Thyme honey
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Thyme honey is one of the most appreciated honey around the world and the most popular in Greece. It is highly valued for its unique flavor and medicinal properties. Bees collect nectar from Thymus sp. species. It blooms during the start of summer, and its flowers produce nectar for approximately 40 days. Honey production during this time can be challenging due to the short blooming period of the thyme plant and the harsh climatic conditions. As a result, thyme honey is often more expensive than other types of honey.
Unifloral thyme honey accounts for over 10% of the total honey production in Greece. There are various guidelines across the globe on when thyme honey is categorized as unifloral and each country has set its own limits. You can find more information about what you need to know about selling your honey in the local or global market.
It is also high in antioxidants and has antibacterial properties.
Taste: Thyme honey has a pleasant taste, but sometimes due to the high concentration of fructose, it leaves a burning sensation in the mouth.
Aroma: Intense, strong herbal
Color: Usually has a light amber colour but it can also be found with a dark orange.
Crystallization: This honey crystallizes in 6-18 months.
References:
Adriane Alexandre Machado De-Melo, Ligia Bicudo de Almeida-Muradian, María Teresa Sancho & Ana Pascual-Maté (2018) Composition and properties of Apis mellifera honey: A review, Journal of Apicultural Research, 57:1, 5-37, DOI: 10.1080/00218839.2017.1338444
Eleftherios Alissandrakis, Petros A. Tarantilis, Paschalis C. Harizanis, and Moschos Polissiou, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2007 55 (20), 8152-8157, DOI: 10.1021/jf071442y
Koning, Ross E. “Honeybee Biology”. Plant Physiology Website. 1994. http://koning.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/plants_human/bees/bees.html
Mărgăoan, R., Topal, E., Balkanska, R., Yücel, B., Oravecz, T., Cornea-Cipcigan, M., & Vodnar, D. C. (2021). Monofloral Honeys as a Potential Source of Natural Antioxidants, Minerals and Medicine. Antioxidants, 10(7), 1023. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/antiox10071023
Sánchez-Martín, Vanesa & Morales, Paloma & González Porto, Amelia & Iriondo-DeHond, Amaia & López-Parra, Marta & Castillo, María & Hospital, Xavier & Fernández, Manuela & Hierro, Eva & Haza, Ana. (2022). Enhancement of the Antioxidant Capacity of Thyme and Chestnut Honey by Addition of Bee Products. Foods. 11. 3118. 10.3390/foods11193118.
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