TOVLA ✦ IMERETI · Georgian White Tea
თოვლა — TOVLA
Georgian White Tea · IMERETI
Pronunciation: [TOV-la]
Biochemistry
TOVLA holds the highest catechin and polyphenol concentration among Camellia teas. Minimal processing keeps flavonoids in their native form. Antioxidant index runs 3–4 times higher than fully oxidised black tea. Caffeine is low. The leaf contains apigenin and silicon.
- Caffeine: 10–15 mg per cup
- EGCG and catechins: highest among tea types
- Antioxidant index: 3–4× black tea
- Apigenin: present
- Processing: minimal — withering and drying only
Character
Quiet. Pristine. Acts on its own. Like dawn — unnoticed, yet changing everything. Subtle sweetness without addition, soft body without weight.
Name Legend
თოვლა (Tovla) is the Georgian word for snow — the purity of mountain peaks, untouched and primordial. The white tea leaf, covered in silver down, mirrors snow on the slopes of Imereti. The name carries the leaf's character: still, clean, original.
Origin
- Estate: Teanium plantation, Village Akhalbediseuli, Imereti, Georgia
- Elevation: 240 m
- Harvest: Spring 2023
- Plantation size: 56 hectares
- Certification: Organic
- Picking standard: bud and youngest leaves
How TOVLA is Made
- Plucked: bud and 2–3 leaves
- Withered: 48 hours
- Dried: 8 hours at 40°C
The shortest production list in the catalogue. White tea is the discipline of doing less. Every step that is not added is what TOVLA is.
Brewing
- Water: 80–85°C
- Leaf: 4 g per 200 ml
- First infusion: 90 seconds
- Each next: +30 seconds
- Total infusions: 3–5
White tea rewards patience. Use enough leaf and give the first infusion full time to open.
About GTNS
TOVLA is named according to the Georgian Tea Nomenclature Standard — the first open standard for naming Georgian tea, authored by Teanium. The Georgian word for snow becomes the name for the white leaf grown in the country where snow rests on the mountains above the plantation. Read the full standard at teanium.com/pages/gtns.
Teanium community thoughts
The customers can & says more about our teas, than we do!
Your dark oolong is the kind of tea I'd travel 2000 kilometers on a donkey for if I had to. It's the first Georgian tea that doesn't require any 'discount' for its origin in evaluation.
I wholeheartedly recommend everything that Teanium produces. My personal favorites are the white, green, and sheng teas.
Teanium is a new star in the Premium tea sky, shining bright! I‘m tasting myself through the different styles and recommend everyone to try and experience the artisanal delicacies from Georgia.
