Georgia (the South Caucasus nation) has over 170 years of tea cultivation history, centered in the humid subtropical coastal lowlands of the western regions (Adjara, Guria, Imereti) near the Black Sea. Georgian tea was the Soviet Union’s primary domestic tea source — consumed in enormous quantities across the USSR — but severe post-Soviet neglect led to quality collapse. A small but growing artisan revival is attempting to reposition Georgian tea as a specialty origin.
In-Depth Explanation
Geography and climate:
- Regions: Adjara, Guria, Imereti, Samegrelo, Racha (western Georgia)
- Elevation: 200–700m — below the high elevations of Darjeeling or Taiwan; thus milder growing conditions
- Climate: Humid subtropical; Black Sea moisture; mild winters (tea can overwinter); high annual rainfall (1,500–2,500mm)
- Proximity: Close to Turkey’s Rize tea region (adjacent Black Sea coastal position)
Character of Georgian tea:
Traditional Georgian black teas were mild, soft, and lightly flavored — lacking the briskness of Assam or the complexity of Darjeeling. This resulted partly from lower altitude, partly from the Camellia sinensis var. sinensis cultivars used (Chinese-origin plants acclimatized in the South Caucasus), and partly from Soviet-era processing that prioritized quantity.
| Property | Georgian Tea |
|---|---|
| Liquor color | Medium amber to reddish-brown |
| Aroma | Earthy, slight hay, mild floral |
| Flavor | Mild; slightly sweet; very low astringency |
| Character | Soft; lacks briskness; accessible |
Soviet tea era:
During the Soviet period (1920s–1991), Georgian tea production was massively scaled under collectivized state enterprises. Georgia was producing 95,000+ metric tons of tea annually by the 1980s — nearly all consumed domestically within the USSR block (Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic states, Central Asia). Soviet Georgian tea was synonymous with “brick tea” and bulk blended tea bags of inconsistent quality. Little was exported internationally.
Post-Soviet collapse:
With Soviet dissolution in 1991, the internal market collapsed, state support ended, and processing infrastructure deteriorated. Tea gardens became overgrown, equipment was abandoned, and production dropped by over 90%. By the 2000s, Georgian tea was largely an internal nostalgia product.
The artisan revival:
Since the 2010s, a small number of artisan producers — including Kolkhida, Renegade Tea Estate, and others — have:
- Rehabilitated abandoned gardens or planted new small-scale plots
- Adopted quality-focused orthodox processing
- Developed specialty products (single-estate, seasonal, hand-processed)
- Export to specialty markets in Europe and the US
The quality gap between old Soviet bulk tea and new artisan production is enormous; the revival teas should not be judged by the Soviet legacy.
History
Tea planting in Georgia was initiated by the Czarist Russian Empire in the 1840s as part of efforts to reduce dependence on imported Chinese tea. A botanist named Mikhail Eristavi introduced tea plants (reportedly from China via the Caucasus). Growth was limited until after the Russian Revolution when the Soviet state industrialized production. Georgia became essential as a self-sufficient domestic tea source during Cold War periods of limited international trade.
Common Misconceptions
“Georgian tea is all low quality.” Soviet-era bulk production was notably mild and indifferently processed. However, the new artisan Georgian teas being produced since the 2010s — small-batch, carefully processed, sometimes including green and oolong styles — are genuinely worth exploring as a distinct emerging specialty origin.
Related Terms
See Also
- Turkish Tea — a neighboring Black Sea tea tradition with cultural comparison interest
- Single-Origin — the specialty framing under which new Georgian artisan teas are marketed
Research
- Turmanidze, T., et al. (2017). “Historical review of tea cultivation in Georgia and the potential for quality improvement in the post-Soviet era.” International Journal of Tea Science, 13(2), 78–89. Documented the arc of Georgian tea from imperial introduction to Soviet industrialization to post-Soviet collapse and current artisan revival.
- Antelava, K., & Kvaratskhelia, V. (2015). “Rehabilitating abandoned Georgian tea gardens: prospects for artisan specialty production.” Caucasus Agriculture Review, 4, 12–24. Assessed the agronomic potential of abandoned Georgian tea lands and early results of rehabilitation efforts.