New from Antonio – Raw Organic Holm Oak Honey from Salamanca – Dark, Smoky, Resinous & Treacly
A striking new honey for Antonio’s range. Also known as Mediterranean Oak, Holm Oak is an evergreen oak characteristic of the landscapes of central and southern Spain. This 100% raw, certified organic Holm Oak honeydew honey comes from Salamanca in western Spain.
Unlike blossom honey, it is not made primarily from floral nectar. The honeydew originates from the sap of the Holm Oak trees, which the bees gather and transform into this exceptionally dark, full-bodied honey.
It has a smoky, spicy and distinctly resinous aroma with a balsamic edge, while the flavour is deep and complex, with rich treacle, malt and woody notes. Less overtly sweet than many blossom honeys, it has a long, lingering finish and a character all of its own.
This is the first Holm Oak honey we have offered under Antonio’s range.
Product Highlights
- Coarse-filtered
- 100% Raw
- Cold-pressed
- Certified organic
- Unpasteurised
- Produced in the Salamanca region of western Spain
- A true Holm Oak honeydew honey, derived from the sap of the Holm Oak
- Very dark amber to almost black in appearance
- Smoky, spicy and distinctly resinous aroma
- Rich treacle, malt and woody flavour
- Less overtly sweet than many blossom honeys
- Deep, complex and long-lasting finish
Aroma
A smoky, spicy aroma with a distinctly resinous, balsamic edge, underpinned by warm woody notes. Deep and aromatic, with the rich forest character typical of a dark Holm Oak honeydew.
Flavour
Dark, full-bodied and complex, with a distinct treacle-like richness at its centre. The flavour develops through malty, woody and balsamic notes, with a gently smoky edge and subtle savoury depth.
Less overtly sweet than many blossom honeys, it has a long, intense finish that makes it particularly appealing to those who enjoy darker, more powerful honeys.
How Does Holm Oak Differ from European Oak (Antonio's Other Oak)?
Both are dark, complex honeydew honeys, but their character is noticeably different.
Antonio's European Oak is predominantly earthy, malty and woody, with a gentle fruitiness and subtle smoky, balsamic notes. This Holm Oak is more aromatic: the nose is distinctly smoky, spicy and resinous with a balsamic edge, while the flavour has a deeper treacle richness.
There is still the characteristic less-sweet, full-bodied quality of an oak honeydew, but the Holm Oak has a warmer, more resinous and intensely aromatic character.
Colour
Very dark amber to deep brown and, in the jar, it can appear almost black. Held against the light, warmer amber or reddish tones may become visible.
As with all raw honey, the precise colour, texture and degree of crystallisation can vary naturally from harvest to harvest.
Origin
Produced in the Salamanca region of Castilla y León in western Spain, this is a true Holm Oak honeydew honey.
Holm Oak (Quercus ilex), also known as Mediterranean Oak, is an evergreen oak characteristic of much of central and southern Spain. In Salamanca, these trees form an important part of the traditional landscape.
Unlike blossom honey, this honey is not made primarily from floral nectar. The honeydew originates from the sap of the Holm Oak trees, which the bees gather and transform into honey.
This produces a very different style of honey from a typical blossom honey: exceptionally dark, concentrated and full-bodied, with restrained sweetness and pronounced malty, woody, resinous and balsamic notes.
Producer Story
Antonio is a fourth-generation beekeeper and a pioneer of organic beekeeping in Spain. His hives are mainly in the Sierra de Guadarrama Biosphere Reserve north of Madrid, with some in Portugal. Working with his son Dani and son-in-law Ruben, he produces certified organic raw honeys and teaches beekeeping. He is sought worldwide for his ethical, organic practices.
For this particular harvest, the hives have been placed in the Holm Oak country of Salamanca in western Spain. It is the first Holm Oak honey we have offered under Antonio’s range, with a distinctly dark, malty and complex character typical of this remarkable honeydew honey.
Common Uses
- Cheese: Excellent with mature Manchego, aged Cheddar, blue cheese and other strongly flavoured cheeses.
- Breakfast: Drizzle over natural yoghurt, porridge or toasted sourdough.
- Savoury dishes: Its restrained sweetness works particularly well in dressings, marinades and sauces.
- Meat glazes: Pair with pork, duck, lamb or roasted vegetables.
- Baking: Adds depth to ginger cakes, fruit cakes, flapjacks and dark chocolate desserts.
- Drinks: Stir into coffee or use sparingly in robust herbal teas.
- Tasting: Try it straight from the spoon to appreciate how different a dark honeydew honey can be from a conventional blossom honey.
🧊 How to store your honey
To preserve its natural potency, store the honey in a cool, dark place. Light and heat degrade the enzymes that contribute to antibacterial activity. Keeping it away from light and high temperatures helps maintain its flavour, texture and active properties.
🍯 Why Raw Honey is Different from Processed Honey
Raw honey is different from processed honey because it’s never pasteurised, finely filtered, or blended—so it retains the natural pollen, enzymes, and full spectrum of flavour that processed honey loses.
Processed honey is typically heat-treated, blended and homogenised from many different sources to appear uniform.
In contrast, raw honey is single-origin, coming straight from the hive with minimal handling. Its texture, taste and colour vary with the season and the terroir—shaped by the local climate, soil, the temperament of the bees, the beekeeper’s care, and the flowers and other natural food sources the bees forage on.
Each batch is unique, and we update this description to reflect the current harvest.
🌀 Crystallisation
Raw honey crystallises naturally, so we cannot accept returns on crystallised honey. We indicate on the site whether the honey is runny or crystallised, but this may change.
If you want runny honey and it has crystallised, it's easy to return it to runny. Check our Runny Honey Guide or read more on crystallisation.
🏪 About Us
At The Raw Honey Shop, we believe honey should be RAW, unpasteurised, and 100% natural. Since 2008, we've introduced customers to pure, all-natural honey.
Our catalogue includes over 30 raw and organic varieties. Thank you for visiting. We look forward to sharing a world of raw, pure, and truly wonderful honey—the way the bees intended it!
📸 Representative Photo Disclaimer
Product photo is representative. The colour and texture of raw honey may vary by season and crystallisation level. Please check the product title and description for accurate contents.
* Please Note: We are currently updating our packaging, so you may receive this honey with a slightly different label to the one shown in the product photographs. Rest assured, it is the same delicious raw honey from Antonio’s range, with the same quality, origin and contents inside the jar – only the label design is changing.