Russian Tea Culture

Teatrition Facts:
The Russians began purchasing tea from the Chinese in the 17th century. Because the trip took nearly a year to complete, the tea was very expensive. The completion of the Siberian Railroad in the 1800's made the trip shorter and tea more widely available. The Russians used a samovar, an urn that holds hot water, to make tea at any time of the day. The water from the samovar was used to dilute a concentrated form of tea called tscheinik. This smoked tea flavor is unique to Russian tea culture. Tea in Russia is sometimes consumed with a sugar cube in the mouth or with jam.  

For a tea with a strong smoked flavor, try the Russian style of brewing tea instead of your usual steeping method.