Rize tea

The tea harvest season in Türkiye's eastern Black Sea region has extended into December, an unprecedented occurrence attributed to rising temperatures caused by climate change.

Workers from African countries, who filled the void to pick tea in the northern province of Rize last year after the border was sealed for Georgian workers due to the coronavirus pandemic, have lent a hand to Turkish tea plantation owners this year too.

Workers from Gambia, Senegal, Sudan and Zambia, residing in Turkey with work permits, flocked to Rize to pick tea.

A Tea Library, the first of its kind in Turkey, has been launched at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University in the Black Sea province of Rize.

Currently, the library holds 938 volumes of books, all dedicated to tea, which is one of Turkish people's favorite hot drinks.