What is a Russian samovar?
Given the Russian climate with its cold and long winters, it is not surprising that the samovar, the Great Russian “teapot”, has enjoyed such popularity. During its almost 300-year history, it has experienced ups and downs and today attracts people not only in Russia, but all over the world.
What is a samovar?
A samovar is a device that is traditionally used to heat and boil water for tea. The word ‘самовар’ itself encapsulates the machine meaning.
The ‘сам’ part means self; the ‘варить’ part means to cook. That is, it brews, or rather boils, itself.
Samovars are metal made, and they a large container consist in which cold water is poured, and a metal pipe running vertically through the middle. To boil the water inside the samovar, the pipe is filled with solid fuel, such as pinecones, charcoal and wood chips, which are set on fire. At the very top, a small teapot is usually placed where the brew is poured to make the tea. The teapot, positioned over water a bowl, is heated by the hot air.
Tea is served by pouring the brew into a cup and diluting it with boiling water from the samovar. To pour boiled water, one has to turn the tap at the metal container bottom. Besides, the samovar usually has handles on the sides, to make it easy to carry.
This is the construction of a classic solid fuel samovar. There are also other types of samovars. The external appearance is generally similar, but the internal structure can be different. For example, in the modern world an electric samovar is often used. The heat is provided by a heating element passing through the vessel.
A samovar’s history
The oldest samovar, or rather samovar-like earthenware, is considered to be found in Azerbaijan. This samovar is 3700 years old. Similar devices were also found in China, but according to historians and archaeologists, these devices were not used for making tea.
In Russia, the first copper samovar was made in 1778 in Tula, the town, famous for its metalworkers and gunsmiths. Within the first 70 years, Tula numerous samovar masters produced 120 thousand units annually. Samovars were mainly nickel and copper made, and particular attention was paid to detail. The handles and tap could be made in a vine or dragon’s claws form.
The making a samovar process 12 stages consisted, in which each individual craftsmen specialised. It is interesting that the whole village population could specialise in making one element, for example the samovar handle. The samovars final assembly and finishing was made in factories. To the 20th century beginning there were about samovars 170 various models. Samovars were sold by weight, the heavier the samovar, the higher the price. After the revolution, private samovar factories were closed. For almost two years the industry did not develop. Only in 1919, the new leadership of the country formed a state union of samovar plants. Three years later the first Soviet samovar was produced, but the industry did not achieve the pre-revolutionary successes.
Fifteen years later, the Stamp factory in Tula emerged as the production division a result. In the period after the Second World War, it remains the last line to produce samovars in the country. Since 1959, electric models have appeared in its assortment, and since 1964, the souvenir series “Yasnaya Polyana” has been launched. Solid fuel samovar models began to disappear due to the new buildings equipping with cooking cookers.