Tea Fact Friday - Georgan Tea

Hello again welcome to Tea Fact Friday. Today I want to talk about tea from the Republic of Georgia in the Caucasus. These plantations are in a unique location between the Caucasus mountains and the sub tropical Black Sea creating a lovely spot to grow our favorite Camellia.
In one of the villages in this area lives a woman named Natela Guzabechi (spelling is my creation!) who as a young woman was sent by the Soviet Government to China to learn the art of making tea. She learned and returned and made a career out of making tea for the government and possibly others. When the Soviet Union imploded, she retired to her village but saw acres of tea falling into ruin. She began tending some tea plants, making tea in her kitchen and teaching other people in her village to do the same. Then, along came Nigel Melican of Tea Craft with his years of experience in tea and he helped make this "kitchen industry" available to a wider audience. Today there are five or six different teas manufactured in or around the village. We are delighted to tell you we have just received a shipment of the 2011 "GOLD STANDARD" by Natela. Look for a picture on our Face book page and website within the next few days!

Thanks to Norwood Pratt's Tea Dictionary, published by Tea Society Press, San Francisco, CA, printed in India 2010 for the general information about the Georgia Tea Region. The information about Natela and her village is my own version of what Nigel Melican told me.

See you Tuesday (finally) for Tea Talk Tuesday.

Julee