Tea Time in Russia

Author: Linda DeLaine
Website: RL Online
Department:
Page: 1   ( 2) pages

Summary: Tea was brought to Russia in the 1600s from China. Since then, the brew and its implements have become an enduring tradition of Russian society. The tea ceremony itself bonds families and communities

Legend has it that tea originated in China, in the third century BC. Shen Nong (emperor, ca. 2737 B.C.) discovered that the boiling of drinking water reduced illness. On a certain summer afternoon, Shen Nong was traveling and stopped for a rest. His servants began boiling water to drink. As the water simmered, leaves from a bush nearby fell into the pot and produced a brown, aromatic brew.

Ever curious, Shen Nong sampled the brew and found it to be good; thus, tea was discovered, or so the legend goes. Tea quickly spread throughout the Chinese realm. Lu Yu wrote the first known book on tea, titled Ch'a Ching. Lu Yu lived in ca. 800 BC, was an orphan who was raised and educated by Buddhist monks. He did not take much of a liking to the monastic life style and, as an adult, became a performer. Tired of traveling, Lu Yu went into seclusion for five years to write. He produced the first definitive work on the many methods of growing and preparing tea that existed in ancient China. Lu Yu's work employed a considerable amount of Zen philosophy, pointing to the powers of peace, balance and harmony obtained from tea. Ch'a Ching was applauded by the Chinese emperor and, later, adopted by imperial Japan.

Russia was introduced to tea in the mid-1600s. The Chinese ambassador to Moscow made a gift of several chests of tea to Tsar Aleksey Mikhaylovich. During this period, Russia was attempting to establish trade with China and tea soon became one of the desired imports. In 1558, Tsar Ivan IV, provided the merchant family, Stroganov, possession of Siberia. The only catch was they were obliged to colonize the vast region. The Cossacks, who were used by the tsars for protection of frontier lands, established communities along the free steppe. In 1581, the Cossacks reached the river Irtysh and the Yenisey in 1610. In 1645, the Russian explorer, Deshnev, reached the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Resulting border disputes between Russia and China were resolved, at least for a time, by the Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689). The Treaty identified a common boundary line between China and Russia, making it possible for trade caravans to pass peacefully between the two empires.

The trade route between China and Russia was a treacherous one. It consisted of roughly 11,000 miles over barren and mountainous terrain. The journey to and from Moscow took over 16 months. These factors made the cost of tea extremely high and, thus, quickly became a luxury available only to royalty and the very wealthy of Russia. By the end of the 1700s, tea prices had gone down somewhat and tea was making its way into Russian society.

Tea was appealing to the Russian life-style because it was a warm and hearty brew. Russians have always preferred a strong, dark brew which is sweetened with sugar, jam or honey. Other cultures affected the early tea customs of Russia. The samovar, which was an adaptation of the Tibetan hot pot, served both as heater and source of boiling water with which to brew the tea. Tea was, and still is, sipped from podstakanniki (under the glass); silver holders which hold the heat tempered tea glass. The podstakanniki are very similar to Turkish coffee cups.

The overland trade caravans ceased to exist when the Trans-Siberian Railroad was completed in 1900. To this day, tea and vodka are the two primary beverages in Russian society.

Russian Tea Ceremony
Even though tea was brought in from China, Russia has developed its own unique traditions surrounding this drink. Early teapots were oval in shape with long spouts and a thick handle.

Typical Russian tea is a combination of two or three types and flavors. These different teas are brewed dark and in separate pots. When mixed together in the cup, additional hot water is added to dilute the mixture.

The teapots are designed to sit one atop the other with the bottom pot holding the hot water. The next pot, typically, will be a very dark tea followed by a pot of herbal or mint flavored tea. Stacking the pots, not only saves space, but enables each to stay hot longer.

Next Page > The Samovar > Page 1, 2,

Tea Ceremony lacquer egg is part of the collection of the Artshop of St.Petersburg.