Tea Bags – Russian Caravan

There are many blends of Russian Caravan tea, but Eastern Shore Tea Company has kept theirs true to its origins. Delicate China teas were transported over land for the use of the aristocracy. Tea was favored as early as the 17th century, but was steep in price, since Russia could not trade directly with China. So Russia established regular caravan routes to transport tea from the producing regions of northern China, via Mongolia. Horses and mules carried hundreds of pounds of tea over the mountains of Kalgon, northwest of Peking. Then as many as 300 camels crossed the Gobi Desert to Kayakhta, a neutral zone between the two countries. The round trip was 11,000 miles and took 16 months to traverse. On completion of the Trans Siberian Railway in 1905, delivery took only seven weeks, and the great caravans faded into history.