Samovar – a special tea maker

Do you know the samovar?

A samovar is a combination of a kettle and a teapot

It originated in Russia and is mainly used in Russia and Turkey. A lot of tea is drunk in Russia, even though very little is grown in the country itself.

Originally, a samovar was made of copper, bronze, or silver

And was heated on a wood or petrol stove. Nowadays, it’s also made of easy-to-clean stainless steel. In addition, today it is electrically operated.

The samovar consists of two parts; at the bottom, it has a large container that heats the water – just like a kettle.

On top, there is a teapot. The water container varies in size and can hold up to twenty liters of water. A household-sized samovar contains about three liters.

In the lower part of the water container is a spout. The samovar is filled from the top and the lid has holes, this way the steam can escape. At the same time, the steam warms the teapot on top.

The tea leaves are loose in the pot and stay in there. This makes a very strong tea, a tea concentrate. The samovar is used for strong black teas or tea blends. Smoked tea is also very popular.

For a cup of tea, help yourself from the teapot and dilute the concentrate with hot water from the water container. Depending on the strength of the tea, dilute 1 part of tea with 3 to 10 parts of water.

Russian tea tradition

In Russia, tea is usually drunk without milk. However, it can be sweetened with sugar or honey or flavored with lemon.

Blinis (small pancakes) are eaten with the tea. These pancakes are topped with sweet or savory toppings. For example, with salmon or caviar.

There are also sweet pastries and various cakes that are eaten with tea.

Another tradition is to put a spoonful of pickled sweet fruit (like jam) in your mouth and then drink the tea.

Have you ever drunk tea from a samovar?