A new tea craze is sweeping through Guinea. It is not the brew itself that is new, but its name: Al-Qaeda.
By Alhassan Sillah
BBC correspondent in Conakry
The local non-alcoholic beverage has people pouring into the night-time drinking holes of the country's capital, Conakry, for what clientele call the tea's explosive and restorative properties.
People gather most evenings to chat over a cup of al-Qaeda tea
Aziz Mouna Camara, a proprietor of one drinking establishment, says the fermented concoction gets its name from its volatile nature.
"When the beverage has boiled to a certain level, it sparkles and gives explosive-like rumbling sounds when you open the pot.
"This is why some call it B52, American bombardment, Bin Laden and others call it al-Qaeda," he says.
Previously, the tea was known as "tresor de la mer" or sea treasure, but its new name has many more people drinking it, Mr Camara says.
It is a trend similar to neighbouring Mali and Senegal, where people call a popular form of sweet tea Saddam.
Mr Camara says that unlike China where the tea originates, he ferments his brew for eight days.
A local herb quinqueliba, some syrup, 20 packets of tea bags, sugar and honey are added to the concoction.
"After eight days we can drink it. It gives a tonic-like flavour and this is good for man's organism," Mr Camara says.
The establishment's master al-Qaeda tea drinker calls himself "Saddam Hussein", after the former Iraqi leader, and says he downs up to five litres a day.
"My name is Djbril Fofana alias Saddam Hussein. We always assemble here and share good times. I drink two litres here, and take three more home as reserve," he told me.
Theories about al-Qaeda's medicinal properties have also lured people in for a cup of tea.
"I used to have frequent constipation. But since I started taking this beverage, my bowels are now free, I pass urine freely also, and everything's alright with my body," one al-Qaeda drinker said.
"When I take al-Qaeda tea there is positive result in so far as my respiratory system is concerned.
"I feel very much at ease. Before I had some respiratory problems," another said.
But whether it is its name or its alleged healing properties, the popularity of Guinea's al-Qaeda tea looks set to rise and rise.