Krasnodar Tea Plantations

Tea grows here at around forty-four degrees north, further from the equator than anywhere else it is farmed commercially, and it took several failed attempts before Iuda Koshman succeeded at Solokhaul around 1901 by selecting plants that would survive winter frost; some of his original bushes are said to still be alive, and his house is a small museum. The cold slows growth, so yields are low and the leaf develops slowly, which producers argue gives the tea its character - a light green or black with a slightly floral note. Plantations run through the hills above Dagomys and Matsesta, terraced on slopes among subtropical woodland, and several offer tours with a tasting served in a samovar setting with honey, jam and pastries, which is as much about the ritual as about the leaf. The tea is genuinely a curiosity of latitude, and it is expensive relative to what it is.

What you actually see

• The latitude - commercial tea at forty-four degrees north, the furthest anywhere.
• The Koshman house - the museum at Solokhaul with bushes from the first planting.
• The terraced slopes - plantations cut into hillsides among subtropical woodland.
• The tasting ritual - tea served with samovar, honey and jam rather than plainly.

When to go

May to September; picking runs through the warm months. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Tastings are commercial and often built around a souvenir sale. The tea is expensive for its quality and much sold as Krasnodar tea is blended with imported leaf. Roads into the hills are narrow and winding. Solokhaul is a slow drive from the coast.

Nearby

Sochi and Dagomys are on the coast below; the Agura valley is east.