In the year 2000, an archeological discovery in Azerbaijan’s Shaki region suggested that 3,600 years ago, locals used samovar-like clay vessels to heat water for their meals. This fact challenged the assumption that samovars originated in late 18th century Russia, when the first charcoal-burning samovar factory was founded in Tula, near Moscow. Regardless of their origin, samovars were widely used in Russia up to the early 20th century to heat water for the home efficiently and to brew tea. Tea was introduced in the country from West Mongolia in the 17th century and quickly became a competitor to a popular drink made with hot water, medicinal herbs and honey that was brewed in a type of kettle called sbiten, the precursor of the samovar. By the end of the 19th century, there were about 160 different types of samovars and the object had become an icon of Russian lifestyle. A samovar is a large metal container with a small faucet at the bottom and a metal pipe running vertically throughout the middle. The pipe is filled with solid fuel (charcoal, dry pinecones, etc.) to heat the water surrounding it. A teapot is placed on top, and it is used to brew the zavarka -a strong concentrate of tea- which is served by diluting it with kipyatok -boiling water- from the main container usually in a 1 to 10 ratio. The standard capacity of samovars varies from 1 to 400 litres (0.25 to 100 gallons).
