Russian Samovar Tea Recipe
Russian · Beverage · 15 min total
A traditional Russian tea experience using a samovar, where strong brewed tea (zavarka) is diluted with hot water to taste, often served with jam or lemon.
5
min prep
min prep
10
min cook
min cook
6
servings
servings
5
kcal/serving
kcal/serving
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons loose black tea (or 4 tea bags)
- 4 cups boiling water
- Additional hot water for diluting
- Sugar to taste
- Lemon slices or jam for serving
Instructions
- Place the loose tea or tea bags in a teapot. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the tea and let steep for 5 minutes to create a strong concentrate (zavarka).
- Strain the zavarka into a separate teapot or carafe, discarding the leaves or bags.
- Fill the samovar or a large kettle with the remaining 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.
- To serve, pour about 2 tablespoons of zavarka into each cup.
- Fill the rest of the cup with hot water from the samovar, adjusting the strength to your preference.
- Add sugar, lemon, or jam to taste.
Tips
- Traditionally, Russian tea is served with a spoonful of jam instead of sugar.
- Keep the zavarka and hot water separate so each person can customize their tea strength.
- If you don't have a samovar, use a kettle for hot water and a small teapot for the concentrate.
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