Raw Organic Greek Holm (also known as Mediterranean) Oak Honey - 1kg/Active 17 - Out of Stock

Raw Organic Greek Holm Oak Honey is an uncommon Oak honey variety known for its nutty, caramel, or balsamic flavour. This precious honey is sourced from a young organic beekeeper in the south of Greece.

I secured this honey from an organic beekeeper called Stefanos, whom I visited in the Peleponnese back in early June this year (2023). I had already tried and liked a sample of his Holm Oak, which has a distinctive balsamic flavour. It is maybe a bit less sweet than Oak honey from the European Oak. I was very impressed with the aroma and quality of Stefanos' Oak honey. So, I wanted to meet him and see the place where the honey came from.

As I saw, this Holm Oak comes from a rare lowland area, bordering a marsh, giving it a character quite unlike any other Oak honeys we've had before. I believe the unique soil composition there plays a role in this. I was genuinely taken by the aroma and quality of Stefanos' Oak honey, and I'm eager for you to experience it too. 

What does "Active" mean in the product title?  We send some of our honeys to a lab for a "Total Activity test". This test measures the total antimicrobial activity of a honey. This is done by testing a solution of a honey on a lab plate against the Staph Aureus bacteria. the honey is graded according to the amount of bacteria that the honey solution kills. Generally, the range that we see will be between 10 and 25 plus. This type of test is similar to the test used to grade Manuka Honey.  The main antibacterial activity is caused by a bee enzyme that creates hydrogen peroxide in the honey. Please bear in mind that the Activity Level is at its highest when we test it and will decrease over time. This will happen faster if the honey is exposed to light and heat. Storing the honey in a dark cool place will help to slow down the rate at which the Activity Level decreases.

Where exactly does this Honey come from ? The bees create it from the fluid that seeps from the Acorns, of the evergreen Holm Oak trees in a lowland, partly marshy area in the plains of Lechamia (which are in the South West of Greece),

What does it taste like ? You will notice a complex flavour, with balsamic notes, stewed fruit and mineral notes. Maybe a little less sweet than Oak honey from the European Oak 

The Beekeeper : Asterios is one of the most genuine people you could ever meet. His aim is always to present to us the highest quality honey possible. He is lucky enough to have an amazing network of fellow artisan Greek beekeepers. He introduced me to Stefanos. For Stefanos beekeeping is an art and he is excited that his honey will be appreciated in the UK

Plant - Greek Holm Oak, tends to be dark, have a stronger flavour and is less likely to set due to a relatively low glucose content.

Colour - This particular honey is dark brown in colour.

Common Uses Being such a rich deep honey it's great at breakfast time, either on porridge,  buttered toast, or just enjoyed straight from the spoon!

Why Raw Honey is different to Processed Honey - Raw honey generally means the honey has not been processed, it has come from the hive to the jar with minimal interference. Most supermarket honey is highly processed to make it look more attractive, it has been drained of pollen, often heated and blended. Raw honey tends to vary from batch to batch, this is because it is not processed in a factory, filtered or heated to look homogeneous, it changes with the season and climate and what the bees feed on, we will update this fact sheet according to which batch we currently have in.

Crystallisation:-  Please know that raw honey does crystallise and is a natural process of raw honey (therefore we cannot except returns on honey that may have crystallised). We indicate on the website the state of each honey - either runny or crystallised but be aware this is to the best of our knowledge and the state can change quickly.   If you want your honey runny and it has crystallised it's very easy to return it to runny go to this link Runny Honey  or see this section under our FAQ's Why Is My Honey Crystallised?

We only supply raw honey because we believe this is how all honey should be.  If you don't want your honey to crystallise then raw honey probably isn't for you.
For more information on why honey sets visit this article and for a more scientific explanation go to wikipedia.org, search ‘honey’ and then go to the section headed ‘Physical and chemical properties’. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey

About Us - Here at The Raw Honey Shop we take honey very seriously and we believe honey should be RAW, unpasteurised and 100% natural. Since 2008 we've been introducing our customers to a whole new world of pure all natural unpasteurised raw honey. With a product catalogue consisting of over 30 different raw and organic honeys we have a variety to suit all tastes.

Thank you for visiting our shop and we look forward to introducing you to a world of raw, pure and truly wonderful natural honey, the way the bees would want it!

*Product photo is representative of this product. Honey colour and texture may vary depending on the season and level of crystallisation. Please check the product title and description for accurate contents.*