The Perfect T’ej BOMM
I’ve spent nearly 2 years perfecting my T’ej recipe. What is perfect you ask? Fast, cheap, consistently delicious, and minimal tweaking. I’ve finally mastered the recipe according to these criteria.
I’ve recently discovered that I can add all the honey upfront with a BOMM to end up sweet without affecting the short timeline. I’m implementing that in this recipe to avoid the need to back sweeten at the end.
I’ve also discovered that the more gesho you add, the longer it takes to mellow out into a smooth T’ej. I think this is analogous to over-oaking. Hence, I kept dialing back the gesho to both hasten the speed to drink ability and avoid wasting the precious gesho (read cheaper). Gesho can be difficult to find, so maximizing its usage is a very important point.
This T’ej is delicious as soon as the gravity is stable. The perfect amount of gesho is in balance with the wonderful orange blossom honey sweetness.
The Perfect T'ej BOMM
Ingredients
- 3.45 lbs orange blossom honey
- 3/4 tsp DAP Split into 3x 1/4 tsp additions
- 1.5 tsp Fermaid K Split into 3x 1/2 tsp additions
- 1/2 tsp Potassium Carbonate
- 0.5 ounce Gesho
- 3/4 gallon Ozarka spring water NOT distilled water
- 1 pack Wyeast 1388 Activate for 2-3 hours before pitching
Notes
1. Add 3.45 lbs of Orange Blossom honey to carboy (SG ~1.135).
2. Add 1/4 tsp DAP & 1/2 tsp Fermaid K and 1/2 tsp K2CO3.
-Add DAP/Fermaid K again at 1.095 & 1.055.
3. Add 0.5 oz gesho. No boil.
4. Add water to 1/2 cup shy of gallon.
5. Add a smack pack of Wyeast 1388.
6. It should finish around 1.015 in about 15-25 days. After, cold crash and bottle. Or drink it! T'ej is traditionally drunk cloudy and still carbonated from fermentation.
Warning: It can be too easy to drink!
Best out of a horn or a berele!
- The Newbee Guide to Making Mead – Chapter 2:Honey - April 15, 2020
- The NewBee Guide to Making Mead – Chapter 6: The Basic Recipe - June 6, 2019
- The NewBee Guide to Making Mead – Chapter 5: Terminology and Calculations - June 6, 2019