Join us in Episode 48 for a discussion about Tej (pronounced tedge), the honey wine from Ethiopia. Tej is one of the oldest traditional honey wines still made today, and carries with it a history you’ll want to hear about. We’ve brought on conservationist and meadmaker Ayele Solomon from Bee D’Vine meadery to discuss Tej, what makes it different from other metheglins, how its made, beekeeping in Ethiopia, and what makes mead the most sustainable beverage in the world.

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Drinks in this Episode

• Allen: Oregon Mead (Honeywood Winery)
• Tysen: Sheba Tej (Proud Country Cellars)
• Ayele: Vanilla Metheglin (Bee D’Vine special)

What Makes a Tej, Tej?

Ayele considers three requirements for mead to be considered Tej:

• It’s wild fermentation
• It’s using honey with combs and bee parts (not the filtered stuff you’d find in a store)
• It’s made with gesho during primary fermentation

Another aside, Tej is almost exclusively made at home in Ethiopia, with no large commercial operations serving it throughout the country.

Links in this Episode

• From the Intro
  • Beekeeping with the Kiwimana Podcast (episode 92)
  • Girl Next Door Honey
• Bee D’vine Meadery
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • We don’t talk about it in the episode, but Ayele has also written a book on the historical aspects of mead. You can find it here.
• So what is Rhamnus prinoides (gesho)?
• Purchase your own gesho
• More info about Tej
• Get your own Berele
• Yeast and lactic acid flora of tej, an indigenous Ethiopian honey wine: Variations within and between production units
• About the Kafa Rainforest
• Video of the Honey Harvest