The Cultural Heritage of Turkish Tea: Tea Passion Project

Did you know that UNESCO recognized Turkish tea culture as "intangible cultural heritage" to be preserved in early 2023? Considering everything that has happened to tea and tea culture in Turkey, it's delightful that an international organization reminds us of our own value. Long live UNESCO!

Respect for Tea Culture

As a producer who loves dreaming big for tea culture, we were thrilled by this development. Just as culture does not form overnight, it cannot be easily erased. Lazika has always wanted to make a lasting contribution to our globally respected tea culture.

Tea Passion Project

Together with the esteemed Sabriye Şeker, whose invaluable works grace our packaging, and the Şeker Sanatevi she founded, we embarked on a project to leave an enduring mark on history and introduce Turkish tea and its rich culture to the world through art: Tea Passion. Under Sabriye's leadership, 19 artists worked on Turkish tea, creating 29 unique works over six months. These talented artists captured the essence of tea and its culture in magnificent works of art.

Art and Tea

They narrated the story of tea from leaf to glass, its 4,000-year journey in the world and in our country, through Turkish art forms such as miniature and illumination. The illustrative richness of miniature art, expressed through the works of 19 artists, will help introduce Turkish tea culture to a broader audience.

Our Artists

I truly believe in this. I’d like to share the names of our esteemed artist friends with you:

• Sabriye Şeker
• Gülümser Sarıalioğlu
• Ayşegül Nalçacı
• Çiğdem Ustaoğlu
• Ümit Üstün
• Zeynep Belkıs Ocak
• Silva Atiniz
• Figen Kocaalioğlu
• Aysel Tuncer
• Ayşenur Şimşek
• Züleyha Atakul
• İlkşen Yıldızaydın
• Serap Çopuroğlu
• Esin Şeker
• Gülsüm Yiğittürk
• Müzeyyen Gürbüz
• Berrin Topbaş
• Sevda Açıksöz
• Hülya Toksöz

Taking Tea Culture Forward

Sabriye was born into tea. Coming from a family that migrated from Rize to Istanbul, she was nurtured by longing. Many of the artists in the project group, however, learned about tea only through research. Yet, the works they created are extraordinary! They revitalized forgotten aspects of our tea culture and production with their art.

The First Exhibition

Our exhibition was displayed on the third floor of the iconic tea glass at Rize Tea Market. Three distinguished journalists who value tea and agricultural economics—Meliha Okur, Abdurrahman Yıldırım, and Şerif Oğuz—attended our opening. Together, we brainstormed ideas for Turkish tea.

Future Projects

This was just the beginning. Hopefully, it won’t be the last. We will continue striving for the betterment and wider recognition of Turkish tea culture.

Warm regards!

Emre