Georgian Kolkhida – Green Tea

Brew & Taste

Georgian Kolkhida green tea is bright and clear. The floral and fresh aroma is accompanied by a sweet, very harmonious taste. Although it is a green tea, it lacks the typical astringency. It is richly replaced by a freshness that you will quickly fall in love with.

Origins

The Russian royal family was interested in the possibility of growing tea in Georgia around 1900. This shows the importance that Georgian tea once had. It is undoubtedly interesting that no one called it anything other than 'Russian tea' (just as teas grown in India were referred to as 'English'). The communist leaders Lenin and Stalin also made their mark on Georgia's tea history. The former claimed that "tea is the drink of the proletariat and we must produce a lot of it", the latter exerted extraordinary pressure to maximize Georgian tea production. However, as soon as the Soviet Union collapsed and Georgia became an independent country, the tea gardens degraded and the production facilities became obsolete until they were closed. Georgians lacked their own methods and perhaps even the desire to develop a tea industry.

Yet many gardens continued to grow tea trees, which a few enthusiasts harvested and handcrafted 50-100kg of tea for their own use and retail sale in their homeland. It was only after 2000 that they decided to return Georgian tea to its former glory. They set out to study traditional methods of growing and processing tea leaves, particularly in the Fujian region of China. Now, a generation of tea farmers is growing up in Georgia, combining their new-found knowledge with the experience of their predecessors.

Georgian Kolkhida green tea is made from Camellia sinensis Kolkhida tea plants, which are native to the Kolkhida Plain in the Guria region. This is an area bathed by the Black Sea and surrounded by mountains. The unique microclimate, influenced by the humid sea breeze and the fresh mountain air, is extremely favorable to tea plants. The fact that they grow in the shade of the 'empress trees' with the botanical name Paulownia tomentosa also helps them to thrive. They provide the shrubs with protection from wind, shade and moisture. They can grow slowly and steadily, which is important for the accumulation of precious amino acids in the leaves.

The producer of this tea is a company farming around 25 hectares of previously abandoned plantations. They've been doing so since 2016. Its success is due not only to the enthusiasm of all the workers, but also to the renewal of the garden with new plants grown from seed. The tea plants are grown without the use of industrial fertilizers, and the leaves are harvested and processed by hand. Georgian Kolkhida green tea is considered to be absolutely unique. Compared to popular Asian green varieties, it has a completely different aroma and taste.

Tea packaging preview

We pack our teas in a strong, zip-lock aluminum packet which allows you to easily re-seal its contents. This container protects the quality of the tea against humidity, light or foreign odors, all of which could noticeably affect the quality of the brew.