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Experience fascinating international culture with an authentic samovar imported from Russia

Note: This article originally published in the shopping mall Lunchbreakshopping.com.
Reprinted by permission granted 6-15-06
A samovar is a household appliance with a long and rich history. In Russia, like many Asian countries, tea drinking is common but also an activity that can take on an almost ceremonial feel. The simple explanation of a samovar is that it's a large container made to heat the water for making tea.

samovarSamovars can be simple or complex, functional or decorative, but the most common in everyday Russian experience was copper. Some were made to sit in a fire source, later it was common for them to have a cylinder in the middle to hold hot coals. Samovars made today are electric, and some of the antique samovars available are a combination of coal and electric.

A long standing Russian tradition was for a family to sit down at the end of a long, hard work week and drink tea together while they shared news and conversation. Blinis and other Russian treats were made to eat while sipping tea together for hours. I'm guessing that before the evening finished the adult men had passed the Russian vodka bottle around, too, but that's another story.

Samovars provide all day tea drinking convenience without wasting preparation time

Here's the way I understood the actual method of using the samovar to make tea for the day: The samovar is the method of heating a large quantity of water and then keeping it hot so that grabbing a glass of tea is a quick break from the work day.
In the morning, while everyone is preparing to work, someone makes a pot of very concentrated tea. This is brewed with tea leaves and water, but in a very lopsided tea / water ratio that can be diluted with hot water to make a glass of tea. At the same time, the samovar is filled with fresh water and the heat source (fire, hot coals, or electricity) is applied so the water heats and stays hot.

When someone wanted a glass of tea, they used the type of tea glass we Americans think of as an iced tea glass, but they put it in a holder to protect their hands from the heat. Tea glass holders are another authentic piece you need for the full experience of drinking Russian tea.
Some of the concentrated tea was put in the tea glass and hot water from the samovar was added. To make the picture even more interesting, imagine that you are watching the Russian workman fill his glass (or accept it from someone in the house) and then instead of adding sugar the way we would to sweeten the strong concoction; instead he puts a sugar cube in his teeth and drinks the tea through the sugar cube, filtering the stong tea through the sugar directly in his mouth.

Since Russians usually gather for one large meal a day, the standing tea service is one way to stop and take a break, adding caffiene and sugar to your system at the same time, so you can go back to work quickly without an entire tea brewing ceremony. samovar

Electric samovars need very little adjustment to work with different voltage

When you look at the various samovars available, you'll see this in the description: Voltage:220 volts,1.25 KVt (no voltage converter necessary; simple plug adaptor would do). This has raised some questions, even in our most popular source of information:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Imported Russian electric samovars can be used in North America, but need a connector adaptor and priming with hot water to offset the longer boiling time (the U.S. and Canadian 120 volt mains supply about half that of the Russian Federation, giving a quarter the power from the heating element).
We went straight to a Russian exporter, who explains why the simple adapter plug is sufficient for most uses:
  • These samovars are mostly 3 liter samovars (that is around 3/4 of a gallon). Even in America water in them heats up within 15-20 minutes.
  • You can get an American-made samovar that would heat water twice as fast and will cost you half the price. But what exactly will you have? An electric teapot from America. If you are looking for the authentic Russian experience and international history and culture, then you want a real samovar.
  • There is one Russian-made electric samovar that has a 110 heating option. It is located in the product catalog of Russian Legacy. But if you look through the list of bestsellers in electric samovars you will not find it there.
    It is the least expensive electric samovar we sell (you can buy two or three of these at the cost you'd pay for one 3 liter set that is made to work off of 220), but no one buys it! I mean, people do buy it, but it is definitely not in the top 10 list. I think people who buy here are looking for the genuine Russian samovars; either new or antique, but not for a cheap imitation of the authentic ones.

Authentic coal burning samovars are valuable antiques worth collecting

If you're a serious collecter, consider purchasing one of the authentic coal burner models. A coal burner samovar should only increase in value as a piece of international, functional household equipment that is also very decorative in looks. You can find some coal burning models here along with thousands of other products here in our Russian Legacy catalog. If you want to look at samovars only, click here
If you're looking for a vintage samovar that could be functional in your home, too, then maybe the combination of coal / electric is the better choice. See which one appeals to you as well. The specific pieces are sometimes one-of-a-kind, as they are found and exported from the Russian Federation. If you see one that calls to you, then grab it before it's gone.