Ak Chynayak

"Ak Chynayk," a tea room in the Kazan Kremlin, is a project by Fine Group and director Tufan Imamutdinov. This bold and unique project offers a new way to connect with the culture of the Tatar people.

"Ak Chynayk," which translates to "white porcelain cup" in Tatar, is a symbol of purity, hospitality, and warmth. Located on the territory of the Kazan Kremlin, across from the Kuly Sharif Mosque, in a building that once housed a 19th-century junker school, the tea room tells the story of Tatar tea traditions and coffee culture, seamlessly blending the past with the present. The rich heritage of the Tatar people meets contemporary trends, aesthetics, and worldviews, with the teacup becoming a ritual that connects generations.

This bold and unique project offers a new way to connect with the culture of the Tatar people, a history that Fine Group has told in its own way in both the "Chirem" restaurant and the "Aulak" coffee shop. "Ak Chynayk" is a journey into the era of Jadidism (late 19th - early 20th centuries), a period of educational reforms and cultural awakening, when tea, once a festive ritual, became part of the workday for urban Tatar intellectuals and a time for gatherings. The Krivtsova & Redina design and decoration studio, working with local artists, artisans, designers, cultural experts, and historians, divided the space of "Ak Chynayk" into two areas: a tea shop and a lounge. The tea shop immerses visitors in the atmosphere of Kazan's tea shops and stores from the late 19th century, allowing them to experience the past through authentic artifacts: a cash register from the American company National Cash Register, founded in 1879, with Russian lettering; a unique collection of antique tin cans, including elegant and refined cans from the Pirogov confectionery factory and the "candy king" trading house of Ibrahimov in Kazan. The lounge is inspired by the interiors of Kazan merchant houses from the early 20th century. The ceilings with hand-made ornaments, checkerboard floors, wooden cabinets with carved details, a stove, a textile chandelier, a collection of vintage samovars, a piano with sheet music, and books – every detail has been recreated from archival materials and private collections with such accuracy that it feels as if Gabdulla Tukai and Fatih Amirkhan were still drinking tea here yesterday.

The tea menu, created by head bartender Danila Bezrukov, also explores cultural traditions that stretch back centuries, from the era of the Great Silk Road, represented by rich infusions based on pu-erh and oolong teas, as well as red, smoked, and palace teas, to the era of the Kazan Khanate of the 15th-16th centuries, where ambassadors were greeted with blends based on green and black tea with the addition of steppe and forest herbs – Ivan tea, oregano, and nettle. From the traditions of the Byzantine period, when black tea from a samovar was drunk with mint, thyme, currants, and rose hips, to the village tea parties, where homemade pastries, honey, jam, dried fruits, or dried berries were always served alongside the samovar. Even the period of Jadidism is represented by a special series of teas in "Ak Chynayk," inspired by the assortment of the Savinykh and Shmelev Trading House. And coffee lovers can enjoy a special pair: a "men's" and a "women's" Crimean coffee, the former being strong and with minimal sweetness, the latter being milder, with hints of spices and cardamom, and presented in an elegant way.

The menu created by chef Lenar Khurmatullin continues the delicate dialogue with the past. Kystyby, manty, broths, pastries, and desserts – traditional recipes, reimagined with a modern twist, are based on local products and key dishes of Tatar cuisine, restoring their original meaning. The tableware, some of which was created in the pottery workshop of Liliya Grigorieva specifically for the drinks and dishes of Danila Bezrukov and Lenar Khurmatullin, becomes their unique visual code. As do the tea and coffee sets, as well as plates and souvenirs with national ornaments, created in collaboration with the Gzhel porcelain factory, and designed by Nailya Kumysnikova, People's Artist of the Republic of Tatarstan.

In "Ak Chynayk," almost everything is either found in antique collections or created by hand. From the elegant patterns carved on the facades of the tea shop, similar to those found in the paintings of mosques and the interiors of merchant houses, to the intricate carvings on the cabinets, shelves, and display cases, inspired by Tatar Art Nouveau of the early 20th century. From the author's series of national patterns, which combine the traditions of embroidery, jewelry, and architecture in a blend of Turkic-Tatar ornaments with flowers and field herbs, to the design of the staff uniforms, which theatrical artist Liliya Imamutdinova has recreated in her own way, inspired by the male and female costumes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And even the logo, created by the Kazan studio Brand Buro, is in Russian, with references to elements of the Arabic script and Tatar ornamentation, and a metaphorical silhouette of a teacup.

"Ak Chynayk" offers more than just immersion in national culture; it explores it, connecting the past with the present. The playlist of the tea room features voices that sang in Kazan at different times. A collection of 18 antique samovars from famous factories of the 17th-19th centuries tells the story of an era through the language of craftsmanship. And a 1913 Underwood No. 3 typewriter with the dealer's address "Gerlakh" on the decal and a musical box-polyphon made of walnut from the late 19th century with interchangeable discs and a carving on the lid bring the past to life, allowing you to touch it and, perhaps, feel or at least imagine it.