TURKIYE: Tea Cultivation

Turkish tea (çay, pronounced chai) is the country's most popular drink. 

The average person in Türkiye drinks several cups a day, making the country one of the world's highest tea consumers per person.

Most Turkish tea is grown around the city of Rize on Türkiye's eastern Black Sea coast on the steep mountain slopes.

The region's mild, rainy climate is ideal for growing tea, and it produces nearly all of the country's tea.

Tea is such an important part of the local economy that much of the countryside around Rize is covered in bright green tea terraces.

Interestingly, tea growing began in the 1920's, after the government encouraged farmers to cultivate tea instead of importing it. 

Most tea is grown on small family-owned farms, where workers hand-pick the tender top leaves and buds.

These ladies were picking the bushes outside our Airbnb. They were there when we got up in the morning and still there when we returned at the end of the day.

There are typically three harvests each year—from late spring through early fall.

To facilitate getting the picked leaves up and down the steep hills they use a pully system.

The fresh leaves must be delivered to processing plants within hours of picking to preserve their quality.

 

We wandered a bit off the beaten path and ran into this mother and son picking tea leaves. They invited me down to give it a go. 

The mom let me use her electric trimmers that had a scoop attached to the trimmers to catch the leaves. The son then invited me to use the old style manual trimmers. Much slower and harder.

Bottom line is it is back breaking work. 

Here are a few things that make Turkish tea unique: Turkish tea is made from loose black tea leaves and steeped for 15–20 minutes. Tea is brewed in a two-tiered kettle called a çaydanlık. Strong tea is brewed in the upper pot, while hot water is kept in the lower pot. 

Each person can adjust the strength by mixing the concentrated tea with hot water.

Instead of mugs, tea is served in clear, tulip-shaped glasses that show off its deep reddish-amber color. Turkish tea is almost always drunk plain or with one or two sugar cubes. Milk is rarely added.

Tea is deeply woven into Turkish culture. Friends often gather over tea, business meetings begin with tea, and shopkeepers frequently offer visitors a complimentary glass—even if they're just browsing. 

Enjoy your next cup of tea.