How new brews are stirring up Turkey's tea country

Turkey is steeped in tea traditions and drinks more than any other nation, most of it grown in its fertile Rize province. But as habits change, producers are experimenting with new brews to keep customers happy.

(CNN) — Atop a terrifyingly steep mountain in northeastern Turkey, the village of Haremtepe resembles an island surrounded by a vast ocean of green: verdant, bushy rows of tea plantations continue as far as the misty skies fleetingly allow to be seen.

Dozens of local tea pickers, almost entirely hidden among the hillside's deep green vegetation, quickly and efficiently pluck the glistening leaves and deposit them into large fabric sacks slung over their shoulders before the next deluge begins.