The blend is made for strong, Uzbek-style brewing: the leaves are larger and denser than in ordinary tea bags. The aroma has a note of bergamot, and the infusion is a deep copper-red.
Drinks
Uzbek black tea
A full-bodied, large-leaf black tea with a light note of bergamot, brewed strong and drunk with lemon, navat or dried fruit.
Uzbek black tea is a large-leaf blend traditionally served with plov, shurpa and sweets. It brews strong, to a deep copper-red, with a faint bergamot or citrus note in the aroma. Uzbeks drink it without milk, a little at a time, from piyolas (tea bowls).
- Origin
- Packed in Uzbekistan; blended from Sri Lankan and Indian teas
- Category
- Tea
- Packaging
- Packs of 100 g, 250 g and 500 g
- Shelf life
- Up to 24 months in an airtight container
- Certification
- Halal, certified by ALHALAL
Uzbekistan has its own way of making black tea. A guest is given freshly brewed tea, which is poured into a piyola and back into the pot two or three times before serving; in Uzbek this is called qaytarish. The tea is made strong, 1 tsp per 200 ml of water, left to steep for 4–5 minutes and drunk in small amounts from the piyola, topped up with hot water as you go.
Alongside Uzbek black tea there is usually a bowl of dried fruit and nuts on the table: dried apricots, raisins, walnuts, pistachios. Nobody puts sugar in the cup; there is a saucer of navat or honey nearby, and everyone takes as much sweetness as they like. The strong brew and the natural sweetness balance each other.
At home, keep the tea in an airtight jar away from the stove and out of the sun: tea quickly absorbs moisture and loses its aroma. At the counter we stock it in 100, 250 and 500 g packs, sizes that suit a family's everyday use.
FAQ
Uzbek black tea: common questions
With navat or honey (instead of sugar in the cup), dried fruit, nuts and Uzbek sweets such as chak-chak, and with plov or shurpa. Uzbek tea is not usually drunk with milk.
Use 1 tsp per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and steep for 4–5 minutes. Warm the piyola with boiling water. Before serving, pour the tea from the pot into a piyola and back two or three times (qaytarish), then pour your guest a little at a time.
Up to 24 months in an airtight container somewhere dry and dark, though the aroma is at its best in the first 12 months. Once a pack is open, tip the tea into a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
For plov or tea
Everything for dinner at one counter
At Arkan Bazar in Riga you can get everything for a meal in one go: rice, spices, dried fruit, flatbread and tea. Planning a family celebration or cooking for a large group? Write to us through the form in advance, and we will have your order ready on time.