Russian tradition of tea-drinking is the oldest and strongest in continental Europe. The Russians came to know tea approximately at the same time as the British, i.e. in the first half of the 17th century. Regular deliveries started in 1689 after an agreement had been concluded with China. Karavan tea that received its name after the way of delivery from China to Moscow was at first very expensive but with the development of trade the price also went down as it happened in Great Britain. The difference was that even after the decrease in price Karavan tea still remained several times more expensive than the tea of similar quality in the U.K.

However, high prices did not prevent Russians from becoming one of the most renowned tea-drinking nations. Russian tea culture is also famous for the invention of samovar, a unique gadget for preparing tea. First samovars appeared in the beginning of XVIII century in the times of the Empress Elizabeth. The name of the gadget in Russian conveys the purpose of samovar: it prepares tea by itself or, to be more precise, it boils water for tea.

The main feature of the Russian tea-drinking - its long duration - is closely connected with samovar as it allows to keep up almost indefinitely the water temperature necessary for preparing tea. For this reason drinking tea with samovar could last for hours filling free time of those who did not have to work or being one of the main types of family entertainment for lower classes. Russians did not want to refuse their traditional tea even while travelling, till our days there have been preserved "road" samovars of rectangular form that are easier to pack in the luggage.

At the same time tea was not a self-sufficient drink. Most frequently a samovar on the table was neighbouring with a glass of jam or honey and various baked goods.

Usually tea was drunk with sugar - tea was sipped through a lump of sugar held in the mouth. Partly this was caused by the fact that sugar in Russia was an even more expensive colonial product.

Today the Russian traditions of tea drinking gradually change but do not stop. In the city homes Samovar became rather an exotic piece of kitchen decor. However, Russians still prefer to teabags Orthodox tea that has to be brewed in a pot. Usually tea is drunk without milk and this has some effect on the choice of teas - light Ceylon teas are more popular than thick Indian grades (Russia is the largest importer of Ceylon tea in the world). Green tea and herbal infusions account for just over 5 % of the market.

Strong and aromatic tea invariably appears on the table finishing a family dinner or supper. At the same time tea by itself can become a cause for a meeting of old friends. Russians often invite "for a cup of tea" and given the long tradition of tea drinking that has made of Russians true tea connoisseurs, more often than not it is a cup of really good tea.