Renegade Tea Estate – BURNISHED BEAUTY

A black Georgian specialty tea from our friends at Renegade Tea Estate. Burnished Beauty goes through an unusually long oxidation at a very low temperature, which gives it a bold, full flavor and a deep, dark color. This style of processing nods to the traditional taste of Georgian black teas — a pleasant tannic bite and a heavier, deeper profile that makes every sip feel rich and satisfying. In our opinion, it’s a great tea not only on its own; it’s intense enough to be a perfect base for spices, fruits, or flowers.

Georgian teas have a unique character—they are bold, deep, and expressive. In our opinion, such brews are not meant to be served in tiny teacups, but rather in proper large mugs that allow for a long, satisfying sip. We are convinced that there is no Georgian tea of higher quality than those offered by the Renegades.

The uniqueness of this tea lies not only in its flavor and aroma but also in the extraordinary mission of the Renegades—a group of enthusiasts from Estonia and Lithuania who decided to leave everything behind and head to the Caucasus to revitalize abandoned tea gardens. Thousands of hectares of neglected plantations, remnants of centrally planned Soviet policies, had been left to fend for themselves for over thirty years. Renegade Tea Estate not only restored several dozen hectares of plantations around the city of Kutaisi but also transformed the face of Georgian tea, previously associated with low-quality, broken black teas.

Their “bullshit-free” approach means that the teas are 100% natural, grown without any unpleasant chemicals, and with complete transparency. Every package includes a detailed description of the tea’s production, with impressively thorough information about each stage of its creation. The Renegades’ products include dozens of excellent-quality teas, a few of which we have the pleasure of offering in our store as the only ones in Poland.

You can explore more about their exceptional teas on Renegade Tea Estate’s website.

Harvest: summer 2025

Origin: Imeretia, Georgia

Cultivar: a mix of various imported Chinese, Assam, and Cambodian cultivars.

Profile: clove, chocolate, barley malt