RUSSIAN SOMAVAR

I love this electric Russian somavar. It is not as fancy as some I have seen.
I am not sure on era but it is nikel plated .. I don't like to mess with any metal as patina tells the story.
2.5 liter/ 0.66 gallon
This is an electric one and works well.
Samovars are typically crafted out of plain iron, copper, polished brass, bronze, silver, gold, tin, or nickel. A typical samovar consists of a body, base and chimney, cover and steam vent, handles, faucet and key, crown and ring, chimney extension and cap, drip-bowl, and teapot. The body shape can be an urn, krater, barrel, cylinder, or sphere. Sizes and designs vary, from large, "40-pail" ones holding 400 litres (110 US gal) to those of a modest 1 litre (0.26 US gal) size.[citation needed]
A traditional samovar consists of a large metal container with a faucet near the bottom and a metal pipe running vertically through the middle. The pipe is filled with solid fuel which is ignited to heat the water in the surrounding container. A small (6 to 8 inches) smoke-stack is put on the top to ensure draft. After the water boils and the fire is extinguished, the smoke-stack can be removed and a teapot placed on top to be heated by the rising hot air. The teapot is used to brew a strong concentrate of tea known as ??????? (zavarka). The tea is served by diluting this concentrate with ??????? (kipyatok) (boiled water) from the main container, usually at a water:tea ratio of 10:1, although tastes vary.[citation needed]

The samovar was an important attribute of a Russian household and particularly well-suited to tea-drinking in a communal setting over a protracted time period. The Russian expression "to have a sit by the samovar" means to have a leisurely talk while drinking tea from a samovar. This compares with the German Kaffeeklatsch, Swedish fika or Turkish nargile culture.[citation needed]

In everyday use samovars were an economical permanent source of hot water in older times. Various slow-burning items could be used for fuel, such as charcoal or dry pinecones. When not in use, the fire in the samovar pipe faintly smouldered. As needed it could be quickly rekindled with the help of bellows. Although a Russian jackboot ????? (sapog) could be used for this purpose, bellows were manufactured specifically for use on samovars.