Anditri Tea Estate
Terjola, Imereti, Georgia
Anditri Tea Estate
Grower: Anditri Tea Estate
Teamakers: Grigoli and Elguja Bitsadze
Origin: Terjola, Imereti, Georgia
Elevation: 170m (558 ft)
Cultivation: Natural (Organic, GOPTA certification)
Signature Teas: Georgian Forest Black (Wild Harvest Collection)
A Tea Farming Family.
Grigoli and Elguja Bitsadze are brothers who own the Anditri Tea Estate located in the Highlands of the Terjola region of Imereti. The Bitsadze family has worked this land for several generations. Their aunt (pictured below), who still lives at the family homestead, shares stories of her family working in the tea fields when the farm was a Soviet plantation.
A Special Place.
Anditri Tea Estate is a special place because the Bitsadzes specialize in producing the Wild Georgian Forest Teas in our Wild Harvest Collection. However, the farm is more aptly described as a tea forest, rather than a tea estate. The property is located in a remote village deep in the middle of the highland forest of Imereti. The property is a sea of wild tea bushes heavily populated with tall acacia trees, which provide a natural canopy for the plants..
Georgia probably isn’t on your short list of countries that produce world-class teas. You’ve probably never had Georgian tea—or even knew it was grown there. And we’re not talking the U.S. state of Georgia, but rather the Republic of Georgia that sits on the far-eastern boarder of Europe. nestled between Russia, Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
But tea from Georgia? Here’s how it happened.
This Terroir Produces Unique Teas.
When visiting this wild tea forest with all its natural beauty, it’s hard to believe it was once one of the many Soviet tea plantations that dominated the landscape of western Georgia.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the tea plantations were abandoned and basically forgotten for 30 years. During this time the forest reclaimed the land and created a unique ecosystem perfect for tea plants. The highland soil is bathed in mineral enriched mountain waters flowing from the Greater Caucasus range. The tall acacia trees provide natural shade and protection. Combining those elements with the tea-friendly, subtropical climate makes for optimal tea growing conditions.
This unique terroir gives Georgian Wild Forest Teas their distinctive aromas and characteristics, and a chemical composition not found in other teas. It should be noted, that plantation grown teas can be plucked multiple times during the 6 months of tea season, whereas Georgian Wild Forest Teas can only be harvested once a year in the Spring.
Award-Winning Wild Forest Teas.
Grigoli and Elguja joined GOTPA (Georgian Organic Tea Producers Association) in 2014 and the first tea farmers from Imereti province. The brothers had heard of the success GOTPA was having rehabilitating other tea farms and wanted to see if they could help revive Anditri Tea Estate.
Upon seeing the wild tea forest, Shota Bitadze was immediately struck by its beauty and uniqueness, and recognized it’s potential. Shota provided the investment capital for tea machinery and technologies, and worked with Grigoli and Elguja, in developing a new premium style of tea, called Wild Forest Teas.
In 2016, GOTPA presented Wild Forest Black tea at the Tea Masters Cup and the Tea Expo in Seoul, South Korea, and won 1st place in three different categories: Best Aroma, Best Taste and Best Aftertaste.
