Meadings / tastings

Whaitiri
Bit of a mystery because it's made from a New Zealand tea containing ginger, lemongrass and kawakawa, and we don't know what that tastes like. I really wish I'd thought to save a little tea to drink in comparison!
Mead has good sweetness, not much lemongrass, ginger-warmth without much ginger taste. Hint of pepper. We don't really know what kawakawa is or does but this mead turned out quite nice. Sess is a fan
Added yeast stop and bentonite. When it's clear it's ready to bottle

Xanthe
The pine tip mead!
Rejoice, rejoice, the bitterness is gone! Good sweetness. Tastes of pine forest not pine sap. Very nice and rounded. Fascinating. I might take this to wasteland purely for the interest factor.
Added yeast stop and bentonite. When it's clear it's ready to bottle

Yaffe
The Lapsang Souchon mead.
Ohhhh very smokey nose on this, maybe even a bit much. This is good lapsang, good sweetness. I think the orange zest rounded out the back end with a hint of fresh.
Was previously yeast stopped, newly added bentonite. When it's clear it's ready to bottle

Bronwyn
Coffee bochet. Clear and dark. Ohh coffee. Taste has balanced out.  No more heavy acidity. Doesn't really taste like mead though, or even particularly like wine. More like watered down Tia Maria. Or sweetened watered down cold brew. I don't hate it but it doesn't taste anything like wine.
I think I'll put some vanilla pods in there in the hope the pods leave enough tannin. Possibly more Oak extract if the pods don't do enough

Calliope
Cacao bochet. Sweetness is good now. Some chocolate but at this time the bochet flavour (with acidity) has taken over. Time time time. I am hoping to bring this to Wasteland in 2023, let's hope it's aged enough by then.
Was previously yeast stopped, added bentonite. When it's clear it's ready to bottle and be put away for a long long time.