The Tea Gardens of Rize

Turkey drinks more tea per head than almost anywhere, and nearly all of it grows here, on slopes above the eastern Black Sea where the rain is relentless and the ground too steep for much else. Cultivation took hold around Rize in the early twentieth century after earlier attempts further west failed, and the terraces now run from the shoreline up into the cloud. Picking is done by hand with shears in three flushes across the summer, and the leaf goes to the factories the same day. The drink is made in a stacked double pot, strong brew above and water below, poured to taste and served in a tulip glass with sugar cubes and no milk.

What you actually see

• The terraces - tea planted up slopes too steep to farm any other way.
• Hand picking - shears and back-baskets across three flushes from May to August.
• The caydanlik - the stacked double pot, strong above and water below, poured to strength.
• The hillside tea garden - the terrace above Rize looking over the town and the sea.

When to go

May to September covers the harvest and the only reliably drivable weather, and the first flush in May makes the best leaf. Rain is possible on any day of the year and the coast is humid in high summer. Weekends bring domestic visitors up to the hillside gardens. Factory visits need arranging in advance and are seasonal.

Honest expectations

The tea is ordinary in the glass if you expect the nuance of a single-estate leaf; this is a strong, tannic everyday drink. The coast road is heavily built up and industrial in stretches, and the photogenic terraces are further inland up narrow lanes. Rain will interrupt whatever you plan, and little English is spoken.

Nearby

The Firtina valley and its stone bridges inland, and Trabzon along the coast to the west.