The Buzz
Want to know more about bees, honey or pollen? Hungry to learn more about sustainability and the environment? Scroll through the Buzz for an assortment of articles touching many aspects of bees and honey.
The Art of Tasting Honey: Discovering Flavor, Origin, and Story
Honey isn’t just a sweetener—it’s a sensory experience and a reflection of the land it comes from. Every jar carries the imprint of the flowers bees have visited, the season, and even subtle shifts in the environment. When you take the time to truly taste honey, you begin to recognize the incredible diversity nature creates.
Why and How to Taste Honey: Every Jar Tells a Story
Honey is a true expression of the land, shaped by the flowers bees forage and the environment around them. Much like wine or olive oil, honey reveals layers of complexity when properly tasted—its color, aroma, texture, and even the memories it evokes all contribute to the experience.
Taking the time to fully taste honey allows both beekeepers and consumers to appreciate each varietal’s unique character. Real honey isn’t just sweet; it can be floral, fruity, nutty, herbal, or deeply earthy. Every jar tells a story.
This natural variation is what sets raw honey apart. While lower-cost honeys are often “cut” with syrups, authentic honey reflects biodiversity, seasonality, and subtle environmental shifts.
Curious how to taste honey the right way—and why it matters? The featured article dives into the art of honey sensory analysis and how you can train your palate to truly understand honey.
Trusting Your Local Beekeeper: The Key to Quality Honey
Honey’s quality is inseparable from the land it comes from. While blended honeys focus on volume and uniformity, real, single-source honey reflects the biodiversity of its environment and the stewardship of the beekeeper. As beekeeper Lee notes, following natural bloom cycles allows bees to produce honey that is distinct, traceable, and harvested at its peak—preserving each varietal’s true character.
At Love A Bee, we champion beekeepers who prioritize sustainability, ethical practices, and the health of pollinators. Their work ensures that honey remains an authentic expression of place and season, rather than just another commodity.
Tasting Honey; Why?
Why should I take the time to taste honey?
Great question! The short answer is: if you want to taste the earth and sky of an area, then taste its honeys! You’ll be rewarded with a true taste of the diversity and goodness that the soil produces.
Bee Pollen, "the perfect food"
Bee Pollen is frequently called "the perfect food" as it contains all of the essential amino acids and many vitamins and minerals. Bee Pollen is the food of the young bee and it is approximately 40% protein. It is considered one of nature's most completely nourishing foods. It contains nearly all the nutrients required by humans. About half of its protein is in the form of free amino acids that are ready to be used directly by the body. Such highly assailable protein can contribute significantly to one's protein needs.
Will eating local honey each day help reduce my allergies?
When I’m at farmer’s markets selling Love A Bee honey, I often get questions like this:
Customer: Is this local honey? It has to be from around here – I need local pollens because they help with my allergies.
Me: Firstly, I’m glad to hear that honey is helping with your allergies! Raw honey is a wonderful food but if you’re wondering how it helps, there’s no scientific evidence that says that eating local honey will reduce your allergies. Any benefit you’re getting is almost certainly the placebo effect — but if you’re getting a benefit, that’s all good! As for local honey, go ahead — try our raw Bodega Bay honey here – It’s delicious!
For a more detailed answer, try this article from Popular Science: https://www.popsci.com/local-honey-allergies.
The Super Bowl of Bees
Wait, the Superbowl of bees? Bees don’t play football? You’re right! But while you wont see a hive of bees in a pre-game huddle, you will see them preparing for their own big game, California’s almond pollination!
The Palette of Nature's Architect; Light and here it comes
Have you ever wondered how bees know what flowers to visit? In short, the answer is light.
8 Benefits of Bee Pollen
Did you know that bee pollen contains almost all of the nutrients required by the human body to thrive? That’s why the German Federal Board of Health has officially recognized it as a medicine. Explore all the holistic benefits that bee pollen can deliver.
The Mountains of California by John Muir c. 1894
An excerpt from John Muir, who’s considered one of the country’s most influential naturalist’s. Embrace his poetic take on California, and the honey it produces.