much. This tea has a much more delicate flavor then I was expecting. It tastes more like a basic black tea then anything with a smokey flavor. Maybe I can slightly pick up the smoke…nothing to exciting. It’s okay tea, made with good steep time / temp but that’s about all that is going on with this cup

2013-02-06 13:15:59 -0500

I Like This

7 likes

1 comment

Tea Sipper

I love the smokiness of a russian tea. I guess that is the main characteristic of a “russian” tea. I usually can’t keep my russian teas with my other teas — they smell that strong. This one is more of a mild scent and flavor. It isn’t too smoky, so it could be for someone who wants to try a smoky tea and then if you like it you could try a stronger one. (The Choice Russian Caravan is pretty strong for a tea bag — one of the couple I’ve tried.) But with this one, the flavor isn’t even that strong for a black tea. It’s still good though, just mild. Maybe I should have steeped it longer and at a higher temperature.

2012-05-12 13:03:26 -0400

I Like This

4 likes

0 comments