Rize Tea Product Description and Distinguishing Features: Tea (Camellia sinensis) is a cultivated plant belonging to the Theaceae family, thriving in moist environments. Its leaves and buds are harvested to create a popular beverage. Black tea is produced through a series of specific processes including withering, rolling, oxidation, and drying of the tea plant’s leaves, buds, and tender stems. Rize Tea, which is classified as black tea, is distinguished by its unique taste, aroma, color, and flavor, all shaped by several factors: • Biological factors: the particular tea plant varieties cultivated in Rize. • Geographical factors: Rize’s climate, soil, terrain, and surrounding environmental conditions. • Agrotechnical factors: the agricultural methods used from planting to harvesting the tea in Rize. • Processing techniques: the specific procedures applied during black tea production. Rize Tea owes its essential qualities to the unique climatic conditions of the region. The mountains in Rize stretch parallel to the coastline, with the highest peak reaching 3937 meters. The area is covered by temperate rainforests, featuring broad-leaved trees up to about 750 meters above sea level, mixed forests between 800 and 1400 meters, and predominantly needle-leaved trees beyond 1600 meters. Above 2000 to 2200 meters, alpine meadows appear, while areas over 2400 meters contain glacial lakes, creating an ecosystem rich in biological diversity. These geological and climatic factors give Rize Tea its exceptional quality. Since tea leaves begin to lose freshness immediately after being picked, it is crucial to transport the freshly harvested leaves to the tea processing plants swiftly to start the production process. Therefore, the tea plantations and processing facilities should be situated close to each other within the same region. This proximity ensures that the green tea leaves harvested in Rize reach the local processing centers quickly, enabling the production of high-quality black tea. Moreover, the climate where the processing facility is located influences the bioclimatic reactions during tea processing and the factors that regulate them. As a result, Rize Tea becomes a product unique to its region during the processing phase. This means the tea’s distinctive qualities stem from the genetic and biochemical traits of the tea plants shaped by their growing environment, the environmental conditions of the processing facility influenced by regional climate, and the consumer’s preferences for flavor and aroma. These factors together shape the processing parameters of black tea, allowing it to develop a characteristic color, bitterness, brightness, scent, and aroma. Consequently, Rize Tea has gained its signature aroma and flavor, deeply influenced by the ecological, climatic, and cultural aspects of its cultivation and processing region. Production Method: Rize Tea is processed into black tea. Although the equipment and systems used in Rize factories may vary slightly, the fundamental steps in turning fresh tea leaves into black tea remain consistent. The black tea production process follows these main stages in order: harvesting fresh tea leaves, withering, rolling, oxidation, drying, sorting, blending, and packaging. The techniques applied are largely adaptations of the Orthodox method, refined according to specific principles. The expertise of skilled workers familiar with the region’s tea processing methods plays a vital role in producing Rize Tea. The key steps in black tea processing are as follows. (Note: Rize Tea does not include variations such as green tea or tea bags for filtering black or green tea): Harvesting Fresh Tea Leaves: Fresh leaves are collected according to the TS 3225 standards. They are harvested manually using scissors or with tea-picking machines, focusing mainly on picking the top bud along with the first and second fresh, tender leaves beneath it, which are fiber-free. Withering: This stage involves reducing the moisture content of the tea leaves by exposing them to warm air, making the leaves pliable and ready for rolling. The temperature used during withering varies based on the freshness, moisture, and environmental conditions of the harvested leaves. Rolling: In this process, the withered leaves are crushed, broken, and twisted using tea manufacturing machinery. This action releases cell sap on the surface of the leaves, triggering the oxidation process. Oxidation: During oxidation, the chemical compounds in the cell sap of the twisted leaves undergo enzymatic changes catalyzed by polyphenol oxidase. This transformation develops the characteristic color, bitterness, brightness, aroma, and flavor typical of black tea. Drying: Drying halts enzymatic oxidation by creating conditions that preserve the tea’s developed qualities and compounds, allowing the tea to be stored, packaged, and transported effectively. Sorting: The dried tea is then separated based on leaf size, thickness, and quality. The sorted teas are bagged and labeled according to their classifications. Storage and Packaging: Finally, the blended Rize Tea is packaged and prepared for the market. Blending involves combining teas sorted by size and quality, ensuring they meet the physical, chemical, and sensory standards that define Rize Tea. This entire process gives Rize Tea its distinctive qualities and unique characteristics.