Goût Russe

The origins of the appellation Goût Russe

This tea made its first appearance in Russia in the 16th century. A Mongolian prince offered it to Tsar Michael I and it was an immediate success! 

As soon as the Siberian road was opened, it became easier to import tea in Russia, the drink became more and more popular with the Russians and became a national success! Very soon the Russians adopted the samovar for the preparation of their tea, it even became a symbol of it. 

What is the Samovar? 

The Samovar is a utensil used to boil water for tea. It is found in Russia, but also in Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Iraq and India. 

Its name comes from the Russian word samo (yourself) and var (to boil), in other words it is a utensil that boils the tea water itself. 

A traditional samovar consists of a teapot, a small ventilation grid, a lid, a central pipe and a tap. To make the samovar work, it must be filled with water. The central pipe is lined with burning charcoal to heat the water and keep the heat as long as possible. In the teapot, we put some tea leaves with a little hot water, this is the tea essence. Once the water is heated, the teapot is placed on top of the samovar. Then you just have to serve the tea by pouring a little tea essence and then topping up with hot water available with the small tap. This gives a very black and very brewed tea. 

The samovar is usually made of copper, brass or other precious metals. It is then decorated with porcelain or lacquer. It is a real decorative object, sometimes a symbol of wealth.