When you ask about the person who has gifted to Turkey the magnificent tea of the Black Sea, the first that comes in mind is Ali Rıza Bey, one of the well-known people in the Ottoman, the second is Zihni Derin, and the third is the stubborn and hardworking man of the Black Sea.
Rize and Artvin workers, who went to work to various cities of Russia, especially to Batumi brought tea sprouts to their hometown and the tea culture of nowadays is the result of planting such sprouts in their lands.
During the period of Ottoman Empire Ali Rıza Bey was appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture to examine the agricultural structure and the economic status of Batumi and was send to the South Caucasus in 1918 Here he saw that many plants of warm climate such as mandarins, lemons, oranges, bamboo and tea were grown in the Caucasus coastal region. He reported the meteorological structure of the region and the soil and climate characteristics he identified there.
In addition, he obtained the meteorological data, which were recorded during the occupation of city of Rize by the Russians. Based on these data, he determined some similarities in the soil formation of Rize and Batumi, and he concluded that the tea could be grown in the Black Sea.
Zihni Derin attended a trip to Batumi. After examining the tea gardens, the tea factory, the Astropical Plants Research Station established by the Russians in Batumi and its surroundings, he returned to Rize and brought all these necessary information. He brought also to Rize some tea seeds and seedlings, citrus, fruit varieties, bamboo rhizomes and a Russian gardener.
ES tea Çay
