How to Brew Tea: Samovar
Brew a concentrate, called zavarka, by steeping 10-12g of black tea in 300ml of boiling water at 100°C (212°F) for 5-10 minutes in the small teapot that sits on top of the samovar. For each glass, pour 40-60ml of zavarka and top it up with 150-200ml of boiling water from the urn, roughly 1 part concentrate to 3-4 parts water, adjusted to each drinker's strength.
A samovar is a large metal urn that keeps water at a boil for hours, with a small teapot of strong tea concentrate sitting on its crown. It is the center of tea drinking in Russia and is also used in Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kashmir and much of Central Asia. Traditional samovars burn charcoal or pine cones in a central chimney; most samovars sold today are electric and hold 3-5 liters. The two-part system is what makes it work for a crowd. The teapot holds zavarka, a concentrate brewed at three to four times normal strength. The urn below holds plain boiling water, and the steam rising from it keeps the teapot hot. Each person pours a little concentrate into a glass and dilutes it with water from the tap. One pot of leaf can serve 8-10 glasses over an hour or more, and each drinker sets their own strength without anyone brewing a second pot. Tea is traditionally served in glasses held in metal podstakanniki, with sugar, lemon, jam or honey on the side. Black tea is the standard. Russian Caravan blends, Georgian and Krasnodar black teas, Ceylon, Assam and Keemun all work, as does Lapsang Souchong in a small share for smoke. In Iran and Turkey the same principle is used with a stacked double teapot, the çaydanlık, where a larger kettle of water sits under a smaller pot of strong tea. Because the concentrate stays hot for a long time, choose teas that tolerate long steeping without turning harsh.
Recipe
Teaware
- Electric or charcoal samovar (3-5 liters)
- Small porcelain teapot (300-500 ml) that sits on the samovar crown
- Kitchen scale
- Tea strainer
- Tea glasses with metal holders (podstakanniki), or cups
- Small dishes for sugar, lemon slices and jam
- Filtered water
Steps
- 1
Fill and heat the urn
Fill the samovar with 2-3 liters of filtered water and bring it to a boil.
Never switch on an electric samovar empty; the element burns out within minutes without water.
- 2
Warm the teapot
Rinse the small teapot with boiling water from the samovar tap and pour it out.
A cold porcelain pot drops the water temperature by 5-10°C and gives a weaker concentrate.
- 3
Add the leaf
Put 10-12g of black tea, about 4 heaped teaspoons, in the warmed teapot.
A common rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon of leaf per expected guest plus 1 for the pot.
- 4
Brew the zavarka
Fill the teapot with 300ml of boiling water from the samovar, put on the lid and set it on the samovar crown.
Cover the teapot lid with a folded cloth to hold heat; the steam from below does the rest.
- 5
Steep 5-10 minutes
Let the zavarka steep for 5 minutes for broken-leaf tea or up to 10 minutes for whole-leaf tea.
Taste a few drops diluted with water at 5 minutes; if it is already strong, start serving.
- 6
Pour the concentrate
Pour 40-60ml of zavarka through a strainer into each glass.
Ask each guest how strong they want it. Pour 30ml for light tea, 60ml or more for strong.
- 7
Dilute from the urn
Top up each glass with 150-200ml of boiling water from the samovar tap, roughly 3-4 parts water to 1 part concentrate.
Serve sugar, lemon and jam on the side so each person adjusts their own glass.
- 8
Refill and rebrew
When the zavarka runs low or turns bitter after about an hour, empty the teapot and brew a fresh one with new leaf.
Topping old leaf with fresh water gives a thin, stewed concentrate; fresh leaf costs little and tastes far better.
Tips
- Blends with some smoky Lapsang Souchong, around 10-20% of the leaf, give the classic Russian Caravan flavor.
- Use filtered water and descale the urn regularly; hard water leaves scale on the element and a chalky taste.
- Keep the concentrate at 3-4 times normal strength; much stronger and it turns bitter while it sits on the crown.
- For a Turkish-style service, dilute roughly 1:1 for strong tea (koyu) and 1:3 for light tea (açık).
- Empty and dry the samovar after use to stop scale and rust building up.
Common Mistakes
- Brewing the concentrate at normal strength — the diluted glasses taste like colored water; use 10-12g in 300ml.
- Leaving the zavarka on the crown for 2-3 hours — it stews and turns bitter; rebrew with fresh leaf after about an hour.
- Running an electric samovar dry — the heating element fails; keep the water above the minimum line.
- Using delicate green or white tea — the long hot hold makes it bitter; use robust black tea.
- Never descaling the urn — scale builds up on the element and the water tastes chalky; descale every few weeks with regular use.