ÖZÇAY, tea from the last mountain before the sea

Field notes

ÖZÇAY identifies its source as S.S. Of Özçay Tarımsal Kalkınma Kooperatifi, a grower-owned organization on Turkey’s Black Sea coast. The homepage describes leaves picked by hand to a two-and-a-half-leaf standard, moved to a factory near the gardens, and processed the same day; it says the facility can handle up to a hundred tonnes in season. Three 500-gram teas are listed, but each is marked “Launching soon.”