Tej (Amharic: ጠጀ?, pronounced [ˈtʼədʒ]; Tigrinya: ሜሰ, mes, Oromo: daadi) is a mead or honey wine that is brewed and consumed in Ethiopia. It is flavored with the powdered leaves and twigs of gesho (Rhamnus prinoides), a hops-like bittering agent that is a species of buckthorn.[1] Tej is usually homemade, but throughout Ethiopia it is available in bars called tej betoch (literally, "tej houses").
A sweeter, less-alcoholic version called berz, aged for a shorter time, is also made. The traditional vessel for drinking tej is a rounded vase-shaped container called a berele, which looks like a Florence flask. Tej has a deceptively sweet taste that masks its high alcohol content, which varies greatly according to the length of fermentation.