With currants, cornflowers and wild strawberries: Active Citizens choose Moscow tea flavor

Muscovites have chosen a new symbol of hospitality-Moscow tea. From July until late August, local residents and tourists were tasting blends at the Moscow Tea Party festival and voted for the best option on the Active Citizen website.

Blend No. 3 was announced “the most Moscow-like” one; it is black and red currant and strawberry flavored golden-amber black tea with cornflower and safflower petals, rosebuds and orange slices.

“Our city is famous for its traditions of hospitality, and now we can proudly say: “It is time to drink Moscow tea!” Residents of the capital spent the entire summer tasting tea blends, and the majority of voters gave their preference to the third option. A new Moscow gastro brand was born before our very eyes-it is our own signature tea,” says Evgeny Kozlov, Chairman of the Moscow Tourism Committee.

Everyone was welcome for a tasting session at tasting points of the Moscow Tea Party festival to choose from five proprietary blends with rose hips and thyme, cherry and sea buckthorn, currant and cornflower, heather flowers and berries, plus honey and bird cherry. The creators were inventing a unique savor to hint at the vibrant character of the capital.

Visitors were asked to take a blindfold test, relying on tea flavor and aroma. Each site where the tasting took place had a QR code for the Active Citizen web page, so tasters could immediately vote for their favorite option.

The winning Moscow Tea blend is to be sold in stores and coffee shops.

The Moscow Tea Party summer season will last until September 15. Iced Moscow tea is also available. The project involves hotels and restaurants throughout the city, where every day one can order a special tea set served in branded red and gold porcelain crockery.

The Moscow City Tourism Committee is creating a sustainable brand for the capital as one of Russia’s top tourist destination. In winter and summer, local residents and tourists can immerse themselves in another era at the historical venues of the Moscow Estates festival, learn about the capital’s tea traditions at the Moscow Tea Party, or taste the Moscow Breakfast at one of the hundreds of member restaurants.

The Active Citizen project has been in running since 2014, having attracted more than seven million people to over 6,600 votes. Every month, 30–40 decisions made by Muscovites are implemented in the city. The project is run by the Moscow City Department of Information Technologies and New Management Technologies.

The use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence aimed at improving the quality of life follows the Digital Economy national program and the Digital Public Administration regional project in Moscow.