This was a fun experiment that had pretty satisfying results. Something to note after messing with tamarind, is that it is very high in tartaric acid, and hibiscus has an acidic taste as well. This mead was difficult to ground, and in fact, the cinnamon, vanilla and oak really didn’t make much impact.

I do want to play with tamarind again, and when I do, I will not pair it with other fruits, but instead pair with something like cocoa and other grounding spices. The brightness really needs to be dialed down, and even with almost 2 years aging time it’s still very acidic.

Give these videos a watch if these ingredients intrigue you, I think Tamarind is very worthy of some mead experimentation!

Primary:
Box of Tamarind beans Peel and remove veins. Steep in hot water for 10 min to soften. Put beans and some water in a blender (the beans fall apart very easily) until all the seeds are dislodged fully.
2.5 orange blossom honey
1/2 packet of 71B
1oz Hibiscus flowers steeped for 3-4 min.
2.50g GoFerm Protect
1.09g Opti-white (optional – increases mouthfeel, assists agains oxidation, etc. Can find on MoreWine)
1/8tsp Blanc Soft & 1/8tsp Wine Tannin Blend
-Consider Potassium Bicarbonate to lower fruit acidity- I filtered the tamarind paste through a cheesecloth and a small strainer. I DID add a few TBSP of the pulp, BUT if I made this again I would advise against that unless brewing in a bucket. I did have one explosion from pulp buildup in the neck.)
SG: 1.090 – used TOSNA with FermaidO Stabilize, add honey to taste, add 1 cinnamon stick, juice from 1/2 an orange (if you want a little orange vibe) & 2 tsp of vanilla extract.
My FG after backsweetening was 1.026
9.7% ABV