Russian Caravan for the greater expense and difficulty of its carriage by this route. Anecdotal evidence had it that during the camel caravan journeys, the teas took on the smoky taste of the campfires. Only the lapsang souchong (if present) in the blend, however, is actually smoke-dried. Some blends use yunnan black tea, together with keemun and lapsang souchong to achieve full bodied, strong copper colored, smokey, and heavy flavored tea with a smooth and mellow aftertaste. Russian Caravan Russian Caravan is a blend of oolong, keemun, and lapsang souchong teas, all produced from "Camellia sinensis" the Chinese tea plant. It is
Darjeeling tea 1839 from Kathmandu, Nepal. In 1841, he brought seeds of the Chinese tea plant ("Camellia sinensis") from Kumaun and began to experiment with tea planting in Darjeeling. The British government also established tea nurseries during that period (1847). Commercial development began during the 1850s. In 1856, the Alubari tea garden was opened by the Kurseong and Darjeeling Tea company, followed by others. According to the Tea Board of India, "Darjeeling Tea" can only refer to tea that has been cultivated, grown, produced, manufactured and processed in tea gardens (see 'Tea Estates' section below) in the hilly areas of Sadar Subdivision,