Russian Tea Recipe - Marty's Musings (2024)

FAQs

What makes Russian tea different? ›

Since no one can compete with a classic glass of sweet tea, though, in the South, Russian Tea became synonymous with a hot drink flavored with oranges or lemons and spiced with vanilla, rum, cinnamon, and sometimes preserved cherries.

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.

We normally make our Russian Tea with black tea which does contain caffeine.

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.

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.

If you have a fever, raspberry jam mixed in with tea is believed to bring the temperature down! (We bet you don't want to argue with a Russian grandma (бабушка) about this 'fact'!). Russians also like adding herbs into their tea. Some of them, they also preserve during summer - dry mint, lemon balm and rosebay berries.

Smokey Russian is our twist on traditional Russian Caravan Tea! Our in house blend of Darjeeling, Ceylon, Keemun, and Lapsang Souchong tea gives a dark brown infusion with a well-balanced, slightly sweet flavour and smokey after taste.

Popular tea types and flavor profile of Russian tea

Black tea is still the most popular tea type in Russia. Moreover, loose leaf is preferred for a traditional brewing over tea bags. In fact, Russian people already had a strong tea tradition before the tea bags were invented.

Ukraine is mainly a tea country, with the strong traditional black tea culture, but coffee and other tea drinks are popular too.

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."

Zavarka's Preparation. Tea as it's traditionally made in Russia lives and dies by the samovar, a heated metal container with a spigot used to boil and dispense water, and often an attachment that holds the tea concentrate.

Black tea with sugar and sometimes lemon. We usually put 2–3 teaspoons of loose black tea into a teapot, add boiling water, and let it soak for 5–10 mins. Then we pour into a cup 1/4–1/3 cup of this brew and 3/4–2/3 cup of boiling water, add 1–2 teaspoons of sugar and drink. The rest of the brew in the teapot usu.

Russian Caravan is a blend of oolong, keemun, and lapsang souchong teas. It is described as an aromatic and full-bodied tea with a sweet, malty, and smoky taste. Some varieties do not include lapsang souchong, and thus have a less smoky flavor, while others include assam tea.

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.

Samovar: A samovar is a traditional Russian tea urn that is used to heat water and keep it hot for extended periods. It is often used to serve tea during social gatherings or family events. Glass holders: Russians typically drink tea from a glass, which is held in a metal holder called a "podstakannik".