Rambling: Georgia (tea) on my mind - Part 1

A semi-brief personal history with one of the lesser-known teas
Stock photos

Even if you aced geography in high school, you may need to consult a current map of Europe to find the source of these teas, because I’m not referring to Georgia USA but to Georgia FSU. The former soviet bloc state, located in the Caucasus Mountain region, is now an independent country, and they produce some very interesting and tasty teas.

My “love affair” with Georgia teas began several years ago. We were on our way home from a day down the shore in New Jersey, and stopped at Delicious Orchards farm market in Colts Neck. On the far side of their candy counter they had a display of loose-leaf teas. Packaged in clear plastic zipper bags, they were “sample” sized — about an ounce each — and priced at under a dollar each, so I figured I’d pick up a few. Along with the Darjeelings, senchas, fruit flavours, and English breakfast blends I discovered what they had labeled “Russian Georgian Tea.”

Of course I had sampled tea imported from Russia — various Kousmichoff and “czar” blends, as well as Wissotzky teas (the company originated in Moscow and is now located in Israel). But these were all China and India teas that had been re-packaged in Russia. I’d never heard of teas actually produced in Russia or Georgia. So I did some research and discovered that tea has been grown in Georgia since the mid-1800s!

That first cup of “Russian Georgian” tea (a misnomer, of course; Georgia is not part of Russia) was surprisingly good. Because we couldn’t get to Delicious Orchards very often, I began ordering the tea from them by the half-pound and then by the pound — that’s how much I liked it.

A short time later I found another Georgia tea in the Stash Tea catalogue, so I ordered a few ounces. The tea, I believe, was called Guria Long Leaf, and was listed under black teas. I don’t know if it was that particular sample of tea, or perhaps something in the shipping or storage, but I was disappointed with its rather flat taste. I later learned that Guria teas were the first to be produced in Georgia and had won awards in the late 1800s. Unfortunately this particular sample was simply not very good. (It appears that Stash stopped offering this, or any other, Georgia tea, so I’m guessing it was not a customer favourite.)

Fast-forward a couple of years — still sipping my “Russian” Georgian tea — when DH, on a trip to Sweden, stopped in at Tea Centre of Stockholm and brought home a few of their teas. The teas were clearly of a very good quality, so I took a look at their website: one of the teas they carry is Georgia tea! Tea Centre lists it as Grusinien, which I presume is the name either in Swedish or in one of the Caucasian languages of Georgia.

On his next trip to Sweden, DH brought back a few ounces of Grusinien — and again, wow! I liked it even better than the one from Delicious Orchards, and again I’ve been buying it by the half-kilo.

More recently, via the Teamail discussion group, we learned of a British company, Teacraft Ltd, that was working with Georgia growers and processors to market their teas. So far I’ve sampled four of those teas.

And that will take us to Part 2 of this rambling review, to be published next week.

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