I developed a passion for tea at a young age, growing up in Tula, a city famous for its samovars. My grandfather and I drank tea every day, and he would joke: "Didn't drink tea, where did my strength come from? Drank tea and I'm completely weak." Despite shortages, we often had excellent Georgian tea at home, and I have made it a habit to drink tea every day since then.

It wasn't until my university studies that I began to study tea in-depth through a commodity science course, where I spent time analyzing the organoleptic and chemistry of tea. Later, while on work trips to China, I fell in love with specialty tea and learned more about its production through visits to tea farms.

Inspired by the third coffee wave ideology, I founded "Oh! My Tea" in St. Petersburg in 2014, aiming to create a modern, accessible tea experience similar to coffee houses. Our success led to growth, and we became a small tea wholesaler as well.

Despite my knowledge of tea, I still feel there is much to learn about the diverse world of tea, to structure my knowledge I turned my experience into an educational program for baristas. For the last 5 years, I have often lectured and taught baristas, mainly in companies in St. Petersburg and Moscow. 

I have always wondered why the specialty tea market hasn't developed as successfully as specialty coffee. I am very close to the ideology of specialty coffee and dreamed that there would be an association like the SCA (former SCAA and SCAE). I see how much the SCA has done for specialty coffee - and it makes sense that together tea professionals can achieve the same result or maybe much more. So I was very happy when I heard about the foundation of ESTA and got in touch with David Veal right away.  

In January 2022, I passed my certification as an Authorized Certified Trainer and was planning to start working as an ESTA trainer in Russia. 

However, my life took a sudden turn on February 24, 2022, when politicians who have usurped power in my home country decided to invade Ukraine. I, like many, tried to protest, but that is impossible in a country with totalitarian rules. The only choice left to those who disagreed was to leave and start their lives all over again.

So, in the summer, my wife and I moved to the Republic of Cyprus. Here we immediately joined the team and started preparing to open a WAGMI COFFEE in Limassol. It is a big and ambitious project, we are not only a cafe but also coffee roasting. I am in charge of supplying the specialty tea. I try to work directly with tea producers. And I had to learn on the fly the nuances of European customs regulations and the requirements of the Health Department. I am very grateful to ESTA members for their support. With everyone's support, I was able to set up a tea supply chain pretty quickly. And this year, I plan to finally devote time to my passion - teaching. I take great pleasure in sharing knowledge and seeing the progress of my students.  

I am starting a new life and my journey is still just beginning. But I am happy with the fact that my family and favorite tea are always with me.