Russian Tea Recipe - Marty's Musings (2024)

FAQs

What makes Russian Tea different? ›

It was traditionally composed of black tea with lemon and sugar, orange and pineapple juices, cinnamon, clove, honey, and lemon or orange wedges for garnish. It was typically afforded only by the elite at this time and enjoyed during the cold of winter as a way to warm up.

What is Zavarka? Zavarka is a semiproduct produced in the bakeries by mixing boiling water with different flours, up to the gelling point. Along this process dextrines and other simple sugars are released, and these sugars play an important role in keeping the bread fresh, with moist and juicy crumb.

Sugar, lemon, honey, jam or milk can then be added freely. Sugar and other sweeteners are served in bowls; using the personal teaspoon to add them to the tea rather than the one in the bowl is considered impolite.

Zavarka Russian Tea Recipe (заварка)

Pour some tea concentrate into a cup, and fill the rest of the cup with boiling water. Adjust the tea, depending on the color and strength you prefer. Add milk and sugar, or a lemon slice if you prefer. Keep topping up the zavarka with hot water and enjoy drinking tea.

Place of Origin

American recipes for the drink date back to the late 19th century, when according to Garden & Gun, well-to-do Yanks adopted the Russian style of serving tea with lemon and sugar. As the blog Yesterdish notes, the name Russian Tea initially referred to a simple iced brew with lemon.

They drink tea with lemon and/or milk, they can add sugar or jam. Russians drink tea daily, sometimes around-the-clock, everywhere - and on any occasion.

The flavour of Russian tea

Traditionally-speaking, Russians preferred strong black tea from China with a heady aroma and they would let a spoonful of sugar or jam dissolve in their mouths just before drinking it.

Traditionally, the water for Russian tea was boiled in a "Samovar"; now, however, most Russian homes will have electric kettles. Real tea traditionalists drink their tea out of the saucer that goes under the teacup, rather than from the cup. First, the tea is poured into the saucer, and then it drips from the dish.

Inspired by the ancient classic Russian caravan tea that got its smoky flavour from the old tea trade routes, and the caravans evening campfires along them. This is a pinewood smoked Lapsang Souchong black tea. Blended with Formosa Oolong sourced from Taiwan & Mao Feng Keemun sourced from China.

The Russian word for Yes is Да (da). Let's check out this lesson on the Yes in Russian. You can certainly use other words to express your agreement.

Do Russians put jam in tea? ›

"If you want to try something uniquely Russian, try a cup of nice, black tea with a spoonful of fruit jam stirred in. Tea is the national drink of Russia, while the jam is a happy bonus."

Favorite tea types in Russia 2021

According to a survey carried out in 2021, black tea was consumers' preferred tea type in Russia, with 80 percent of surveyed respondents favoring it. Over a quarter of Russians stated that they preferred green tea with additives.

Russian Caravan is made by combining roughly equal parts of Lapsang Souchong and a classic black tea like China Keemun. Russian Caravan is typically slightly lighter and mellower than Lapsang, with the smoky notes balanced out by crisp, classic black tea.

Zavarka is served in teacups or "stakan s podstakanni kom" (glass with metal holder) diluted with hot water to fit personal taste. It is an old Russian tradition to serve tea from a samovar after supper. After clearing the supper table, the samovar is put in the center and the whole family gathers around for tea.

In Western Europe such tea drinking was taken for exclusively aristocratic one — and black tea with a slice of lemon, added directly into the cup, was called 'Russian tea'. The custom to drink tea from the saucer, spread among the merchant class mostly, owes its origin to the samovar.

Unlike English tea culture, in Russia, tea is usually taken black and sweet. Despite the rising popularity of green tea in the nation, black tea is still the most common. Often a sugar cube is placed between the teeth and then the tea is sipped through it.

If you've never had Russian Tea, it is a sugary mixture of orange Tang, pre-sweetened Country Time Lemonade, instant tea, cinnamon and cloves.

samovar, metal urn, often of brass, with a spigot near its base, widely used in Russia to boil water for tea. In traditional samovars water is heated by means of a vertical tube, containing burning charcoal, running up the middle of the urn. A filled teapot is set atop the chimney to steep.