Loving my tea

I have turned into a tea drinker. Not that I did not drink tea before, I did. But it was always mugs and tea bags, and if I had to choose I would rather drink coffee. However, my son went to Russia last August and told me that on his long train journey to Moscow from I-forget-which-other-city he had tea served from a samovar. Oh my god, a samovar! It brought back memories, my father used to have a massive silver one, which  was rather ancient - he got it in Turkey in the 1930s.   It would heat up with charcoal but no one at home would attempt to use it  in case we set the house on fire. We just thought it was a bit extravagant to have a samovar, even though, unusually for people living in Italy, we were tea drinkers and could have enjoyed using it if only we knew how to do it safely.
After my son told me about the samovar, I got quite obsessed with the idea of getting one myself and found it on ebay.  It is an old electric samovar with no thermostat, from soviet times, still in working order,  and with a British plug, I tested it. But a samovar for one or two  people is not quite functional, waste of water and electricity really, so I decided to keep it mostly for decoration, and use it on special occasions, when I have lots of guests, which actually means never as I am not the entertaining type. I have to say it looks rather impressive. Ok, but what about my tea drinking?
 All right. I use a teapot, loose leaf tea, a strainer and a second pot filled with very hot water to act as my samovar's substitute. With a samovar you bring the water to the boil, fill a teapot (warmed up by rinsing it with hot water) with strong black tea,  fill the teapot  with a little hot water from the samovar , allow to brew, fill a cup,  refill the teapot with more hot water from the samovar, serve someone else or fill your cup and  drink again. The hot water added to the dark  brew dilutes the very strong tea and makes it more drinkable.  A samovar is perfect for many tea drinkers, that's why you will find it on Russian trains.
I seem to do well with the hot water pot and of course, a tea cosy. Yes,  I went hunting for one, after toying with the idea of making one myself, with my very own sewing machine. Not this time. I found a pretty one for less that £2!
I usually like Earl Grey, which is definitely not very dark and strong, but I might  add a pinch of Assam when I brew my tea, to give it some 'umph'. I do not add milk - I am off milk, completely - but I might add a little honey, very occasionally a slice of lemon or, more usually, just nothing. I love the taste of tea on its own, its fragrance and aroma.
There is also something quite delightful about sitting down with your tray, go through the preparations and savour your cuppa, reading a book or typing on your laptop or just doing nothing but sipping your tea. A good morning ritual, to be repeated in the afternoon, I rather like that.
Did you know that  according to an old English superstition if your tea has a few bubbles it means money is coming your way? I don't actually like those bubbles and I know that they are often due to the way you pour the tea, perhaps from too far above, hence the froth  (or from soap residue, but then you must not wash your teapot with any kind of soap!).

Teapot from China from V&A collection

I also drink herbal tea, or green tea with lemon grass - I buy the latter already mixed, I am a real beginner when it comes to making my own tea brew.
Tea drinking is an art and as such it has to be perfected. I never imagined when I was younger that I would write a panegyric to tea but then how many of us can claim to be exactly the same as when they were younger? Tastes develop and evolve, though I know some people that will say that they have always liked  x or y, 'you just never paid attention'. Never mind.
Let's have a cup of tea.