Wondered why Tella has a smokey flavor?

Making tella requires a few key ingredients (see our previous post about the steps of making the traditional beer); however, you may not notice another important ingredient in the brewing process.

The use of smoke as both a disinfecting and flavoring agent is crucial for giving tella it's slightly smokey flavor. Before brewing a batch of beer, the brewer cleans the container with soap and water, and then lets the container air-dry. Before combining the barley, gheso and water in the container, the container is placed above an open fire. The wood from an olive tree is usually used for this step. Unlike Middle Eastern cultures that place a high value on olives (due to its historical economic and social significance), the olive trees native to Ethiopia do not bear the same fruits as their Mediterranean cousins, and therefore are commonly used as firewood.

We hope you enjoy learning a bit more about the making of tella, and join our tour to learn more, and taste this unique drink!

Check out the video on our Facebook page, by clicking here:

https://www.facebook.com/lalibela.brewtour.1/videos/vb.100015294605300/213524425834043/?type=2&theater&notif_t=video_processed&notif_id=1496712874450828