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Samovar

In the centre of the Russian tea tradition is the samovar, a large container made of copper, bronze or porcelain. A small pot ("tscheinik") with extremely strongly brewed tea is placed on top of this container.

Inside the samovar, the temperature of the water for tea is kept at the boiling point by glowing char coal which is placed in a chimney-like tube in the middle of the container. Nowadays, however, the samovar is heated eletrically.

Using a small tab, the hot water is poured from the container into a cup. The tea concentrate of the teapot is then added to the hot water in a ratio of 1/3 to 2/3, or adjusted to taste.

In Russia, tea is always drunken without milk and out of glasses. It is also very popular to drink the tea with a piece of brown sugar or a spoon full of fruity jam which is taken into the mouth while sipping from the bitter, strong tea.

This habit of tea drinking has also found many supporters in Europe. The selection of samovars has developed from classical to very modern, electrically heated ones.