January Russian Tea - Passport to Tea 2023

I've always wanted to have people over for tea and celebrate different tea cultures.  I've decided in 2023 to monthly tea parties featuring different ceremonies.  

January is Russia.  So, I am researching how tea is prepared and drunk in Russian.

Russian tea words...

Samovar-double teapot

Stakan- glass

Podstakannik- metal cup holder

Zavarka- Russian Tea Concentrate 

Kipyatok- boiling hot water

The spread and use of tea for the Russian masses is likely a product of the Russian Civil Was in 1917, when the Red Army took over several large tea warehouses in Moscow, Odessa, and St Petersburg.  Before this tea was sparse and only for the very wealthy.

Zavarka- which means "to cook" or "to brew" started around 1920.  It was discovered that it was most efficient to make a concentrate.  This then became the standard way to make Russian Tea for all.  The thought is, you basically have tea for all day- because you are just pouring out a little on the concentrate.

Make the Zavarka, the tea concentrate in the samavor, the double tea pot.    The water is in the bottom tea pot, the concentrate is made in the top tea pot.

4-5 heaping teaspoons of loose leaf tea 

1 C boiling hot water for tea concentrate

Bring the bottom kettle of water to a boil.  Place the loose leaf tea into the small pot and add the 1 C hot boiling water.  Place the small teapot on top of the large teapot.  Allow the tea concentrate to steep for at least 15 minutes, and up to a few hours.  Ideally you want the leaves floating back to the top.  Pour some concentrate into the cups and full the rest with boiling water.  

  Keep topping off the Zavarka with hot water.  

Zavarka is usually made with a combination of oolong, Keemun, and lapsang souchong teas.  It is heavily oxidized tea and makes a strong Zavarka concentrate.  It should be sweet and smoky with minimal bitterness.

Russian Caravan Tea mimics the original smokey flavor of the long journey the tea took to get to Russia by camel caravans.  Tea was brought from Asia to Russian and Europe.

To drink.....pour some of the tea concentrate, 1/4 of the cup, then add boiling water.  Some add milk and sugar to the tea. Some add nothing.  And some add lemon- but never lemon and milk,    Lemon was added in the 18th and 19th century to travelers to help with motion sickness- and the vitamin C didn't hurt...and neither did the flavor. 

Some will take a spoonful of jam and then a sip of tea.  The hot jam melts and transforms the flavor and makes a syrup of sorts.  Blueberry seems to be the most popular jam.

Another way some drink the tea is to put a sugar cube between their teeth and sip the tea through the cube.

Americans say, "We are going to have tea".  Russians say, "A sit by the samovar".

It is an old Russian tradition to serve tea from the Samovar after supper.  The Samovar is put in the middle of the table and the family gathers round for tea.   You pour the tea to the strength you like. 

You would never have someone over for a meal and not offer them tea.  And it is an insult to say no.    Today tea is served with a light meal.  The Russians serve their tea with meat, cheese, cookies, donut shaped bread rings to dip in the tea, or another snack. 

Russians drink on average 3 pounds of tea year.  The US average is 1/2 pound per year. Tea is much more universal a drink in Russia than anything else.

This style of glass holder dated back to the 18th century.  It is thought they were invented by Sergey Witte- the Russian Empire's Transport Minister in 1892.

In the 18th century, only women could drink from a porcelain cup.  Men had to use glasses.   The glasses were hot and thin, so podstakannik's were developed.   The bases were not very wide.  So, it is thought that Witte redesigned the podstakannik's for the train travel.   

During the 1950's-1970’s  there were 15 factories across Russia that produced podstakannik's.  They were made of tin, aluminum, stainless steel, or the most prestigious were the nickel/silver. 

I added sugar only- nothing else.  And then I tried it without sugar.  I actually think I liked it without the sugar.

I made this Christmas Eve day.  I had several cups.  I kept the concentrate steeping all day. 

I started early in the morning- when I got up....and I drank tea until it was time to go to my parents for Christmas Eve.

 I felt very Russian...drinking tea throughout the day.

I am ready to serve my friends now.    I get how to make the tea and the appeal of it.

In my research I found Friendship Tea, it is also called Russian Tea.  I asked my friend who lived in Russia about this tea.  She said that this is not a real Russian tea.  Some may drink it in the states around the holidays to mimic Russian tea, but it is not the same thing.

The American Russian Tea/Friendship Tea - the citrus based tea has nothing in common with real Russian Tea.

2 C instant Lemon Iced Tea Mix

2 C Tang powder

1 C Sugar

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t ground clove

February we will be heading to China for our tea.

Stay tuned for more information.