Tea has been a staple beverage in Russia for centuries. The drink was first introduced to the country during the era of the tsars in 1618. The Chinese ambassador to Moscow at the time presented Tsar Michael Fedorovich with several chests of tea as a gift. Although the Tsar accepted the gift with legendary Russian grace, the tea was not very well received at first. Why? The Tsar and the people of his court were accustomed to drinking warm fruit and herbal beverages and found the new beverage to be slightly bitter. According to Russian folklore, it was one of Tsar Michael's chefs who came upon the idea of adding fruit and spice to the tea in order to enhance its flavor. Various blends were experimented with including combinations of ginger, salt, orange peel, rice, onions, and various herbs and spices. As it turned out, the most popular of these were the heavily sweetened blends that included citrus fruit. To this day, Russians are among the highest per capita tea drinkers in the world and enjoy the beverage at all times of the day.