A unique bistro has opened in the Santa Teresa neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, featuring an authentic Tula samovar, blini, and honey cake. The air is filled with the aroma of thyme tea. The owner, Fyodor Lavrentev, told TV BRICS how a chance find at a flea market inspired him to create a cultural space that brings together the Russian community and local residents.

“One day I spotted a Tula samovar at a flea market and of course, I bought it. It happened shortly before the cafе opened, and it was clear that the samovar would become the centrepiece,” said Lavrentev.

According to him, the samovar draws attention from passers-by; smoke rises from it, and people stop in curiosity. Some are surprised, while others recall reading about it in the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky or Leo Tolstoy, though they’ve never seen one in real life.

Lavrentev, who has drunk tea since childhood, said he had long dreamed of opening a place in Brazil where people could find not just coffee, but proper black or green tea, with lemon balm, jasmine, or thyme.

“With the tea, we serve Medovik and Napoleon cakes, as well as syrniki and blini. These dishes are rather unfamiliar to Brazilians, but our cakes are very popular with locals. The syrniki haven’t quite caught on yet, they’ve only just been added to the menu,” he noted.

He added that every Saturday the Russian community gathers at the bistro to play “What? Where? When?”, and this autumn a Russian folk music evening is planned. Lavrentev is confident that his bistro is more than just a cafe: it has become a cultural hub for both the Russian diaspora and Brazilians keen to explore Russian culture through tea, traditional food, and a warm atmosphere.

Photo: Fyodor Lavrentev’s personal archive