PRESS RELEASE
MALAWI TEA AT MAYNARD KEENAN’S CADUCEUS CELLARS
On December 28, 2020, Caduceus Cellars, owned by winemaker Maynard James Keenan, Grammy award-winning vocalist for Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer, will feature five hand-crafted Malawian teas at his Jerome, Arizona Tasting Room. The tea, curated and blended by the United Kingdom’s Rare Tea Company and grown by Malawi’s Satemwa Tea and Coffee Estate, perfectly compliment Caduceus’ award winning wines.
As an Ambassador, I’m excited Arizonans and international visitors to the historic mining town of Jerome, will experience the passion and dedication of Malawians though these delicious teas. The sale of Masala Chai, Lost Malawi English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Green Tea & Mint, and Lemon Blend tea will help fund school scholarships through the Rare Tea Company’s nonprofit arm, Rare Charity.
Founder of Rare Tea Company, Henrietta Lovell, said, “Everything you know about wine is true of tea. The effects of the terroir are every bit as crucial, as is the harvesting and the crafting. Great tea comes from great producers, in the same way that fine wine does. We source the best to bring you the greatest flavors.”
Caduceus Cellars Tasting Room Manager, Brian Sullivan thanked Jordan Price, Malawi’s Honorary Consul, for providing an enthusiastic introduction to Malawi. Mr. Sullivan said, “I was fascinated by the information Hon. Consul Price shared about Malawi and tea farming. Later I researched the country on the internet and learned that Malawi was the first country in Africa to grow tea commercially. Pointing me in the direction of the Rare Tea Company has also been a positive experience. They have been quite professional in their interactions and I am looking forward to continuing to work with them going forward."
Alexander Cathcart Kay, owner of Satemwa Tea and Coffee Estate noted that high value teas have a direct impact on Satemwa’s ability to sustain its vision of improving the living standards of their employees and neighboring farmers. The teas available at Caduceus Tasting Room include black teas grown on the estate and Fair Trade spearmint and lemon verbena, grown by adjacent independent farmers. He said, “It is exciting and gratifying to see Satemwa specialty teas find their way into high quality establishments like Caduceus. Satemwa has struggled to make progress in the US market over the years and the support received from the Malawi Embassy, through their Honorary Consul and the commitment of the Rare Tea Company makes an enormous difference.”
Satemwa, founded in 1923, is a 3rd generation family owned tea and coffee estate in Malawi’s Shire Highlands. Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa which follows the dramatic contours of the Great Rift Valley with enormous mountains and a lake of maximum depth of 2,300 feet deep and 360 miles long. Satemwa contributes to improving Malawians’ standards of living by crafting a unique line up of white, green, oolong, black, dark, and herbal teas. Satemwa is one of the last independent tea farms in Malawi – family run and not owned or managed by agribusiness. Their emphasis is on handcrafting and skilled work rather than mechanization. This provides more jobs and produces far higher quality tea.
About the Teas
Lost Malawi English Breakfast
Origin: Satemwa Estate, Malawi
A hand-crafted black tea from the oldest independent tea estate in Malawi. Deep, rich and malty, it has notes of caramel and burnt sugar. Delicious black, becoming sweet and chocolatey with the addition of milk.
Earl Grey
Origin: Satemwa Estate, Malawi & Reggio Calabria, Italy
A traditional Earl Grey blended with pure bergamot oil. A classic British tea made to exacting standards – clean and exceptionally bright with exhilarating citrus notes. Can be enjoyed with or without milk, or a twist of lemon zest.
Masala Chai
Origin: Satemwa Estate, Malawi
A rich black tea with freshly ground spices. Unlike a traditional Chai, which often uses low-grade tea and disguises it with spices, this is a beautiful hand-crafted tea carefully balanced and enhanced. Deliciously enlivening. Can be enjoyed with or without milk.
Green Tea & Mint
Origin: Zhejiang Province, China & Malawi
A delicate, pan fired Spring green tea that’s been combined with an uplifting blend of Spearmint from selected small holders in Malawi. It has a smooth, round mouthfeel and a refreshingly clean flavor. Soft and gently uplifting
Lemon Blend
Origin: Sri Lanka & Malawi
Vibrant lemongrass from Sri Lanka has been blended with soft, smooth Malawian lemon verbena. A full-bodied infusion with grassy notes of fresh hay and the sweetness of lemon drops.
Contacts:
Honorary Consul of Malawi: Jordan Price (512) 569-7998
Caduceus Tasting Room Manager, Brian Sullivan (928) 639-9463
Rare Tea Company/Rare Charity: Kathi Wolke kw@rareteacompany.com
Satemwa Tea & Coffee Estate: Alexander Cathcart Kay ack@satemwa.com
Edward Yakobe Sawerengera
Ambassador of the Republic of Malawi to the USA
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