🥤 DRINK
Çaj Rusi (Kosovar Black Tea)
Black tea brewed strong in a small pot stacked on a kettle of boiling water, then poured a third tea to two thirds hot water into tulip glasses with sugar cubes or lemon.
Kosovar · easy · serves 4
prep 5 min · cook 25 min
~35 cal · 0g protein · 9g carbs · 0g fat · 0g fiber · 9g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Kosovo runs on çaj rusi, "Russian tea". Despite the name it is ordinary black tea, usually Ceylon; the name from Yugoslav times, when black tea reached the country as a product from Russia and was called Russian tea rather than black tea, and it stuck.
It is brewed the Turkish way, with two pots stacked on top of each other. Water boils in a large kettle below while dry tea leaves warm in a small pot on top; boiling water is then poured onto the leaves and the small pot goes back on its perch to brew into a strong concentrate. Each small tulip-shaped glass is filled about a third with that concentrate and topped up with hot water from the big kettle, so every guest can have it as strong or as light as they like. Sugar cubes or a slice of lemon go alongside.
The town of Vushtrri calls itself the tea capital of the Balkans, with roughly one teahouse, a çajtore, for every thousand residents and an annual festival devoted to the drink. Teahouses there open soon after four in the morning for workers on their way to their shifts. Pristina, half an hour away, has fallen for espresso and macchiato, but at home, and for the older generation, a glass of çaj rusi is still what hospitality looks like.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 4 tsp loose black tea (Ceylon), one teaspoon per person
- 1.5 liters water
- 8 cubes (about 8 tsp) sugar cubes, two per glass, on the side
- 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- 1Fill the large bottom kettle of a stacked teapot with the water and set it over the heat without its lid. Put the dry tea leaves in the small top pot, with no water, and set it on top of the kettle so the leaves warm as the water heats.✎ Chef’s noteNo stacked teapot? Use a kettle and a small teapot, and warm the teapot with a splash of hot water before adding the leaves.
- 2When the water boils, lift off the small pot and pour in boiling water from the kettle, roughly a cup of water for each teaspoon of tea.
- 3Put the lid on the small pot, set it back on top of the kettle over the lowest heat, and let the tea brew for about 15 minutes, until the leaves have sunk to the bottom.
- 4To serve, fill each glass about a third full with the strong tea from the small pot and top it up with hot water from the kettle, adjusting for anyone who likes it stronger or weaker.✎ Chef’s noteThe finished glass should be a clear, light reddish brown. The concentrate stays warm on top of the kettle for second and third glasses.
- 5Serve with two sugar cubes per glass, or a slice of lemon.
Kosovar teahouse tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Pristina. Flija is built one layer at a time under a sac, an iron dome heaped with burning coals. A thin batter is spooned on in a pattern, cooked, brushed with kajmak, then the next layer goes over it, for two or three hours, until it stacks a dozen or more sheets deep.
🗺️
Kosovo. Kosovar cuisine is Balkan and Ottoman-rooted, flija (layered pancake), burek, grilled meats, and rich dairy. Peppers, beans, and slow-cooked pies reflect a warm, family-centered food culture.
🌍
Europe. Europe has written a great deal of its food into law. A regulation of 1992 created the protected designation of origin and the protected geographical indication, tying a name to a place and a method, and an EU evaluation published in 2021 counted more than three thousand registered names across those schemes, from cheeses and hams down to particular shapes of bread.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Kosovo
FlijaA patient, many-layered pancake built up batter-by-batter under live coals, served with butter and cream.
Pite me SpinaqLayered thin-pastry pie filled with spinach and cheese, baked until crisp, a Kosovo staple.
PasulA slow-simmered white bean stew rich with paprika and onion, the everyday food of Kosovo.
Browse all Kosovo recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Keep chilled and covered, and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
Make it a Kosovo meal
FlijaDinner
SheqerpareDessert
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Drinks
Frequently asked questions
What is Çaj Rusi (Kosovar Black Tea)?
Black tea brewed strong in a small pot stacked on a kettle of boiling water, then poured a third tea to two thirds hot water into tulip glasses with sugar cubes or lemon.
Where does Çaj Rusi (Kosovar Black Tea) come from?
Çaj Rusi (Kosovar Black Tea) is a Kosovar dish from Pristina, Kosovo.
Can Çaj Rusi (Kosovar Black Tea) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Çaj Rusi (Kosovar Black Tea) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Çaj Rusi (Kosovar Black Tea) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Çaj Rusi (Kosovar Black Tea) take to make?
About 30 minutes total (5 minutes prep, 25 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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