The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-04-27
TEA DRINKING IN RUSSIA.
The Rich Use a Leaf Sometimes
Costing 12s. a Pound.

The Rich Use Leaf Sometimes
Costing 12s. Pound.
Among the few things for which Rus
STA deservedly enjoys creditable and
universal reputation, Russian tea
| doubtless occupies a prominent place,
both on account of it's quality and mode
| of preparation and consumption. In the
| first place there is no such thing as
Russian tea in the literal sense of the
word 1t is entirely an article i'm
ported from. China, which country will
probably continue for a long time to be
| the chief source of tea supply for the
Russian markets. Tea in Russia Is very
dear but this is due to the heavy ex-
penses of transport and custom duties.
The Russians drink enormous quaint
| ties of tea, sufficient to brighten any
Englishman.
The poor people-and, alasi the Rus
sian people are the poorest in existence
use the so-called brick tea. This is
the cheapest sort, being mixed with the
stems, and compressed by some adj
hesive gum into dry cakes of various
sizes, resembling in it's appearance
plug tobacco This tea, which would
probably prove poisonous to any one
else, is consumed by the Russian work
ingnen at the average rate of about
twenty stakanS Tor tumblers) a day;
the Russian Stakan being quite equal to
five of the little thirnbles of cups used
in England at afternoon teas Indeed,
a Russian won't be satisfied until "sed-
moi pot proShibyot," or 1.-The seventh
perspiration breaks out" according to
the popular saying. Taking into con-
sideration that black, sour or bitter,
brick-like bread, raw onions, garlic,
dried leather-iike fish, and strongly
sailed behring's are usually the chief ar
ticles of food of the people at large, one
must not wonder at the enormous guam
tity of hot tea needed to still Rus
slams thirst and, help on his digestion.
The inferior sort of tea is besides,
very cheap, but, of course, it is not the
brick tea as used by the poor moujik
that enjoys a world wide reputation,
but that in use among the middle and
upper classes. In such households tea
at the price of 5s. or 6s. per pound
(0.9O of the English pound avoirdupois)
is quite an ordinary thing, while in
weather. families los. to 12s. per. pound
is frequently paid There are choice
rubles per pound, but of these only a
few leaves are used to add an extra de-
licious aroma to the ordinary tea. Thus
the high quality of the tea itself,
brought overland and most carefully
packed, is the chief reason of its SUI
periority over the teas in use in West
ern Europe.
But apart from the tea itself, the
Russian method Of preparing it goes a
long way to contribute to the fine taste
of the beverage. In this process the
famous 'samovar" plays the principal
part and a word or two of explanation
will not be amiss. The "Samovar''
is the utensil used only for boiling the
water They are usually made of brass
or copper, but there are also silver sa-
movars, the inside being lined with an
other metal. In the middle there is a
kind of chimney or fire receptacle.
around which fresh cold water is poured
into the samovar. Burning charcoal or
wood is thrown into the chimney, and it
usually takes about a quarter of an
hour before the water begins to boil,
this being announced by a volume of
steam from under the cover. Then the
boiling water is poured upon the tea
in the pot. and the latter placed on the
top of the samovar to keep warm, as
tea-coseys are unknown in Russia. The
infusion is made very strong, but only
about a fifth or quarter of a glass is
filled with it, the rest being filed up
with the boiling water. A slice of lemon
or milk is added according to taste, and
sugar is put into the glass, or used
''v prikusku.''
There is no respectable household
in Russia without one or more samo-
vars. The utensil is turned out by the
million. lula, the Russian Sheffield is
particularly famous for the production
Of this article. The samovar is in use
three or four times day; in some
houses, indeed, it is kept boiling the
whole day long. The samovar may be
really termed the Russian hearth and
fireside. Around it the family and
guests assemble. drinking tea and chat
ting for hours. Its steaming and cheer
full humming are as music to the Rus
sian ear, accustomed as it is to the
sound from earliest childhood Even
when leaving their native soil for far
distant lands, when luggage has to be
reduced to minimum, the indispensa-
BILE samovar is rarely left behind and
in the new countries of their adoption
it forms frequently a melancholy link
with the past-Anglo Russian.