קולטור

A Glass of Tea

Tea was a beloved daily drink among pre-war Eastern European Jews, especially in Russia, just as it was among non-Jews of the same area. In those days, water for tea was boiled in a samovar, a metal container with a faucet near the bottom, which was often heated with coal. Unlike in other cultures where tea is served in a china teacup or ceramic mug, tea was served in a glass.

Enjoying a glass of tea became a symbol of a peaceful social moment, of an invitation to spend time with family and friends. One person would invite another for a glass of tea and at the same time have a chat, play a game of chess, or have a snack. The wealthy would always serve tea with various jams and pastries. To drink the tea, the custom was to take small sips through a piece of sugar held between the teeth.

The esteemed Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem had the following words of praise for the custom of drinking tea: “When the samovar is brought out, and everyone sits down to drink Wissotzky’s tea — it’s a godly delight!” Wissotsky’s tea, still popular today, owes its name to a Muscovite Jew, Kalonimus Wolf Wissotzky, who founded the Wissotzky Tea Company in 1849. By the early 1900s, his company had expanded to become a tea empire — the largest tea company in the world.

Drinking tea was such an ingrained part of daily life that a Yiddish folk song describing how the keyser (emperor) goes about his day — how he eats potatoes, how he sleeps, and so on — included a stanza about how he takes his tea:

מע נעמט אַ היטעלע צוקער
און מע מאַכט אין דעם אַ לעכעלע
און מע גיסט אַרײַן דעם טיי
און מע מישט, און מע מישט…
אָט אַזוי טרינקט דער קייסער טיי!

They take a sugar loaf
And they make a little hole in it
And they pour in the tea
And they mix, and they mix...
That’s how the emperor drinks tea!