Another major producer of tea in Africa is Malawi. As a matter of fact, Malawi was the first country in Africa to grow tea on a commercial scale. Tea was first planted in Malawi in 1878, but it wasn’t until 1891 that it became of any viable significance. Satemwa was founded in 1923 by a Scottish rubber planter by the name of Maclean Kay. The first tea seeds planted by Kay in 1926 were heirloom China varietals. In 1928 he introduced the first Camellia sinensis var. assamica seed from India. This seed formed the basis of expansion until the 1960’s.
In this session we focused our attention on teas from the Satemwa Estate, which is still going strong. Still owned by the descendants of Maclean Kay, Satemwa teas are certified organic and fair trade. The Estate is actively involved in protecting the environment as well as the health of their employees and associated communities.
Satemwa teas that we tasted were the following:
- Satemwa Antlers (White)
- Bvumbwe BSP (White)
- Satemwa OP1 (Whole leaf Green)
- Thyolo Oolong
- Satemwa TSFBOP1 (Black)
