Samovar & Tea / Самовар и чай

Overview

Samovars have been used to heat water for tea for centuries and are a staple of Russian tea culture. The samovar was invented in the 18th century as a hybrid between the Russian sbitennik (сбитенник) which was used to heat sbiten, a traditional drink made of light beer, honey and spices, and the Dutch bouilliotte, which was used to heat a type of mulled wine. The bouilliotte was brought from Holland to Russia by Peter the Great, a lover of Western technology. The bouilliotte required burning alcohol, which was far too expensive for Russian peasants. The sbitenik had a spout similar to a tea kettle, which required lifting the whole container to pour out what was inside. Elements of both devices were combined to create the samovar, a device that burned wood or coal and had a spigot.

Most samovars in the 18th and 19th century were made of copper. However, samovars have been made of materials like silver, porcelain, and ceramic and in a range of styles from baroque to neoclassical and more. Though the original samovars burned coal or wood chips, you can now find electric samovars.

The samovar is not only seen in Russia. They have spread through Eastern Europe and Eurasia and are a part of many cultures.

Fun Fact! The word samovar literally means self-boiler. The word sam (сам) in Russian means self, and the word varit' (варить) means to boil.

Overview

Brief History of Manufacture

Some samovars use hot coals or kindling to heat the water. Image licensed through Adobe Stock

Samovar monument in Lankaran, Azerbaijan by Emin Bashirov, own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Vintage samovar brewing tea. Licensed through Adobe Stock

Check out the Samovar Museum in Tula!

Don't take your own samovar to Tula

Tula is the samovar capital of Russia. The city, known for its metalworkers, is where the first samovar producers could be found. In fact, there is a proverb in Russian that states "Don't take your own samovar to Tula! (В Тулу са своим самоваром не ездят." This would be like bringing corn to Nebraska, wheat to Kansas, or maple syrup to Vermont.

There are many proverbs and sayings in Russian that reference tea and samovars. Check out some of our favorites below.

Самовар кипит, уходить не велит. The samovar is boiling, you can't leave now.

Где самовара чай, там и под елью рай. Where there is a samovar of tea, there is paradise under the fir tree.

С самоваром–буяном разговор важнее, а жизнь веселее. With a samovar, conversation is more important and life is more fun.

Выпей чайку – позабудешь тоску. Drink some tea and you'll forget your worries.

С чая лиха не бывает. No harm can come from tea.

How Russians Take Their Tea

Traditionally, loose leaf tea is steeped into a strong concentrate, called заварка (zavarka), from the verb заварить (zavarit'), meaning to brew. Traditionally, zavarka is made in a samovar in a section called the zavarochnie chainik, where the leaves and water are heated. People then dilute the concentrate with hot water from the samovar to their preference. Zavarka is brewed from loose leaf tea for a minimum of five minutes. The concentrate is used throughout the day and even for the next morning's breakfast ("Tea Time in Russia").

Tea was served in a подстаканник (podstakannik), a glass vessel in a metal holder with a handle. Tea is sweetened with sugar, honey, or jam. Taking tea black is called naked tea (голый чай). Russians drink tea with most meals of the day. Tea is always served with some kind of food. It would be rude to serve tea without something to eat.

1. Plug (заглушка) 2. Burner (конфорка) 3. Lid (крышка) 4. Body (тулово) 5. Roller Handle (ручка-валик) 6. Ash Pit (поддувало) 7. Spout (носик) 8. Cone-Shaped Tap (конусный кран) 9. Knobs ручки-«шишки»)