The çayxana: a gentlemen's gathering place
For generations, the çayxana has been where men meet, share the news, and where time moves slowly.
In the towns and villages of Azerbaijan, a çayxana is far more than a place to drink tea. Friends meet here, business is discussed, newspapers are read, dice fall on the nard board and dominoes are set down on the table. The çayxana is, in its way, the neighbourhood's club.
Tea after tea
In a çayxana, tea is never brought once and forgotten. As long as the conversation continues, the glasses are refreshed and a fresh brew is poured. The guest sets the rhythm: no one hurries, and time here serves the conversation.
The çayçı
The heart of every good çayxana is its çayçı, the tea master. Knowing when the brew is ready, keeping the water at the boil, never leaving a glass empty: it is a craft earned over years. Among the bearers of the tea culture inscribed by UNESCO in 2022, tea house owners and tea makers are named in particular.
Nard and dominoes
A çayxana is unthinkable without its games. Nard is a game of wit and fortune, dominoes one of reckoning and patience. Both move at the pace of tea: slowly, attentively, with conversation.
The çayxana today
LABLABI is the present-day continuation of this tradition. The same spirit, a new comfort: tea in armudu glasses, nard and dominoes, football on the big screen, and private rooms for special gatherings. Our doors are open every day from 12:00 until 05:00, and the venue is for gentlemen only.
