Georgian Tea Makers

A glimpse inside my tea cabinet. Clearly, it’s that time of year when the yearly box from .farmers has arrived! What else can you spot— or should I make some more detailed exposition of my collection?

The Georgian Tea Makers project is mainly intended to bring attention to the small-scale artisans who have made a new name for Georgian tea with superior quality, bold flavor, and commitment to natural methods - but these principles aren't exclusive to the smallest producers! When I started looking for tea makers interested in being profiled for the website, Gela Garchagodashvili of ჩაი მარტვილი/Tea Martvili was one of the first to reach out to me. Martvili Tea is one of the largest tea factories in Georgia and definitive proof that quality does not have to be sacrificed for scale. They produce several different grades of black and green tea, the best of which is excellent and the rest of which are perfectly serviceable for non-connoisseur market segments. They also make these ingenious tea balls wrapped in local citrus peels. Read more on the website at https://georgianteamakers.com/georgian-tea-directory/martvili-tea/

https://georgianteamakers.com/georgian-tea-directory/tenieshvili-family/

Over the next bit of time, I am going to post here the content which I currently have on the website. After a bit of time we will be caught up and then I will post updates as I add more content. I am a firm believer that the web-based internet was and remains vastly superior to social media as a means of sharing information, so you are never going to get the full story in these posts! You will have to go to the website for better quality photos and more detailed texts.

This post is dedicated to some of our favorite teamakers of Georgia, the Tenieshvili father-and-son business in Bakhvi, Guria. Dato and Gabriel have a remarkable story and were practically the first folks out there transforming Georgian tea from the old Soviet mass production style to a high-quality, richly flavored, organic product back in the chaos of the 1990s. Today they remain at the forefront of both teamaking and regenerative farming techniques in Georgia, making some of the hands-down best tea to be found within the borders of Georgia. They are cracking good hosts as well - definitely worth a visit if you are ever in the Ozurgeti area for a tasting and a trip round the homestead!

As always, read more on the website: https://georgianteamakers.com/georgian-tea-directory/tenieshvili-family/ -- or check out the Teni Tea FB at https://www.facebook.com/TeniteaGE