Yep, honey is flavoured (by flowers!)

Did you know that honey's flavour can vary significantly based on the flowers that bees visit to collect nectar? In Australia, with its diverse flora, the impact of different flowers on honey flavour is particularly obvious. 

While foraging, a honeybee can gather nectar from more than 600 flowers in a day to create more than 300 different types of honey!

The different flavours of Australian honey

Bees that forage on eucalyptus blossoms, for example, resulting in eucalyptus honey (sometimes called Blue Gum) that is bold, earthy, and has a slightly medicinal taste. Manuka honey, on the other hand, is celebrated for its exceptional antibacterial properties and a rich, slightly bitter taste profile.

Bees collecting nectar from the bright yellow blooms of the golden wattle tree produce honey with a milder, slightly buttery flavour. The golden wattle's sweetness is reflected in the honey it produces, making it a popular choice for those seeking a sweeter, less overpowering honey.

Tasmania's native leatherwood plant produces honey that is really pale and quite liquid. Its fresh and floral taste has notes of balsamic, musk and spice. Honey that comes from stringybark pollen (usually in South Australia) is dark with a rich, deep flavour. It's great for cooking and baking, as it froths up.

The benefits of eating local honey

With Australia's incredible range of floral diversity, the impact on honey "flavour profiles" can be really surprising. Native wildflowers, heathlands, and even citrus trees contribute to this rich tapestry, and it's another reason we encourage everyone to chat to their local beekeeper.

Another benefit of eating local honey is its potential to alleviate allergy symptoms. Local honey may contain trace amounts of pollen from the area where it was produced, so consuming small amounts of this local pollen over time could help your body build a natural immunity to it, reducing allergy symptoms like sneezing and congestion.

So if you're curious, make sure you check out our local beekeeper directory and track down your closest honey! Supporting local beekeepers by purchasing local honey promotes sustainable beekeeping practices and helps maintain local ecosystems. Plus you'll get to meet someone new!

Without getting all melodramatic about it, each jar of honey tells a unique local story, one that's deeply rooted in the country's remarkable floral diversity. So, the next time you savour a spoonful of honey, remember that you're not just tasting something delicious, you're part of a much bigger story.