I'm told there is a Russian expression "to have a sit by a samovar", meaning to take one's time over a cup of tea and put the world to rights. A samovar (самовар), once a centrepiece of a Russian household, was a water heater used for making tea. Charcoal or coal was burned in the central pipe to heat the water in the main body of the samovar. A teapot with tea concentrate was kept warm on top. To make a cup of tea, a little of the concentrate would be poured into a teacup and diluted with hot water from the spout. Not tea as I know it, but probably a good antidote after all the recent festivities. :)
This samovar dates from the 18th century and is made of brass.
A lovely piece of history and tradition.
ReplyDeleteHow neat! I love tea and think its so neat to see how other people take their tea! Plus, its so fancy:)
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely blog you have here! I love it!
Meri
I think I've seen one of these years ago at an old shoe factory converted into an antique store. I was enthralled with the construction and wondered, who in the world would come up with such a contraption just to make tea! lol
ReplyDeleteI enjoy tea very much though my English friends tell me I don't know how to make a proper cup of tea!! They are so funny. To this day, I can remember if the milk ( cream -
ReplyDeleteI don't remember that, either ) goes in first or last!
very few smovars remains in Russia now which are actually used for making tea, unfjrtunatelly. They are mostly in the meseums or collectors have it as antique things.
ReplyDeleteBut my friends have a real one. And it works!
You know what a delight it is to have a sit by a samovar!