Erica Arborea honey

[Uguccione]

A Sardinian friend of mine, knowing that I smoke a pipe, showed me this new purchase of hers (I hope she will send me a jar): it is tree heather honey.
A must for any pipe smoker worth his salt. You can spread it on bread, but - better - in the bowls of our pipes.

 

[OzPiper]

Interesting ! What does it taste like ?

I love honey, but my tastes run to light/mild flavoured honey eg acacia, boxwood, blue gum and orange blossom
I do not like the strongly flavoured leatherwood honey from Tasmania.
And chestnut honey was an expensive disappointment for me.

And adulterated honey is a no-no.
I have come across jars labelled lavender honey and macadamia honey with lavender flowers and macadamia nuts in the jars
The producers of these atrocities should be put out of business
And the food authorities allowing this form of deceit should be keelhauled

 

[Roach1]

I use just regular natural honey. Seems to work ok for me. I agree with Oz and his thoughts.

 

[Uguccione]

Interesting ! What does it taste like ?

Unfortunately I don't know

She (my friend) says that she is not very sweet.
I asked her if she tasted like pipe and she replied "why would she?"

 

[pappymac]

Looks interesting.
If I could get 3 lbs. of the honey I think it would make an interesting mead.

 

[Roach1]

Looks interesting.
If I could get 3 lbs. of the honey I think it would make an interesting mead.

I think I have had something like mead. How would you make it?

 

[anotherbob]

And adulterated honey is a no-no.
I have come across jars labelled lavender honey and macadamia honey with lavender flowers and macadamia nuts in the jars
The producers of these atrocities should be put out of business
And the food authorities allowing this form of deceit should be keelhauled

hey man they got bigger fish to fry. Such as the people that dye corn syrup and put it in a plastic bear.

 

[anotherbob]

Unfortunately I don't know

She (my friend) says that she is not very sweet.
I asked her if she tasted like pipe and she replied "why would she?"

I don't know if you're talking about the friend or the honey. Or if something else is going on with the friend and the honey.

 

[Non-Mentholated Black Man]

Looks interesting.
If I could get 3 lbs. of the honey I think it would make an interesting mead.

Do you typically make session/hydromel mead(s) or traditional/sack mead(s)?

 

[UB 40]

Erica comprises a whole family of plants, with many flowering specimens. So it doesn't necessarily have to be honey from the tree heather.

 

[pappymac]

I think I have had something like mead. How would you make it?

Basically it is honey, water and yeast. I would suggest checking out the City Steading Brews Youtube channel. The initial set-up can be a little pricey.

Do you typically make session/hydromel mead(s) or traditional/sack mead(s)?

Yes?
I have made hydromel, sack mead, melomel, cyser, rhodomel, traditional and most recently a coffeemel. Maybe even a couple of others. In little over a year, all my meads have been between 12% to 16% ABV. I haven't made a session mead that is usually under 10% ABV.

I am doing a 1-gallon batches right of a Hisbiscus/Rose/Heather mead and a Blackberry/Orange Mead.

 

[Pipeoff]

Looks interesting.
If I could get 3 lbs. of the honey I think it would make an interesting mead.

Do you need a special yeast or starter for mead as honey is resistant to germs ration. ??

 

[Pipeoff]

My hives are near about 100 apple trees used for pollination. Just after bloom I draw off honey that I sell as a varietal Apple Blossom Honey, hardly keep up the demand.

 

[pappymac]

Do you need a special yeast or starter for mead as honey is resistant to germs ration. ??

From what I've learned you can use just about any yeast you can buy from Fleischman bread yeast to the different types and brands of brewing yeasts that are available. The different brewer yeasts have different potential alcohol tolerance and other qualities. There are champagne yeast, ale yeast, beer yeast, wine yeast, etc. They can all be used.

 

[pappymac]

My hives are near about 100 apple trees used for pollination. Just after bloom I draw off honey that I sell as a varietal Apple Blossom Honey, hardly keep up the demand.

That sounds like some good honey. From what I've been told a lot of the honey sold in grocery stores may not be pure natural honey and they are always over priced.

I've also been told that using honey from hives within 50 miles of where you live helps prevent allergies. I happen to live about 3 miles from the Honey Island Swamp in SE Louisiana. It was named that because there was an island in the swamp with large beehives a long time ago. Last summer I found a beekeeper who lives between me and the swamp and he has hives located in the swamp and in his backyard.

I also buy honey produced from hives located in a large number of strawberry fields about 45 miles from me.

I pay from $17 to $20 for a 44 oz. jar of honey.

 

[kcghost]

I really don't each much honey, but I do like dishes with honey in it.

 

[Pipeoff]

That sounds like some good honey. From what I've been told a lot of the honey sold in grocery stores may not be pure natural honey and they are always over priced.

I've also been told that using honey from hives within 50 miles of where you live helps prevent allergies. I happen to live about 3 miles from the Honey Island Swamp in SE Louisiana. It was named that because there was an island in the swamp with large beehives a long time ago. Last summer I found a beekeeper who lives between me and the swamp and he has hives located in the swamp and in his backyard.

I also buy honey produced from hives located in a large number of strawberry fields about 45 miles from me.

I pay from $17 to $20 for a 44 oz. jar of honey.

I sell what is known here as raw honey. The stuff in the supermarkets is cut with corn syrup to prevent crystallization which is natural but some look at it as spoilage, honey has oxidants that prevents same. Honey harvest is labor extensive and requires a lot of equipment. The price you pay is right.

 

[Non-Mentholated Black Man]

I am doing a 1-gallon batches right of a Hisbiscus/Rose/Heather mead and a Blackberry/Orange Mead.

I used to enjoy a homemade black currant mead from across the pond but it has been a few years since I last partook of the nectar.
Even though I find few things finer than a traditional/sack mead, your blackberry/orange sounds right to me.

 

[Uguccione]

Erica comprises a whole family of plants, with many flowering specimens. So it doesn't necessarily have to be honey from the tree heather.

 

[Uguccione]

I don't know if you're talking about the friend or the honey. Or if something else is going on with the friend and the honey.

I didn't understand, but it doesn't matter, it's just a joke Thread.
Then UB40 rightly pointed out to me that it is "erica" honey, not necessarily "erica arborea" , so I no longer care.

Let's continue talking about honey which is an interesting topic and which in any case also has a certain connection with the pipe.