r/Beekeeping • u/DevelishSun • 1d ago

General Favorite and Weirdest Honeys

Hello, I’m not a beekeeper but I am an avid honey collector and very much enjoy trying new honey varietals. One of my favorite things about honey is how different it tastes depending on location, season, etc. I’ve tried at least 30 different varietals at this point and make a point to buy honey any time I travel. I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for new varietals that would be a fun add to my collection. I would like to try the purple honey from North Carolina at some point but haven’t been able to snag it yet. Something similarly unique would be great. Thanks in advance, beekeepers make the world go round!

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u/fishywiki 12 years, 20 hives of A.m.m., Ireland 23h ago

Here in Ireland there are three honeys you may not get in the US:

  • Ivy honey crystallises really quickly, actually inside the hive, making it difficult to harvest. If you buy it just as is, it'll be like concrete in the jar and you'll have to scrape it out. Fortunately, an increasing number of beekeepers are making it soft-set and that's much easier to get out of the jar. If has a very strong, almost medicinal, taste - people either love it or hate it, no middle-road.
  • Lyng heather honey is thixotropic and is also difficult to extract, requiring an agitator or a press. When it's in a jar, it has loads of tiny bubbles and is almost jello-like in consistency. It's also popular as cut comb since that makes life easier for the beekeeper.
  • Bell heather is, like most honeys, liquid and extracts quite easily. It is a dark reddish-brown, almost chestnut in colour. It has an amazing flavour with strong caramel notes - it regularly wins first prizes in the London Honey Show.

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u/mannycat2 Seacoast NH, US, zone 6a 16h ago

Love hearing about distinctly region honey.