Tea growing in Azerbaijan

Tea growing in Azerbaijan is concentrated in an area of 5.33 thousand square kilometers located within the Lenkeran-Astara region, including the districts of Astara, Lankaran, Masalli, Lerik, Yardimli, and Jalilabad.

[1][2][3] Towards the end of the 19th century, M. O. Novoselov planted the first set of experimental tea bushes in the Lankaran District.

[1] However, events such as the collapse of the USSR and the first Nagorno-Karabakh War, tea production in Azerbaijan fell, reducing 1,200 tons by 1995.

[3][7] The main tea-growing areas are situated in the districts of Lankaran, Astara, Lerik, Masalli, Zakatala, and Balakan.

Azerbaijani tea is produced mainly for internal consumption, but it is also exported to Turkey, the Russian republic of Dagestan, and Georgia.

[8][9] Recent reports suggest the weather conditions in Southern Caucasus might be able to support new tea plantations, and areas have been earmarked by the government for future expansion.

For its premier brand, Azerçay, the company uses leaves from locally situated tea plantations, or from India, Vietnam, or Kenya.

Tea is often served with jams made from figs, strawberries, apricots, walnuts, and blackberries, called dishleme ('bite'), a tradition designed to help the flow of conversation.

The term chaykhana denotes a place where men have tea, and this cultural tradition persists in Azerbaijan in the same way that Pubs in Britain once excluded women.

[10] The drinking of tea in Azerbaijan often features during important occasions such as the celebration of an engagement, a marriage, the birth of a child, or a funeral.