Today, many people do not even know what deficit is. But literally thirty years ago in the USSR, people stood in lines for hours to buy products whose assortment left much to be desired. That was exactly our country in the seventies and eighties of the last century. It was at that time that the Soviet people for the first time could feel the taste of Indian tea. Today we will tell you all about black tea "with an elephant", which was considered one of the best products of a bygone era.
Own tea industry
Initially, in the USSR there was only domestic Georgian tea. It was a real breakthrough in the industrial industry, and the drink was even exported to other countries where it became popular. That is why the authorities decided to expand production and switched from manual work to machine work, which caused the loss of their former quality, since mechanisms, unlike people, could not recognize good tea leaves from worthless ones. In the seventies, the tea industry in the USSR fell, the state suffered losses and began to decide what to do with it.
The appearance on the shelves of tea "with an elephant"
Many people who have led the times of the USSR sadly recall those times when "the grass was greener and the sky was cleaner" and the products were of the highest quality, even imported ones were useless in comparison with them. But many did not even suspect at that time that they were drinking tea, collected not on the territory of their beloved Homeland, but far beyond its borders.
It so happened that Georgian tea fell into disrepair, so the USSR concluded a tea supply agreement with countries such as Sri Lanka, Kenya, Tanzania, India and Vietnam. With our previous importer, China, which could also supply tea, our state quarreled and therefore did not use its services. So, in order not to lose face in front of their citizens, the factories began to give out imported tea as domestic, bad Georgian leaves were added to it so that they would not be wasted in vain. Since tea came in bulk in bulk, it was easy to do, without loss. Initially, this scam went well, but still the "domestic" tea was replaced by the same Indian tea "with an elephant." Citizens really loved him.
The story of the creation of tea "with an elephant"
How did tea with elephant appear on the shelves of domestic stores? The development of the recipe, according to some, belongs to the tea packing factory of Irkutsk, according to others - to the Moscow tea factory. But this is not so important now, and even then, few people asked this question. The main thing is that the recipe was so successful that tea with the elephant was really distinguishable from all other drinks. This tea was distinguished not only by its bright and strong taste, but also by the packaging, which was specially developed in 1967, and Indian tea "with an elephant" went on sale in 1972.
Tea Composition
But then again, it was not real Indian tea, but a blend (mixture). This tea included varieties of Georgian, Madagascar, and Ceylon leaf.
Tea "with an elephant" was divided into the highest and first grade, their composition was significantly different. The first grade packaging contained only 15% of tea from India, 5% from Ceylon, 25% from Madagascar, and as much as 55% of the leaves from Georgia.
The top grade is the highest, and therefore the real Indian tea in it was one third, and two thirds belonged to the Georgian.
Each of the varieties adhered to the requirements of GOST and TU; only premium Darjeeling was added to Indian tea. This tea was produced at the factories in Moscow, Irkutsk, Ryazan, Ufa, Odessa. Each production had its own tasters, whose responsibility was to make the necessary mixture of purchased varieties so that all qualities corresponded to the product (taste, aroma, smell, color and price). Each factory was already quite self-sufficient and itself entered into agreements for the supply of tea with each country.
Packaging design
Since tea was produced in two varieties, they needed to be distinguished somehow and visually. So, on the first-grade packaging, the elephant had a blue head color, and on top-grade tea it was green. Over time, the design changed, and each of the factories had their own differences. There was only one thing: cardboard packaging, an elephant.
What design did tea with elephant have? Consider the most remembered variations: the color of the package was both white and orange, but yellow is more familiar to us. The elephants themselves were also different, there were packages where one elephant with its trunk lowered down was stepping to the left, there were also three elephants walking in the same direction, and also with the trunk lowered. The most striking example of a drawing is an elephant, which with its trunk raised, stands against the backdrop of the Indian city, and the domes are clearly visible. The driver was sitting on all of the elephants listed above.
Why do we remember more precisely the yellow packaging of tea, where the elephant is against the backdrop of India, and its trunk looks up? The thing is that because of the popularity of tea, and sometimes its absence on the shelves, fakes often began to appear, where there was no smell of Indian tea, and most of the composition belonged to a Turkish of terrible quality. In this regard, citizens began to give preference to one type of packaging, which was rarely faked due to a more saturated pattern.
Symbol of the era
With memories of the times of the USSR, the image of that tea, that same elephant, soft cardboard packaging pops up brightly. Along with many products of that era (take the same condensed milk), this tea even in the 2000s remains recognizable, and more than seventy percent of the population of the former Union can remember it.
Elephant tea (price for 50 grams - 48 kopecks, and for 125 - 95 kopecks) was loved by everyone. The presence of this drink in the house spoke of a stable family affluence.
But, like all good things, once tea "with an elephant" disappeared from the shelves. The USSR collapsed, and tea could still be found for some time, then it was simply swept away from the shelves.
Brewing rules
Many housewives made a terrible mistake when they pulled out white sticks from a pack “with an elephant” and, taking them for garbage, simply threw them away. After such stripping, it was impossible to fully feel the taste of tea, since those sticks were tips (tea buds), and these are raw materials of the highest quality.
This tea is brewed just like all other varieties. Pour the required amount of tea leaves into the teapot treated with boiling water, pour boiling water over it. Let it brew for at least ten minutes, can be diluted with milk.
Reviews about tea "with an elephant"
Many people who remember that tea can find similar products on the shelves of stores, on which it says "The same tea." So what do consumers say about Soviet elephant tea and its modern prototype?
There are records that, having seen such a familiar product in the store, people were in a hurry to buy it in order to nostalgia. However, when brewing tea, they did not find anything at all in common with the Soviet product.
There is an opinion that perhaps this is really the same recipe, it was just that the tea was the best in the days of the USSR, and now the people are spoiled for variety, and they just did not like the long-forgotten taste.
They write that tea with elephant is well remembered, and at that time there was no tastier drink.