February 03, 2021

Russia's Cup of Tea


Russia's Cup of Tea
The perfect drink for a cold winter day.  Daria-Yakovleva, pixabay.com

While Great Britain usually gets a reputation for being the greatest country for tea snobs, anyone who has been to Russia can attest to the country's deep love for the beverage. Now, that love can go even deeper.

Whether sipped from a classic glass teacup holder aboard the Trans-Siberian Railway or straight from the samovar, people all over the country adore the beverage. One might even go so far as to say that it is the country's national drink, second perhaps only to vodka

The only trouble is that, while vodka can be easily brewed in less-than-ideal temperatures, most tea leaves must either be grown exclusively in the country's southern regions or purchased from abroad. Of course, herbal teas such as Ivan Chai have filled this agricultural void for centuries, but most people will agree that nothing quite hits the spot like a strong cup of black tea. 

The good news is that researchers of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the Krasnodar region have been working to isolate specific gene variants within tea plants that make them more tolerant of cold temperatures. During the course of their three-year-long study, they have been able to identify 15 genes in particular that are strongly expressed in tea plants that feature this trait.

With this information, they plan on soon being able to introduce a tea plant that can survive through frost and could potentially be grown in other parts of Russia. We're hoping they'll start working on a cold-resistant coffee plant next!

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Some of Our Books

Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

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