Mead From Far Away Lands.

The historical record has shown evidence of mead-making on every continent except for Antarctica and no two methodologies of production are exactly the same. This time I would like to focus on a style of mead that comes to us all the way from Ethiopia, it is better known as T’ej.

T’ej has been a staple in the Ethiopian culture for thousands of years and not only the national drink of Ethiopia but is commonly used in religious ceremonies, social events, weddings and the like. It is not an overly complex type of beverage to produce, but like so many other meads/wines, it’s flavor profile is primarily subject to the nature, flavor and type of honey that it utilized.

Contrary to the more Western style of mead & wine making where specific yeast strains are used in order to impart certain aromatic and flavor qualities to the final product, the Rhamnus prinoides plant aka. gesho, aka. buckthorn and the microflora that it harbors are used to inoculate the must (honey/water mixture) and start fermentation. So in a nutshell, after the must is made, the T’ej maker would literally throw in sticks, twigs, leaves, etc., stir it in and let ‘er go. Actually it is a lot more labor intensive than that, but that is the gist of it. We here at Twisted Horn have made T’ej more than once (named it Memnon’s Spear) using alfalfa blossom honey and incorporated the traditional methods & ingredients, and I can honestly say that the flavor is possibly the most unique (in a good way) that I have ever had. It is a truly amazing beverage; earthiness, black pepper, ash, slightly vegetal, and smoky. WOW! Perhaps if you are ever in the area and looking for something wildly different, come check us out, we may still have some “laying around”. SKÅL!!!