Adding spices can dramatically enhance the flavor of your Mead wine and there several ways to add those spices.
The first way is to add the spices at the beginning in the boiling phase of the honey/water mixture when you are removing the protiens from the mixture. After the all of the protiens are skimme off the top the mixture is left to ool to room temperature . After that the spices are removed
If you choose not to boil your honey/water mixture then you are left with the latter two methods of adding the spices, the first being adding them to your wine right after fermentation stops (at the 3 week mark) and leave them remain until your first racking (2 or 3 weeks later)
The final method is to make a tincture of the herbs in 100 proof alcohol and add it to your wine just before bottling.
Each method will provide a slightly different taste that will be noticable. Below is a chart pf how much of what herb or spice should be used for making 1 gallon of Mead wine. Use these amounts as a starting point on your Mead Making Journey.
Amount to add per gallon of mead
| Spice/Herb | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Allspice | ½ tsp |
| Anise | 1-2 tsp |
| Basil, sweet | ½ cup |
| Cocoa nib | 1-2 ounces |
| Caraway seeds | ⅕ tsp |
| Carob pods | ¼ pod |
| Cardamon seeds | ½ tsp |
| Chamomile | ⅓ ounce |
| Chile, pepper | ½ ounce |
| Cinnamon | ½ – 1 stick |
| Citrus blossoms | 1 cup |
| Clove | 1 bud |
| Coffee, bean | 2.5 shots espresso |
| Coriander seeds | ½ tsp |
| Cowslip flowers | ½ ounce |
| Dandelion leaf | ¼ pound |
| Dillweed | ½ tbsp |
| Elderberry flower | ¼ ounce |
| Elecampane root | ¼ ounce |
| Fennel seed | ½ tsp |
| Fig Leaves | ⅙ cup |
| Ginger | ½ -1″ of fresh ginger, sliced |
| Grains of paradise | ¼ tsp |
| Heather | 2 cups |
| Horehound flower | ⅓ ounce |
| Juniper berries | ¼ tsp |
| Juniper leaf | ½ ounce |
| Lavender flower | ⅕ ounce |
| Lemon leaves | ⅙ cup |
| Licorice root | 1/10 ounce |
| Mace | ½ tsp |
| Mahlab (cherry pit) | ¼ tsp |
| Mint | ½ tbsp, bruised |
| Milk thistle leaf | ⅓ ounce |
| Mugwort leaf | ⅓ ounce |
| Nettle leaf | ⅙ pound |
| Nutmeg | 1 nut, crushed or 1 tsp powder |
| Orange | zest of a single orange |
| Orange Leaves | ⅙ cup |
| Oregano | 1-2 tbsp |
| Peppercorn | ¼ tsp |
| Rose Petals | 1 cup |
| Rosehips, dried | 2-8 ounces |
| Rosemary | ⅕ ounce |
| Sage | ⅙ cup |
| Sarsaparilla root | 1/10 ounce |
| Spruce bud | 1 ounce |
| Star Anise | ½ -1 tsp |
| Sweet gale | ⅓ ounce |
| Sweetgrass | ⅙ ounce |
| Vanilla bean | 1 bean, split |
| Wintergreen leaf | ⅓ ounce |
| Wormwood | 0.04 ounce |
| Yarrow leaf | ⅓ ounce |
Time Limited Additions
There are some herbs and spices that you cannot leave in your brew until it is ready to bottle. These are so potent that you only want to have their flavor being leached for a limited amount of time. Otherwise the flavor will overwhelm anything else in your brew. You can rack off of these ingredients, or place them in a hop bag that can be removed when you’ve hit the concentration you want.
| Spice/Herb | Quantity | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Szechuan Peppers | 2 tbsp | 2-4 weeks |
| Orange peel with pith | ½ orange peel | 1-2weeks |
| Lavender | ⅙ cup | Check Daily* |
| Rosemary | ⅙ cup | Check Daily* |
*Remove when half desired strength. Tends to intensify