Coffee Blossom Honey from Guatemala
Traditional single-source honey at the Coffee Company
I’ve long believed that honey—great, single-source, traditional honey—could be one of the best desserts on the planet. In much the same way that eating amazing stone fruit or just-picked berries brings us flavors as they exist in nature—uncooked, unrefined, unprocessed—the same goes for honey. For those who want to bring a bit of beauty to their day but worry about having enough time … nothing could be easier than opening a jar of great honey, dipping in a spoon, and savoring it just as it is. In the spirit of appreciating the nuances of nature—and of life—as art, this Coffee Blossom Honey strikes me as natural beauty incarnate.
Each honey varietal—and each different location in which the honey is gathered, and each season—will yield markedly different, unique flavors. In the same way that each year’s vintage of a great wine tastes a bit different than the year before and the year after, the same is true of honey. This coffee blossom honey from Guatemala fits all of those characteristics quite well. Honestly, I’ve never tasted anything quite like it. We get it through the folks at a small, quality-focused company called (not shockingly) Coffee Blossom Honey. They’re our kind of producer—“We travel and source each micro lot of coffee blossom honey with the goal of strengthening farmer relationships, promoting bee education, improving quality, and building sustainability.”
The beekeeper is Francisco “Chico” Cardona. Starting years ago with next to nothing, Cardona diligently worked with coffee until he had the funds for his own farm. There, he began working with beekeeping and, over time, it became a passion for him. Today, Cardona has three apiaries and 150 hives, and his farm carries the name “La Colmenita,” meaning “The Little Beehive.” Regulations require that the hives be set up within a kilometer of the source. The flavor? To be clear, it doesn’t taste anything like coffee. Ethereal. Apricot. Tropical fruit—maybe mango. Muscovado sugar and vanilla. The Coffee Blossom Honey folks say that it has “a subtle sweetness with delicate lavender notes.” I’d add that there’s a faint menthol-like freshness. It finishes big on the nose: intensely aromatic and enticing.
What do you do with honey this good? If you like your coffee on the sweet side, add a spoonful. If you want to be geographically congruent, add it to a pourover of the really good Guatemala El Regalito at the Coffee Company. Put it on toast. Totally terrific, I’m happy to report, with really good hazelnut butter. Make a honey cake with it. Put a bit in, or on, a blintz. Mix it with olive oil and a nice wine vinegar to make a honey vinaigrette. Use it for a glaze or in sauces—see the recipe for lamb roasted with honey and rosemary in Zingerman’s Guide to Good Eating. Try a Zingerman’s Cream Cheese and honey omelet. Or, as I said, just stick a spoon in and eat. Appreciate. Enjoy!
