Written by Ad OpsHistory and Breeding Background
Malawi Faced is a boutique cultivar developed by Archive Seed Bank, a breeder renowned for preserving heirloom lines and refining OG-heavy hybrids. Archive’s program centers on elite, stability-tested parents, so the naming convention here signals a purposeful blend of African landrace vigor with the crushing, resinous intensity of Archive’s Face Off lineage. The result is a mostly indica expression despite one parent being associated with the famously racy Malawi region.
While Archive Seed Bank has released many limited, pheno-hunter-oriented drops, Malawi Faced appeals to growers who want landrace character without the 12 to 16 week flowering times typical of pure tropical sativas. By contrast, most phenotypes of Malawi Faced finish in a faster indica timeframe, making the exotic profile more accessible to indoor cultivators. This shift reflects a larger trend in modern breeding: merge landrace novelty with production-friendly cycles.
The strain fits squarely into Archive’s ethos of building on the Face Off OG family, known for high resin density, OG funk, and heavy-bodied effects. In Malawi Faced, those hallmarks are tempered by a brighter, more herbal-spiced top note and a slightly more energetic first wave. The net profile is still overwhelmingly indica-leaning, but the initial onset often carries a nuanced, landrace-derived lift.
Because Archive often prioritizes hunting and refinement over broad commercialization, Malawi Faced has maintained a somewhat connoisseur reputation. Packs have circulated through specialty retailers and private exchanges, leading to small but dedicated communities sharing cultivation data and phenotypic notes. This grassroots feedback loop has helped define its identity even without splashy mass-market campaigns.
Genetic Lineage and Indica Heritage
The name strongly suggests a pairing of a Malawi landrace influence with Archive’s Face Off OG line, a cornerstone of the breeder’s catalog. Even when official parentage details are sparing, growers commonly infer Face Off OG or a direct Face Off derivative as a parent, given Archive’s breeding patterns and the strain’s indica-leaning outcome. On the other side, the Malawi component likely contributes the incense-citrus-herbal signatures and a hint of racy top-end, especially early in the experience.
In practical terms, the phenotype distribution skews indica in both structure and effect, often expressing broad-leaf morphology and a compact, dense bud set. Most growers report a manageable stretch and a finish in roughly 9 to 10 weeks, far shorter than the 12 to 14 weeks associated with equatorial Malawi lines. This suggests that OG genetics exert a strong influence over flowering behavior and resin style.
OG Kush progenitors, including Face Off OG, are associated with dense trichome blankets, caryophyllene-forward spice, and that unmistakable fuel-pine-earth nose. Malawi, by contrast, contributes terpenes like ocimene and terpinolene in its pure form, along with some THCV potential, bright citrus, and an exotic incense quality. In Malawi Faced, those landrace hallmarks appear as accents rather than the main chorus, pulling the bouquet upward without diluting the OG depth.
The overall chemotype can be summarized as an indica-dominant hybrid with occasional sativa-leaning aroma lifts and a subtle head clarity at the outset. That clarity tends to give way to a physically centering, slow-sinking calm in the second half of the effect curve. For many, the blend delivers the best of both spheres: immediate flavor and presence, then reliable OG-class relief.
Appearance and Visual Traits
Malawi Faced typically forms compact, golf-ball to teardrop-shaped flowers with a high calyx-to-leaf ratio. Buds are tight, with a thick, frost-like coat of glandular trichomes that signal resin production reminiscent of Archive’s Face Off lineage. The resin heads often appear large and bulbous under magnification, making the strain attractive for solventless extraction.
Coloration ranges from lime to forest green, with copper to pumpkin-orange pistils threading through the calyxes. Some phenotypes display faint violet shadows when night temperatures are dropped by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius in late flower, a common anthocyanin response. The visual density of the buds can make them appear heavier than they are, and intact colas can feel like little stones in the hand.
Leaves skew broad and slightly canoeed in bright light, a trait consistent with indica-dominant expressions. Internodal spacing is moderate, allowing for a neat canopy with minimal leggy growth when trained early. Stigmas tend to brown and recede later in flower, offering a clear visual cue that the plant is approaching peak ripeness.
Trimmed flowers maintain their form well, resisting crumble and maintaining bag appeal after a proper slow dry. A 10 to 14 day dry followed by a 4 to 8 week cure brings out a deep sparkle and hard, glassy trichome sheen. Even small nugs often keep that jewel-like look, making the strain photogenic on shelves and in jars.
Aroma Profile
The nose fuses OG base notes of fuel, pine resin, and damp earth with a lifted top end of citrus peel, white pepper, and incense. Dry pulls accentuate the herbal-spiced layer, often described as lemongrass, basil, or bay, with a faint sweetness that reads like candied lime. The total impression is layered rather than loud-only, with top and base notes trading places as the flower warms in the grinder.
When freshly ground, pungency spikes considerably, and the fuel component can leap forward to dominate the bouquet. Within 15 to 30 seconds, the profile settles into a more balanced equilibrium where citrus and spice interplay on top of the OG funk. This evolving nose is a hallmark of mixed terpene dominance rather than a single-terpene bomb.
Storage and cure strongly influence the aromatic balance. In a cure maintained near 58 to 62 percent relative humidity and 17 to 20 degrees Celsius, the spicy-incense fraction stays intact and resists flattening. Over-drying below 50 percent RH tends to blunt the citrus layer, pushing the profile toward straight fuel and earth.
Overall intensity rates as medium-high to high on most phenotypes, with a room-filling presence if left open. Aroma stability over time is above average due to the strain’s resin density, but it still benefits from light-proof, oxygen-limited storage. For discretion, sealed glass with a terpene-preserving humidity pack remains the best practice.
Flavor Profile
On inhalation, Malawi Faced presents a front-loaded citrus-fuel bloom that lands on the tip and sides of the tongue. Mid-palate brings pine sap, black pepper, and a dark herbal note that evokes bay leaf or clove. The finish is lingering and slightly resinous, with earthy OG tones and a faint smoky incense trailing the exhale.
In a clean vaporizer at 180 to 190 degrees Celsius, the bright terpenes come through distinctly, highlighting limonene, ocimene, and pinene impressions. Raising the temperature to 200 to 210 degrees Celsius thickens the mouthfeel and emphasizes caryophyllene and humulene spice. Combustion leans the flavor toward fuel and pepper, with the citrus playing a supporting role.
Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, not syrupy, and can produce a mild tongue-tingle consistent with high limonene and pinene content. Aftertaste is elegant and persistent, with a returning lime-peel bitterness that many connoisseurs enjoy. Users often note that water-cured or very slow-dried samples taste cleaner and maintain the citrus-spice balance better over multiple bowls.
Pairing-wise, Malawi Faced complements savory foods and citrus-acid beverages particularly well. Sparkling water with lemon or a non-alcoholic citrus shrub can amplify the brighter top notes without clashing with the OG base. Chocolate can overwhelm the profile, while salted nuts and aged cheeses tend to fit the pepper-spice tones nicely.
Cannabinoid Profile and Potency
As a mostly indica cultivar from Archive Seed Bank, Malawi Faced should be approached as a high-potency modern hybrid. In well-grown examples, THC commonly lands in the low-to-high 20s by weight, with top-tier indoor dial-ins plausibly nudging toward the upper 20 percent range. Market-wide, legal US flower averages around 20 to 22 percent THC, so Malawi Faced generally sits at or above the mean when optimized.
CBD is typically minimal, often below 0.5 percent, which places the chemotype solidly in the THC-dominant category. Minor cannabinoids like CBG may register around 0.3 to 1.0 percent in many indica-leaning Archive crosses, and THCV can appear in trace to modest amounts in phenotypes influenced by African landrace ancestry. In practical terms, that means a fast-onset, THC-forward effect with faint modulating support from minors.
Potency expression correlates tightly with cultivation variables such as PPFD, nutrition balance, and environmental stability during weeks 5 to 8 of bloom. For growers targeting stronger potency, maintaining 700 to 900 µmol per square meter per second of light intensity, keeping night temperatures within 3 degrees Celsius of day temps, and preventing late-flower stress are all associated with better THC retention. Poor drying and curing can degrade measurable THC and blow off volatiles, so a slow dry is as important as peak bloom conditions.
For dosing context, new inhalation users often feel strong psychoactivity from as little as 1 to 2 inhalations or roughly 5 to 10 milligrams of THC. Regular users may find a comfortable range around 10 to 25 milligrams depending on tolerance, body mass, and timing. Edible or tincture formats will produce a slower onset and longer plateau compared with inhalation, and the same potency caution applies.
Terpene Profile and Chemistry
Total terpene content in top-shelf flower commonly ranges from 1.5 to 3.0 percent by weight, and Malawi Faced sits comfortably in that range when grown and cured carefully. Dominant terpenes tend to be beta-caryophyllene, myrcene, and limonene, forming the pepper-spice, musky fruit, and citrus peel triad. Secondary terpenes frequently observed are alpha- and beta-pinene, humulene, and ocimene, with trace linalool or terpinolene in certain phenotypes.
A representative distribution for an indica-leaning Malawi Faced phenotype might look like 0.4 to 0.8 percent caryophyllene, 0.3 to 0.7 percent myrcene, and 0.2 to 0.6 percent limonene by flower weight. Pinene can tally 0.1 to 0.3 percent combined, humulene 0.1 to 0.2 percent, and ocimene 0.05 to 0.2 percent. These figures reflect typical ranges for similar Archive hybrids and help explain the layered fuel-citrus-incense aroma and balanced flavor dynamics.
From a pharmacological standpoint, caryophyllene’s CB2 receptor activity may contribute to perceived body relief, while myrcene is often associated with muscle relaxation and a denser body feel. Limonene is linked to an uplift in subjective mood and a sense of brightness in the first 20 to 40 minutes post-consumption. Pinene has been studied for alertness and bronchodilation, potentially supporting that initial crispness before the deeper indica effect takes hold.
The Malawi influence is most evident in the presence of ocimene and certain incense-like terpenoids that lift the nose above a purely gassy OG register. If a phenotype leans more toward terpinolene or ocimene, expect a greener, more high-tone aroma and a cleaner exhale. Conversely, a caryophyllene-forward pheno will present heavier spice and more bottom-end density in the palate.
Experiential Effects and Use Cases
Inhalation onset is fast, typically 2 to 5 minutes to first effect, with a peak around 30 to 60 minutes and a glide lasting 2 to 3 hours for most users. The first wave is often described as clear and gently elevating, with a notable pressure release behind the eyes and in the shoulders. As the session progresses, the indica body settles in, delivering a calm, weighted ease without the locked-in couch immobilization that pure OGs can induce.
Cognitively, many users report steady focus at low doses, with a creative but calm headspace before the depth increases. At moderate to higher doses, the mental chatter slows significantly, and a soft, hazy comfort becomes the dominant theme. That profile makes Malawi Faced a versatile evening or late afternoon option for people who want relief and mood brightening without jitter.
Appetite response sits at a middle ground for many phenotypes. OG lines are known for strong munchies, while African landraces sometimes bring THCV-linked appetite modulation, especially early in the window. As a result, some users notice delayed or milder appetite spikes compared with straight OG crosses, a nuance that can be beneficial for people who prefer not to overeat post-session.
Side effects are typical of THC-dominant indicas: dry mouth, red eyes, and in rare cases, transient dizziness if over-consumed quickly. Individuals sensitive to high THC should start small, especially if their daytime tolerance is low. Hydration and a measured pacing of inhalations can make the experience more predictable and comfortable.
Potential Medical Applications
The strain’s mostly indica heritage positions it well for managing stress, general anxiety symptoms, and sleep onset challenges when used responsibly. Beta-caryophyllene and myrcene dominance in many phenotypes may underpin reports of muscle relaxation and reduced physical tension. Patients often describe relief for after-work decompression, tension headaches, and end-of-day restlessness.
For pain, Malawi Faced’s THC-forward chemotype can provide meaningful acute relief, especially for musculoskeletal discomfort, low back tightness, and exercise recovery soreness. Some users with neuropathic pain report benefit, though response varies and dosing must be individualized. The steady downward slope of the effect curve can be useful for transitioning into sleep without abrupt rebounds.
Mood-wise, the early lift and citrus-bright lilt can assist with low motivation or situational blues. While THC can destabilize some users with anxiety disorders, the balanced terpene stack here tends to produce calmer outcomes than sharper, high-terpinolene sativas. For those who are particularly sensitive, microdoses or vaporizing at lower temperatures can preserve clarity while minimizing intensity.
Appetite effects can be moderate, which may be advantageous for users who want comfort without significant caloric intake increases. Conversely, individuals seeking strong appetite stimulation might choose heavier OG phenotypes or complementary formulations. Always consult healthcare providers if using cannabis alongside sedatives, blood-pressure medications, or mood medications, as interactions and additive sedation are possible.
Comprehensive Cultivation Guide
Growth habit and vigor: Malawi Faced generally exhibits indica-dominant structure with a moderate stretch of roughly 1.2x to 1.8x after the flip to 12 hours. Nodes are moderately spaced, which allows good light penetration with basic training. Expect a strong apical drive unless topped or manifolded early, and plan to support colas in late flower.
Flowering time: Most phenotypes finish in 63 to 70 days from the flip, with some resin-forward cuts going an extra 3 to 5 days for maximum density. This is significantly shorter than Malawi landrace lines and more in line with OG-derived hybrids. Outdoor in temperate zones, plan for an early to mid-October harvest depending on latitude.
Yield potential: Indoors, 450 to 600 grams per square meter is a realistic target with optimized environments and 700 to 900 µmol PPFD in flower. Skilled growers running high-efficiency LEDs and CO2 enrichment to 900 to 1200 ppm can push beyond those figures, often measuring 1.5 to 2.5 grams per watt depending on training style. Outdoors, healthy plants can produce 600 to 900 grams per plant with ample sun, airflow, and nutrition.
Lighting and DLI: Aim for 300 to 500 µmol PPFD in late veg and 700 to 900 µmol PPFD in mid-to-late flower. Daily light integral around 35 to 45 mol per square meter per day in flower supports dense bud formation without overshooting VPD targets. Maintain uniformity to reduce fox-tailing and uneven ripening on the lower canopy.
Environmental controls: Keep day temperatures at 24 to 28 degrees Celsius and nights within 3 degrees of day temps to retain terpenes and avoid color shock. Relative humidity at 60 to 70 percent in veg, stepping down to 50 percent by early flower and 40 to 45 percent in the last two weeks, helps deter botrytis in dense colas. Vapor pressure deficit guidelines of 0.9 to 1.2 kPa in veg and 1.2 to 1.5 kPa in flower are safe targets for gas exchange and disease pressure control.
Nutrition: OG-leaning plants can be sensitive early but ramp hard in weeks 3 to 6 of bloom. In coco or hydro, start veg feeds around 0.9 to 1.2 mS/cm EC, stepping up to 1.6 to 2.1 mS/cm through peak flower depending on cultivar hunger and runoff readings. Maintain pH of 5.8 to 6.2 in hydro/coco and 6.2 to 6.8 in soil to keep calcium, magnesium, and micronutrients bioavailable.
Training: Top once or twice in veg and deploy low-stress training to widen the canopy, producing 8 to 16 main sites per plant in a 4 by 4 foot area. Screen of Green can help maintain an even light plane, particularly valuable for moderate-stretch phenotypes. Defoliate lightly before flip and again at day 21 to enhance airflow around the forming colas.
Irrigation strategy: In inert media, frequent small irrigations at peak flower prevent salt swings and maintain root zone oxygen. Target 10 to 20 percent runoff per irrigation to avoid nutrient accumulation, especially when feeding at higher EC. In living soil, water more deeply but less often, allowing the soil food web to deliver balanced nutrition.
IPM and disease management: Dense indica flowers are susceptible to powdery mildew and bud rot if humidity spikes. Employ weekly IPM in veg with biologicals like Beauveria-based sprays and beneficial predators, then taper to minimal inputs by week 2 of flower. Strong oscillating airflow above and below the canopy, clean leaf stripping, and stable nighttime dehumidification are crucial late in bloom.
Stretch management: Expect early stretch days 1 to 14 after flip, tapering by day 21. Use trellis layers to guide tops and avoid shading lower sites. If a phenotype shows more Malawi vigor, raise light intensity gradually rather than abruptly to prevent stall and keep internodes tight.
Ripeness cues: Malawi Faced tends to amber gradually, so rely on a mix of visual and aromatic markers. Harvest when most trichomes are cloudy with 5 to 10 percent amber for a balanced effect, or 15 to 20 percent amber for a heavier nighttime profile. Aromatically, the citrus-pepper layer deepens and a sweet-fuel note becomes pronounced in the last 5 to 7 days when the plant is near peak.
Drying and curing: Dry at 17 to 20 degrees Celsius and 55 to 60 percent relative humidity for 10 to 14 days to preserve monoterpenes. After jar-up, burp as needed to keep water activity in a safe zone and cure for 4 to 8 weeks for best flavor coherence. Properly cured Malawi Faced retains a bright top note for months if stored at 58 to 62 percent RH in light-proof containers.
Processing and extraction: The strain’s resin gland size and density make it a strong candidate for dry sift and ice water hash, with solventless yields often outperforming average indica hybrids. Expect robust mechanical separation if the harvest window hits the resin’s maturation sweet spot. For hydrocarbon extraction, the fuel-citrus balance holds well, producing concentrates with both OG depth and an exotic lift.
Common pitfalls: Overfeeding late in flower can cause harshness and mute the citrus layer, while letting RH drift high invites mold issues in tight colas. Neglecting support nets can lead to cola collapse around week 7 to 9 in heavy-yielding phenotypes. Finally, rushing the dry is the fastest way to lose the nuanced incense-lime layer that makes Malawi Faced distinctive.
