Smoky Tea Collection

The Collections are 5 teas in corked glass tubes, displayed upright in a foundation of red cherry wood.

The Smoky Tea Collection contains the following 5 blends-

Caravan Grown in Southern China, Congou is one of the last of its kind, one of the great historical teas of China from its trading days.  The word Congou refers to a tea made with highest mastery or careful skill to produce thin, light strips without breaking the leaves.  The resulting toasty black tea is smooth and sweet with the flavor of unsweetened baked apples.

Colonial Bohea (pronounced “Boo-hee” - Ukers 510), was by far the largest tea import during colonial times. Sometimes called Bohea Souchong or Lapsang Bohea, the blend originated in China with trade to the British and Dutch East India Companies. It was so popular that the word bohea became the slang term for tea. The blend varied wildly, consisting of broken orange pekoe, pekoe, and souchong dumped in a pile and then sifted, typically the scrap tea of lower quality leaves, but was considered high quality by the colonists.

Lapsang Souchong Lapsang's flavor is strong and smoky - meant to complement to the natural taste of black tea, without overpowering. The British East India Company included Souchong teas as its common imports to colonial America.  In the Boston Tea Party, 35 chests of Souchong tea were destroyed.

Scottish Breakfast The strongest of black tea blends, Scottish Breakfast offers a hearty cup of warmth in the damp and cold regions of northern Scotland. It is also blended strong to compensate for Scotland's naturally soft water, which diminishes the infusion of tea. With hints of wood and smoke, the blend's mild astringency is balanced by adding cream and sugar.

Whiskey Rebellion Bourbon scented tea. In the summer of 1794, President George Washington called out 12,950 militia to subdue violent protests by so called 'Whiskey Rebels' in Western Pennsylvania. The Rebels were farmers and whiskey distillers protesting taxes imposed on distilled spirits. The call out of the militia dispersed most of the protesters and secured the new government's authority. We briefly aged this small batch tea in a whiskey barrel to infuse it with the aromas and flavor of a bourbon and to remember events from our country's early history. We hope you enjoy the blend of aromas and flavors.

Hand Packaged by Oliver Pluff & Co. in Charleston, South Carolina