Tea Blog

Like many people, I have to admit I had never heard of the Russian city of Sochi until it was announced as the host of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Located on the Black Sea in western Russia, Sochi is notable for tea lovers because it has been a tea-producing region for nearly a century. Its relatively mild climate makes it a popular vacation destination, while nearby mountains provide ideal conditions for winter sports.

Russians are, in general, enthusiastic tea drinkers. They rank among the world’s top tea consumers and have played a major role in popularizing the use of the

samovar, a traditional Russian tea brewing device
.

Russia is also surrounded by regions where tea is produced in modest quantities. One of the best-known neighboring tea-producing countries is Georgia, located near Sochi.

If you search for tea production in Sochi, you’ll find frequent references to it as one of the northernmost tea-growing regions in the world.

Interest in the region’s tea industry has grown alongside preparations for the Olympics. As early as 2009,

this report on the growth of tea production in Sochi ahead of the Winter Olympics

noted increased attention on local tea cultivation.

By 2011, production had reportedly expanded, with improvements in processing techniques. According to

this report on rising tea production and output estimates in the Sochi region
,
the area was expected to produce around one thousand tons of tea annually—enough to supply visitors to the Games.

For a broader look at tea production in Russia, see

this feature article on Russian tea cultivation and industry developments
.

You can also read a local perspective in

this account of a tea-focused visit to Solokhaul, an early tea-growing area near Sochi
.

And finally, for a quick visual overview, watch

this video report on the tea industry in Sochi and its role leading up to the Olympics
.

See more of William I. Lengeman’s articles

on the tea blog author archive page
.

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