November 5, 2017

Tulip Poplar

  • Packager:          Whistle Creek Apiaries, 440 Ebenezer Circle, Lexington, Virginia  24450; (540) 463-7732  http://whistlecreekapiaries.com/
  • Nectar Origin:   Presumably Virginia or Southeastern United States
  • Color:               Amber
  • Filtration:          Raw
  • Price:                $12.00/pound 
  • Flavor:              This is a complex honey.  There are flavor notes that can be described as pine and cinnamon, but the dominant flavor note, in my view, is that of Coca-Cola.  Others have mentioned black current as a flavor, although I am not ready to commit to that just yet -- at least not for this jar.   

November 4, 2017

Sea Lavender

  • Packager:          Stalland Apiaries, The Stalland, Deopham, Wymondham NR18 9ED, UK +44 1953 850873 
  • Nectar Origin:   Norfolk, England, UK
  • Color:               White or Extra Light Amber
  • Filtration:          Raw
  • Price:                $14.30/pound 
  • Flavor:              This has a strong floral taste at first and then a bit of a hay-like note.  There is also a strong chemical flavor at the finish.  The overall effect is that of a perfumed chemical cleaner or deodorizer.  It's still honey and it's still sweet, but those unusual flavor notes detract.   

October 9, 2017

Avocado

  • Packager:          Max's Honey House, Lake Elsinore, California; (951) 239-9498 https://www.facebook.com/ maxs.honeyhouse
  • Nectar Origin:   California
  • Color:               Amber to Dark Amber
  • Filtration:          Raw
  • Price:                $10.66/pound
  • Flavor:             The dark color is a dead give-away that this honey is going to have a darker, more bitter flavor than a light honey.  There are strong molasses-like flavors.  Toffee too.  Smoky and woodsy come to mind too.  There is also a hint of licorice at the finish.      

June 3, 2017

Rosemary Honey

  • Packager:          Savannah Bee Company, 211 Johnny Mercer Boulevard, Savannah, Georgia  31410; (800) 955-5080  www.savannahbee.com
  • Nectar Origin:   Spain
  • Color:               Water White or Extra White
  • US Grade:        None listed
  • Filtration:          Raw
  • Price:                $21.33/pound 
  • Flavor:              The bottle describes this honey as herbaceous with a sweet finish.  To me it has an extraordinarily floral flavor with a bit of a chemical-like finish.  The flower flavor is so strong that it dominates even in baked goods.  I mixed a teaspoon into bread dough and could hardly taste the bread for the strong floral taste from the honey.

March 6, 2017

Bruyère Blanche - White Heather

  • Packager:        La Chambre Aux Confitures, 9 rue des Martyrs 75009, Paris, France.www.lachambreauxconfitures.com 
  • Nectar Origin:   France.  The back of the jar says the hives are located in the heart of the Ardèche.  
  • Color:                No color given.  This honey is clearly amber in color.
  • US Grade:         None.
  • Filtration:           Presumably Raw.
  • Price:                 About $19.50/pound.  
  • Flavor:               The dominant flavor here is floral.  I also thought I detected a fennel or anise-like flavor.  The finish is firmly a warm tone.  Caramel, brown sugar and toffee come to mind.  

January 1, 2017

Sunflower

  • Packager:          A. Darbo AG, 6135 Stans/Tirol, Austria https://www.darbo.at/en#/en
  • Nectar Origin:   Unknown
  • Color:                As you can see from the picture, this honey separated.  Once stirred up, however, it appeared extra white to me.
  • US Grade:         None.
  • Filtration:           Presumably Raw.
  • Price:                 $12.70/pound.  
  • Flavor:               This honey is very sweet and sugary with a flavor reminiscent of golden raisins.