Russia

Tea was first brought to Russia from China in the 17th century, and then later from India as well. Before that time, although there was no tea cultivated in Russia, the people drank boiled down raspberries, medicinal herbs and so on. When tea was first introduced, it was considered a poor-tasting drink and was not well liked. But today the people of Russia love tea. When at home, Russians enjoy spending time drinking tea and chatting over homemade apple pie, mille-feuille and other cakes or baked sweets. In Japan, tea sweetened with jam is known as "Russian tea," but actually this is not a Russian custom. In fact, it was not until I came to Japan that I heard of having tea this way. Tea cultivation in Russia is very limited, but in the production of tea-related products, the country has a rich tradition. To make tea, a special Russian-style teapot called a samovar is used. Samovars are beautifully designed with fine shapes and lovely colors. They are used not only for making tea, but also as decorations. Some long-established makers are now exporting hand-crafted tea sets using reproductions of traditional designs from czarist times.