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
Argentine tea culture Argentine tea culture Argentine tea culture is influenced by local and imported varieties and customs. The country is a major producer of tea ("Camellia sinensis"), but is best known for the cultivation and consumption of mate, made with the leaves of the local yerba mate plant. When Jesuit missionaries first came to Argentina, they tried to ban the popular indigenous tea, "yerba maté", out of concern about its addictive qualities. They ultimately reversed their stance and began cultivating "yerba maté" on plantations in the Misiones province in particular (and elsewhere in South America), until the expulsion of the religious order