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During the 17th century, tea was carried to Russia along with other luxuries from China via camel caravans over the Gobi Desert. These Russian caravan teas inspired the custom of taking tea with a slice of lemon, initially done to brighten the dusty flavour of the well-traveled tea. This custom evolved into a Russian appreciation for teas with a citrus character.
Tea was introduced to Russia in 1618, when the Czar Alexis received a gift of Chinese tea from a Mongolian prince. Tea enjoyed immediate success at court and was brought to Moscow among the first shipments of spices, jewels, and silks from Beijing via camel caravans over the Gobi Desert.
In 1689, the Trade Treaty of Newchinsk established a common border between China and Russia, allowing trade caravans to cross freely. The trade caravans, consisting of over 200 camels, took over sixteen months to cross the 11,000 miles between Moscow and Beijing. As a result, the cost of tea in Russia was high and the beverage was only drunk by the upper classes. It was not until the 19th century that tea was adopted by the country as its favourite drink, second only to vodka.
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Caravan Tea
Normally packed in wooden crates, the tea brought by the caravans was instead put in cloth sacks to lessen the weight for the heavily burdened camels. During the long, overland trek, the tealeaves inside the sacks slowly absorbed a smoky aroma from the late night campfires. Smoky teas became a favourite with the Russian palate, and inspired modern day "Russian Caravan" blends. This method of transportation also inspired the custom of taking tea with a slice of lemon, initially done to cover up the dusty flavour of the tea. Taking tea with lemon was passed on to Europe when Queen Victoria visited Russia in later years.
The Samovar
The Russians invented the samovar, which although initially inspired by similar Chinese contraptions, have become synonymous with Russian tea service. Samovars are urns typically made of pewter, copper, bronze, or silver that are heated from below. The tea is made in concentrate in a small teapot, which sits on top of the urn. Served in small glasses, the tea is diluted with hot water from the samovar, which is kept boiling all day long, so that a cup of tea is available at any time.
Tea lovers leave the samovar bubbling or “growling like a storm” in their sitting room all day long. All the great Russian authors, from Dostoevksi to Tolstoy and Gorky, have written about the warm intimacy created by a samovar.
Russians drink green or black tea, and favour smoky or citrus-flavoured blends. Usually preferred strong and bitter, tea is taken with a slice of lemon, a dollop of raspberry jam, or sometimes even through a lump of sugar held between the teeth. “Ecstasy, “ wrote Pushkin, “is a glass full of tea and a piece of sugar in the mouth…”
