Glossary
A light to medium amber honey produced by bees foraging on lavender blossoms (Lavandula species). Lavender honey has a delicate, distinctively floral flavor with subtle herbal notes and a smooth, balanced sweetness. It is particularly prized in Provence, France, where lavender fields produce some of the world's most sought-after varietal honey.
Lavender honey is considered one of the finest and most elegant varietal honeys in the world. Its flavor is unmistakably floral without being perfume-like: a gentle, rounded sweetness with subtle herbal undertones and a clean finish. The aroma carries the recognizable lavender scent in a softer, honey-sweetened form.
The color ranges from nearly white to light gold, and the texture tends toward smooth and buttery. Lavender honey crystallizes at a moderate rate and develops a fine, creamy crystal structure that many people prefer for spreading on toast or scones.
While French Provence lavender honey is the most famous, lavender honey is produced wherever lavender is grown commercially, including Spain, Italy, Australia, and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. American lavender honey production, while small compared to France, has been growing as lavender farming expands.
True monofloral lavender honey requires large, concentrated plantings of lavender and careful placement of bee colonies during the bloom period. The best lavender honeys come from areas where lavender dominates the landscape for acres, providing bees with a concentrated, single-source nectar flow.
Yes, gently. Lavender honey carries a recognizable but subtle lavender character, more of a soft floral essence than a strong herbal flavor. It is one of the few varietal honeys where the flower's scent is clearly present in the finished honey.
Lavender honey is excellent as a table honey with tea, drizzled over yogurt or fresh fruit, in baking (particularly shortbread and scones), and as a finishing honey on cheese plates. Its gentle flavor complements rather than overpowers delicate foods.
Lavender honey is produced naturally by bees foraging on lavender flowers. Lavender-infused honey is regular honey that has had dried lavender buds soaked in it to add flavor. Monofloral lavender honey has a more subtle, integrated floral character compared to the more pronounced flavor of infused honey.
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