Grandma’s Recipe (Tsedo Spice Mead)

Browse hundreds of National Homebrew Competition medal-winning recipes from the best homebrewers around the world.

LaVaughn Barker of Brookfield, WI won a gold medal in Category 43: Spice, Herb or Vegetable Mead in the 2024 National Homebrew Competition Final Round. Barker’s tsedo spice mead earned gold out of 21 entries.

Barker shares the following about Grandma’s Recipe spiced mead: “Featuring vibrant Florida orange blossom honey as its base, this mead is uniquely infused with Rhamnus staddo spice (known as tsedo in Tigrinya, the most widely spoken language in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia) to deliver a nuanced, earthy bitterness that balances the floral sweetness of the honey. The wild yeast on the surface of tsedo naturally initiates the fermentation process. Wild fermentation imparts a unique depth of flavor as native yeasts and microorganisms begin to transform the honey mixture without the addition of commercial yeast strains. The result is a complex yet smooth profile that combines the warmth of honey with the distinct character of tsedo.”