Georgia is known as a wine country, but it also has a long tea history. Georgian tea was once drunk all over the Soviet Union, and today small family farms are reviving the tradition with handmade teas increasingly appreciated by connoisseurs. Here's how tea came to Georgia, where to see plantations and what to try.

How tea came to Georgia

The humid subtropical climate of western Georgia — Adjara, Guria, Samegrelo, Imereti — suits the tea bush well. The first experiments with tea took place in the 19th century, and the real impetus came from inviting Chinese specialists.

In the late 19th century the Chinese tea master Lau Jen Jau (Liu Junzhou) arrived in Chakvi near Batumi. He oversaw the creation of plantations and production, and his name is still linked with the birth of Georgian tea. Tea grown under his supervision won awards at international exhibitions of the time.

The Soviet tea boom

In Soviet times tea became one of Georgia's main agricultural industries. Plantations covered vast areas in the west, dozens of tea factories operated and Georgian tea was sold widely across the USSR.

The focus was on quantity: harvesting was mechanised and quality often suffered. Still, for generations "Georgian tea" was an everyday kitchen staple.

Decline and revival

After the USSR collapsed in the 1990s, the tea industry crashed: markets vanished, plantations became overgrown and factories closed. Many plots turned into thickets.

Today tea is enjoying a revival:

  • small family farms are restoring old plantations;
  • producers make handcrafted tea — green, black, oolong and white;
  • tea houses and tastings have appeared in Guria, Adjara, Imereti and Samegrelo;
  • some Georgian teas win awards at international competitions.

Many old bushes grew for decades without fertilisers or chemicals, so some producers make organic tea.

Where to see tea plantations

  • Chakvi (Adjara) — historic plantations near Batumi, where Georgian tea began.
  • Guria — a hilly region with plantations on slopes, especially around Ozurgeti and Chokhatauri. Local producers welcome visitors.
  • Imereti and Samegrelo — small farms, often combined with guesthouses.

Some farms offer tours: a walk through the plantation, leaf picking (in season), an explanation of production and a tasting.

Picking season runs from late spring to autumn; the first spring flush is the most prized.

Teas to try

  • Black tea — the classic: mellow, with honey and fruit notes and little astringency.
  • Green tea — fresh and grassy.
  • Oolong and white tea — experimental styles from small producers.
  • Blends — with mountain herbs, petals or fruit.

Mountain herbal teas

A separate tradition is herbal blends gathered in the mountains:

  • thyme — one of the most popular;
  • mint, lemon balm, rose hip;
  • linden blossom, St John's wort;
  • blends from Svaneti, Tusheti and Kazbegi, sold at markets and guesthouses.

Many hosts serve guests hot herbal tea with honey and jam, especially in the mountains.

Coffee and tea in daily life

Georgian homes drink both tea and coffee. Turkish-style coffee (made in a cezve) is very common, and Tbilisi has plenty of modern coffee shops. Tea is often served with jam (muraba) — walnut, fig, quince or cherry.

Where to taste and buy

  • Tbilisi — specialist tea shops and tea houses; some cafés offer Georgian tea tastings.
  • Markets — especially Dezerter Bazaar for herbal blends and sometimes farm tea.
  • Batumi — shops and tea houses, plus a trip to Chakvi.
  • Guria and Adjara — buy direct from producers.

Tea as a gift

Georgian tea makes a great souvenir:

  • light and compact;
  • no export limits (unlike wine);
  • unusual — many people don't know Georgia makes tea.

Choose handmade tea from small producers in nice packaging, or mountain herbal blends.

Combining it with a trip

  • Batumi + Chakvi — half a day: plantations, the Lau Jen Jau story and the botanical garden nearby.
  • Guria — Ozurgeti, Shekvetili and Ureki: tea, magnetic sands and beaches.
  • Imereti — wine and tea farms around Kutaisi.

In short

Georgian tea's story began in 19th-century Chakvi, survived the Soviet boom and the collapse of the 1990s, and is now being revived by small family farms. Visit plantations in Adjara or Guria, taste handmade tea and mountain herbal blends — and bring home a gift that will surprise even people who think they know everything about Georgia.