Turkey is an amazing country with its own unique culture and traditions known all around the world. Even before the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923, its history extends back thousands of years.

Turkey manufactures about 246 to 280 metric tons of tea, making the country 5th position in the top 10 tea-producing countries list. Turkey’s tea production is located in the North-East Black Sea Region, with 830,000 hectares of tea land. Turkey has various weather characteristics in different parts of the country, but the Kaçkar Mountains and the proximity to the Black Sea, where summers are cool and winters are warm in the coastal area and snowy and cold in the higher parts, create a climate ideal for tea plantations.

We welcome everyone to join us in a deep immersion into Turkish Tea Culture during our September Turkey Tea Tour. We are about to discover this country, its culture, and traditions, tea production, and industry. We will travel through a lot of different places to enjoy beautiful nature and kind people who dedicate their lives to tea. We will share their stories and discover the traditional tea ceremony with its unique 'çaydanlık' (two stacked teapots) and famous 'ince belli bardak' (slim-waisted glass)!

During our stay in Rize province, we will visit different leading tea companies and villages to explore family manufacturers, who produce Turkish specialty tea. We will visit the Tea Research Institute, harvest and produce our tea, and make a tea tasting one of the best Turkish teas. We will visit some breathtaking places like Zilkale Castle, Palovit Selalesi (Camlihemsin) Waterfall (the biggest waterfall (in terms of volume) in the Black Sea region), See Arched Bridges, Ayder Plateau -Avusor Plateau and trek to Glacier Lake, Huser Platea enjoying Clouds & Sunset, Zipline, Rafting in Firtina Valley. We will visit the Rize Tea Trade Center (The Largest Tea Glass Tower) with its tea shops, tea houses galleries, and much more.

Traveling in Istanbul we will visit most must
visit places like Sultanahmet, St Sophia, Grand Bazaar, Galata Bridge, Karaköy, Taksim, and of course Bosphorus Boat Trip. During 7 days we will explore rich Turkish authentic cuisine and drinks fully and completely immersed in Turkish culture.

The tour is organized by AN SHIM TEA and Rize Çay Çarşısı (Rize Tea Trade Center and EDFA Tourism) and lasts 8 days and 7 nights. We speak English, Turkish, and Russian and are ready to answer all your questions!

anshim.tea.collection@gmail.com

Our journey of the 2023 Season will start on September 25th!

The new Tea Trade Center highlights some of the unique experiences found only in Rize, Turkey’s “capital of tea” and the land of clouds and every hue of blue and green. The 9,500-square-meter Tea Trade Center gives visitors access to everything related to tea and local culture. They can see a 30-meter-tall tea-glass-shaped building, dine at a restaurant serving unforgettable flavors of Black Sea cuisine, shop for local products from 25 tea brands, and see films about local tea production inside a 13D Cinema. They can also learn more about the tea trade at the center’s tea museum, see local artwork at the art gallery, and sample natural teas while listening to the Black Sea’s distinctive music, which includes melodies of the Tulum and the rhythm of the kemenche.

The World’s Largest Tea Glass!

The 30-meter-tall tea glass building is modeled after Turkey’s traditional tulip-shaped glasses and has become the new symbol of Rize and a landmark for getting around the city. The building is believed to be the largest tea glass in the World. The New Brand of Rize…The Tea Trade Center Project was completed under the leadership of the Rize Commodity Exchange and with support from the Rize Municipality Subsidiary, the Ministry of Industry and Technology (DOKAP-DOKA), and TOBB. The Tea Trade Center will enhance the brand value of Turkish Tea globally and contribute to the national and international recognition of Rize as one of the most important destinations in the Black Sea region in terms of culinary, cultural, and natural attractions.

What awaits you at the Rize Tea Trade Center?

- Three teahouses with different presentations
- 22 shops where you will find a variety of tea selections to suit your taste and other local products unique to the region
- A modern restaurant where you can try local delicacies
- A 30-meter-tall tea glass building, 13D cinema, photograph gallery, tea museum, and terrace with views of the city
- Tea garden where you can take photos
- Children's playground
- A traditional water mill used to grind corn; Nalia (Serender), a traditional storage house for agricultural products; and a replica of one of Rize’s landmarks, the arched Kemer Bridge

1^st DAY (September 25th) 150 km
Meeting at Airport in Rize - Check in Boutique Hotel in Ardeşen (Leyla Sultan)
12.00 -15.00 Visit Lazika Tea Company and Tea Tasting
15.30 Visit Çaykur Organic Tea Factory
15.00 -18.00 Çamlihemşin, Konaklar Village, Kuşiva Village
19.30 Dinner at the hotel (Barbeku)


2^nd DAY (26th)
08.30 Breakfast
09.30 – 12.00 Drive to The Tea Village Çeçeva – Plucking Tea in Çayeli
12.00-15.00 Visit ÇAYMER (Tea Research Institute) Tea Tasting, Making Tea
16.00 Visit the Rize Tea Trade Center (The Largest Tea Glass Tower ) Visit Tea Shops (23) and tea Houses, See Tea Documentaries and Tea Photos Gallery At the Tea Glass Tower, and Light Show on The Tea Glass Tower
19.30 Dinner at Nalia Restoran at The Tea Trade Center


3^rd DAY (27th)
08.00 Breakfast
09.30 Zilkale (Castle), Palovit Waterfall, See Arched Bridges)
12.30 Ayder Plateau -Avusor Plateau and trekking to Glacier Lake
19.30 See Huser Platea (Clouds Sea & Sunset)
20.30 Dinner in Ayder (Tepe Restaurant)

4^th DAY (28th)
08.00 Breakfast 10.00 Zipline, Rafting in Firtina Valley
13.30- 16.00 See tea production at Mylivadi or Chaynik Company
17.00 -19.00 See Tea Village in Caglayan Valley
20.00 Dinner at (Fırtına Valley)


5^th DAY (29th)
07.30 Breakfast
09.35 Fly to Istanbul
13.00 -19.00 See Sultanahmet, St Sophia, Grand Bazaar
19.30 Check in Hotel, 20.00 Dinner at the Hotel


6^th DAY (30th)
08.30 Breakfast
10.00 -17.00 Visit Galata Bridge, Karaköy, Taksim, Bosphorus Trip
17.00 – 20.00 Free time
20.30 Dinner

7^th DAY (October 1st)
08.30 Breakfast …. Free time and transport to the airport

September 25th - October 1st

Tour costs include accommodation, meals, and transportation inside Turkey as well as all the tea events included in the tour. Tour cost DOES NOT include international airfare and VISA fee!

FOR REGISTRATION, PLEASE, SEND US AN EMAIL WITH THE TOPIC "TURKEY TEA TOUR" AND WE WILL CONTACT YOU TO LET YOU KNOW ALL THE INFORMATION NEEDED!

anshim.tea.collection@gmail.com

Visit our TEA TOUR page to check out the gallery of our previous tea tours to feel the atmosphere.