Just picked up a 6gal glass carboy and boy am I looking forward to filling it. 
T'ej is extremely simple to make, doesn't 'spoil' easy and makes for some fabulous 'wine' that's easy to enjoy.
I currently have 2 1-gallon batches going...
Here's what you'll need for a 1 gallon batch:
1 gallon glass jug
Airlock and stopper or plastic and a rubber band or ballon with pinprick in it. (basically some way to keep outside stuff from getting into the bottle while allowing the CO2 being produced to escape.)
1 gallon water
3.5 lbs honey (The more flavorful, the better)
2 packets of bread yeast (optional)
Handful of raisins, about a cup (optional)
Pinch of epsom salts for yeast nutrient (optional)
Pinch of morton salt substitute, potassium for yeast (optional)
Juice of one small lemon (optional)
Juice of one small lime (optional)
1 stick of cinnamon, broken into 3 pieces (optional)
As you can see... only the honey and water is truly 'necessary' as you can use yeast from the air instead of bread or wine yeasts. I add all of the optionals to keep the yeast as healthy and fed as possible and to enhance the flavor to my liking a bit.
Here's how I combine it all.
Use boiling hot water and salt to clean out the glass jug. (Salt is 'scrubby' when in a slush... shake it around a lot) I don't use chems at all for anything. Rinse it really good with super-hot or boiling water.
Put the following into the jug:
3lbs of the honey
Raisins
Juice from fruit
1 packet of yeast
Pinches of Morton and Epsom
Stick of cinnamon (broken into 3 pieces)
Boil Reverse Osmosis water and pour it into the jug... This will kill the yeast you added, that's ok. (the dead yeast provides essentials for the live yeast in the fermentation process)
Fill the jug until the water level reaches the top of the straight sides and starts to slant in for the top. You must leave headroom for the foam that will be created. Heheheheh
Shake or swirl until the honey is completely dissolved in the boiling water.
Cover and let stand until room temperature.
Dump a packet of bread yeast in and cover with a piece of plastic and a rubber band, ballon with a tiny pinprick in it or a wine airlock and stopper. This part is optional. You can just put a cloth over the top and stir it daily for 5 days to a week... the yeast from the air will do the job instead. You get a much higher alcohol content with packaged yeast though... gets a huge head start.
Swirl daily (much easier with a gallon than a 6 gallon. LOL) or several times daily... being careful not to create enough foam that it foams over.
After 7 days, pour through a stainless steel strainer into a clean container...to remove the cinnamon stick, raisins and any accidental fruit seeds.
Add the remaining 1/2lb of honey to the jug and pour half of the T'ej back into the jug with it. Shake until the honey is dissolved.
Pour the remaining T'ej back into the jug and top off with R/O water... up to within about an inch of the top.
Put your airlock back on.
Don't touch it for a month, at least. 2 months is usually best for 'initial' tasting and drinking. Nothing usually makes it to the 2.5 month mark around here. Stuff is just too good.
At 2 months.... rack off of the lees into a fresh container, be careful to keep from any splashing, you don't want to introduce air into it at this point.
Test bottle at 1 year or so... bottle the remainder if it doesn't 'splode on ya.
Stay Safe!
Edit: Keep it at around 65F - 70F and out of direct light. At 1 month (if you didn't use bread yeast) it will be clear and ready to drink. If you used the bread or wine yeasts... it will take at least another month for it to settle out and not 'flavor' the wine.
T'ej is extremely simple to make, doesn't 'spoil' easy and makes for some fabulous 'wine' that's easy to enjoy.
I currently have 2 1-gallon batches going...
Here's what you'll need for a 1 gallon batch:
1 gallon glass jug
Airlock and stopper or plastic and a rubber band or ballon with pinprick in it. (basically some way to keep outside stuff from getting into the bottle while allowing the CO2 being produced to escape.)
1 gallon water
3.5 lbs honey (The more flavorful, the better)
2 packets of bread yeast (optional)
Handful of raisins, about a cup (optional)
Pinch of epsom salts for yeast nutrient (optional)
Pinch of morton salt substitute, potassium for yeast (optional)
Juice of one small lemon (optional)
Juice of one small lime (optional)
1 stick of cinnamon, broken into 3 pieces (optional)
As you can see... only the honey and water is truly 'necessary' as you can use yeast from the air instead of bread or wine yeasts. I add all of the optionals to keep the yeast as healthy and fed as possible and to enhance the flavor to my liking a bit.
Here's how I combine it all.
Use boiling hot water and salt to clean out the glass jug. (Salt is 'scrubby' when in a slush... shake it around a lot) I don't use chems at all for anything. Rinse it really good with super-hot or boiling water.
Put the following into the jug:
3lbs of the honey
Raisins
Juice from fruit
1 packet of yeast
Pinches of Morton and Epsom
Stick of cinnamon (broken into 3 pieces)
Boil Reverse Osmosis water and pour it into the jug... This will kill the yeast you added, that's ok. (the dead yeast provides essentials for the live yeast in the fermentation process)
Fill the jug until the water level reaches the top of the straight sides and starts to slant in for the top. You must leave headroom for the foam that will be created. Heheheheh
Shake or swirl until the honey is completely dissolved in the boiling water.
Cover and let stand until room temperature.
Dump a packet of bread yeast in and cover with a piece of plastic and a rubber band, ballon with a tiny pinprick in it or a wine airlock and stopper. This part is optional. You can just put a cloth over the top and stir it daily for 5 days to a week... the yeast from the air will do the job instead. You get a much higher alcohol content with packaged yeast though... gets a huge head start.
Swirl daily (much easier with a gallon than a 6 gallon. LOL) or several times daily... being careful not to create enough foam that it foams over.
After 7 days, pour through a stainless steel strainer into a clean container...to remove the cinnamon stick, raisins and any accidental fruit seeds.
Add the remaining 1/2lb of honey to the jug and pour half of the T'ej back into the jug with it. Shake until the honey is dissolved.
Pour the remaining T'ej back into the jug and top off with R/O water... up to within about an inch of the top.
Put your airlock back on.
Don't touch it for a month, at least. 2 months is usually best for 'initial' tasting and drinking. Nothing usually makes it to the 2.5 month mark around here. Stuff is just too good.
At 2 months.... rack off of the lees into a fresh container, be careful to keep from any splashing, you don't want to introduce air into it at this point.
Test bottle at 1 year or so... bottle the remainder if it doesn't 'splode on ya.
Stay Safe!
Edit: Keep it at around 65F - 70F and out of direct light. At 1 month (if you didn't use bread yeast) it will be clear and ready to drink. If you used the bread or wine yeasts... it will take at least another month for it to settle out and not 'flavor' the wine.
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