This is the smoked version of the Thyolo OP1. The leaf is just not fully oxidized (actually like a very dark oolong) and then smoked with wood from the Guava tree. It is a lightly smoked tea, much lighter as a Lapsang Souchong and therefore very accessible.
A beautiful tea because of the balance between body and sweetness and light smokiness.
- Growing altitude: 1,000-1,200 meters
- Cultivar: blend of local cultivars Satemwa, Thyolo and Bvumbwe
- also called 'Moto', moto is 'fire' in the local Chichewa dialect
It has taken some time to find the right balance between the smoke flavor and the taste of the tea. Many different types of wood were experimented with and the Guava wood gave the best results. Malawi is a major producer of tobacco using the 'Dark Fired' method of which a nice little video of it is on Youtube.
This experience of smoking tobacco leaf has been taken away with the creation of something healthier, a nice smoked tea.
There is another advantage to using the Guava, this tree does not actually belong in the environment. The tree provides a habitat for an insect (the Helopeltis theivora) which damages the tea plant, especially the Bvumbwe cultivar. By removing the Guava trees, we are actually doing a natural control of this insect.
The tea has been tested and approved in ISO certified laboratories as smoked tea is sometimes difficult to get right according to standards in the US and EU
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