Georgian tea: description, varieties

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Tea - who doesn't love it? It is difficult to imagine at least one day without drinking a mug of this fragrant and warming drink. The most common types of tea are Chinese and Indian. We fell in love with the product of these countries for its special quality. Less common in Russia are varieties of neighboring countries - sunny Georgia.

Growing tea in Georgia

Even during the tsarist reign, they tried to grow their own tea in the empire, because the fashion for tea drinking has taken root in the country for a long time. And many dreamed of having their own plantations. Georgian tea in industrial volumes was the first to be grown by a captive Englishman who got into the territory of Georgia and married a local woman. Prior to this, all attempts to grow tea bushes were not crowned with success either by we althy landowners or church employees.

At the tea exhibition in 1864, "Caucasian tea" was presented to the general public for the first time, but since its quality was low, a product from China had to be added to it.

Improving the quality of Georgian tea

At the beginning of the twentieth century, they began to seriously work on the technology of growing and collecting tea leaves. Werecreated high grades of Georgian tea. These are "Dyadyushkin's Tea", "Zedoban", "Bogatyr" and "Kara-Dere". More tea buds (tips) were added to their composition. And by improving the technology, they could boldly compete in the battle for quality with the best Chinese varieties.

Soviet tea

When the time of Soviet power came, Georgian tea was in the field of special attention. In 1920, plantations were created in almost every territory of Georgia in order to increase production and completely abandon foreign drinks. Entire scientific organizations were created to improve the technology, quality and volume of tea collection. By 1970, the collection of fragrant leaves was at its maximum peak - now it was even possible to send them for export to other countries.

Tea deterioration

But, as it happens, with the increase in the collection, the quality was greatly reduced. Georgian tea has ceased to be harvested correctly, chasing quantity, and tea harvesters do not pick fresh leaves, but take everything in a row, not like human hands. Because of this, dry old leaves began to get into the composition, the number of buds also decreased.

The technology of drying the leaf has also changed - instead of drying twice, they began to dry it only once, then the tea underwent heat treatment, due to which the aroma and taste were lost.

The named production in the last years of the life of the USSR fell by half, and even then not allthe product got to consumers - half just went to recycling. Thus, Georgian tea, once famous, received the title of a low-grade product, suitable only in the absence of the best.

Krasnodar tea

People just stopped buying tea harvested in the territory of a great power. Indian tea became the most popular, while Georgian tea continued to gather dust on the shelves of stores and warehouses. It was necessary to urgently come up with an alternative, because entire plantations were disappearing, the workers had nothing to pay. A tea riot was coming.

But, as it turned out, everything ingenious is simple! With the words: "Oh, where ours did not disappear!" - the factory mixed Indian and Georgian tea. In this way, one of the best products of the USSR, Krasnodar Tea, was created. Its taste favorably differed from pure Georgian, and the price was much lower than that of foreign drinks.

Georgian tea now

Not one of the varieties of Georgian tea from the era of the USSR has reached our time. During the restructuring, the plantations were abandoned and neglected, the tea bushes died. Those varieties that are being produced now are worse than the first ones grown at the very beginning of production, but much better than those that were produced in the last years of the USSR.

At the moment there are two of the best species, the producers of which are Samaya and Gurieli. These teas have proven themselves well in the modern market, deservedly receiving the title of a product of medium quality or first grade (do not confuse with the highest). It is slightly worse than Indian, Chinese and English varieties in terms of taste.qualities, but the price of these teas is more attractive for the present time.

The revival of Georgian tea has just begun, it is hoped that soon it will take its former position as a product of the highest quality and will flow into our lives with a golden stream of taste and aroma.