Tula has been producing samovars — the Russian hot-water urns used for brewing tea — since the late 18th century, and the city's samovar Museum makes a charming companion to the more serious weapons collections. The collection is housed in a merchant's mansion near the kremlin and exhibits hundreds of samovars in every conceivable shape, size, and material: tiny travel-sized models that fold flat, enormous ceremonial pieces decorated with silver and enamel, and industrial-era designs shaped like barrels or roosters.
The museum makes the point that the samovar was not merely a tea-making device but a central piece of Russian domestic life, a status symbol, and a gift for every significant occasion. Tula pryaniki and samovar tea are sold in the museum shop. The building itself, with its 19th-century tiled stoves and carved wooden fittings, is worth seeing on its own.