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
Camellia taliensis Camellia taliensis Camellia taliensis (also Yunnan large leaf varietal tea, wild tea, 大理茶) is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea. It is of the genus "Camellia" of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. "C. taliensis" is an important wild relative to the cultivated the tea plant "Camellia sinensis." It also belongs to the same section "Thea" as "C. sinensis." It is an endangered species due to human overpopulation causing fragmentation of the plant's natural habitat and from overpicking of the leaves for the tea market. "Camellia talensis" has