Chifir (Russian:чифи́рь,romanized: čifir', or alternatively,чифи́р (čifir)) is an exceptionally strongtea, associated with and brewed in Soviet and post-Soviet detention facilities such asgulags and prisons.

Some sources mention properties of a light drug, causing addiction.

The etymology is uncertain but is thought to come from the wordchikhir' (чихирь) meaning a strongCaucasian wine, or aSiberian word for wine that has gone off and become sour and acidic.^[1]

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Chifir is typically prepared with 5–8 tablespoons (50–100 ml) of loose tea (or tea bags) per person poured on top of the boiled water.^{[citation needed]} It is brewed without stirring – at least until the leaves drop to the bottom of the cup.^{[citation needed]} During the brewing process, the leaves start to releaseadenine andguanine into the water, which does not happen during traditional tea-making.^{[citation needed]} Sugar is sometimes added; the nature of the brew tends to result in a bitter flavor.^[2]

It is to be carefully sipped, otherwise it may cause vomiting.^{[citation needed]} Ultimately, making chifir involves brewing a great deal of black tea and for a long time. It may be left to brew overnight and drunk either hot or cold.

• Irina Ratushinskaya describes the brewing of narcotically strong chifir as a banned activity sometimes undertaken by prisoners, in her memoir of her years as a political prisoner,Grey Is The Colour Of Hope.
• In theGabriele Salvatores-directed filmDeadly Code, the character played byJohn Malkovich prepares and describes chifir to the young Kolyma.

• Sa'idi tea, a somewhat similar beverage (essentially a weaker grade, but consumed in larger quantities) drunk inUpper Egypt and amongSa'idi people elsewhere
• Zavarka, concentrated tea used in brewing tea from aSamovar or a diluting with boiling water

• Tea varieties
• Russian tea
• Prison drinks

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