Postcards from Azerbaijan: The tradition of tea
This week in Postcards from Azerbaijan, the country’s deep attachment to tea, an almost sacred ritual that goes back centuries.
Strong black tea is served for almost every occasion, and a lot of it comes from the region of Lankaran-Astara in the south of the country.
Euronews’ Seamus Kearney reported: “It’s the first picking of the season here on the local plantations, which lie between the Caspian Sea and the mountains, and where the subtropical climate and humidity are just right for growing tea.”
The leaves grown here are for domestic consumption, but they are also exported.
There are traditional tea houses all over Azerbaijan, where locals have a saying that when you drink tea, you don’t count the cups.
Azeris also pride themselves on the quality of their locally grown tea, saying it contains many benefits.
Ilqar Hzimov from the Lankaran Tourism Information Centre told Postcards: “There are a lot of minerals and vitamins and Lankaran tea is very good for the health of everybody.”
Previous Postcard from Azerbaijan was about the region of Guba in the northeast of Azerbaijan and the stunning landscape around the village of Khinalig. This is one of the highest and most remote villages in the Caucasus and the inhabitants here even have their own language. And part of the magic is that sense of isolation.
Euronews’ Seamus Kearney reported: “If you’re looking for a place to really get away from it all this could be it, with breathtaking scenery all around Khinalig and the chance to do some serious hiking.”
