Making T'ej

T'ej is fun and simple to brew. After all, it only requires two ingredients! Honey and water. Let it ferment for 2 - 4 weeks and it will be approximately as alcoholic as the average "light" wine such as red or white (10 - 14% alcohol.) After one month, your t'ej will be about 20% alcohol, the same percentage as most low-end fortified wines. However, t'ej is anything but low-end. The sharp, spicy, piquant alcoholic t'ej is a true gift of nature.

My recipe is adapted from Sandor Ellix Katz's Wild Fermentation, a must-have book for any fermentation fetishist. 

Timeframe: 2 weeks - 1 month

Special equipment:

- 1/2 gallon (or larger) wide-mouth jar / plastic bucket / ceramic crock

- 1/2 gallon (or larger) glass jug

Ingredients for 1/2 gallon: 

-1.5 cups honey (preferably raw, unpasteurized)

- 6 cups water

*Optional* A handful of fresh, unwashed fruit.
I recommend blueberries, blackberries or raspberries. The unwashed fruit is covered in wild yeast that will help ferment the t'ej plus add wonderful flavor. I used raspberries.

Process:

1. Mix water and honey in the jar / bucket / crock until the honey is thoroughly dissolved. 

2. Cover with a towel or cloth and set aside in a warm room for a few days, stirring at least twice a day. Trust that the yeast will be drawn to the sweet honey-water from the air.

3. After 3 or 4 days (more if it's cold, less if it's hot), the brew should be bubbly and fragrant. Once it gets to this stage, transfer your t'ej into the clean glass jug. If the jug is not full, you can add water and honey in a 4:1 ratio to fill. 

*Toss in the handful of fruit*

4. Cover the jar with a cheesecloth, balloon or any lid that can rest on it loosely and keep air out without holding pressure in. 

5. Leave for 2 weeks to a month, depending on how alcoholic you would like it to be. Bottoms up!

1/2 gallon raspberry t'ej. 3 weeks fermented.
"YUM!" -My mom, after drinking a glass.