Two Types of Honey Perfect for Your Next Cup

Part of being a tea lover is knowing what to pair with your favorite beverage—and that’s why we’re thrilled to talk about honey. 

We sell many types of honey, but we’re particularly excited about two: orange blossom honey and tupelo honey. (The latter has no relation to the restaurant chain.) They’re delicious by the spoonful, but they pair extremely well in hot or cold teas. 

We can tell you how to make your tea, but it’s up to you to make your drink. Here’s why these two types of honey will complement whatever your favorite drink is. 

Orange Blossom Honey 

Before we describe orange blossom honey, let’s be clear about who we can thank for it: our friends, the honeybees. Without their hard work, we wouldn’t have any honey to be abuzz about. (We told you there’d be puns.) 

Orange blossom honey comes from the blossoms of orange trees, found primarily in Florida, Texas and California, as well as various parts of the world. When an orange blossom’s flowers are blooming, honeybees will take nectar from the flowers and mix them with an enzyme in their mouths.  

As they pass the substance between themselves, the bees help to reduce the amount of water in the substance. The bees will put the nectar in wax cells and flap their wings over it to help evaporate the water. 

Orange blossom honey is both cool and delicious. It also contains numerous health benefits, such as preventing diarrhea, fighting infections, reducing cold symptoms, and providing you with tons of antioxidants.  

What tea can you pair it with? Everyone’s palate is different, but for newcomers, we recommend flavored teas like Blackberry Royale, Cloud Catcher, and Mango Tango.  

You won’t bee-lieve how well this will taste! (Okay, we promise we’ll stop.) 

Tupelo Honey 

We’re not joking when we say this: tupelo honey will be the best thing you’ll ever eat that comes out of a swamp. 

Tupelo is a high-premium honey harvested from tupelo trees from April to the end of May. As the New York Times has reported, farmers will bring beehives with them on boats and release the bees to harvest the goods within the blossoming flowers. (If you’re curious, a good hive of bees can produce 100 pounds of honey.)  

The result is a delicious treat with a golden hue that some people think has a peach-like quality to it. It can remain in its liquid form for years. And if you see black flecks in the honey, don’t fret: that’s just evidence of all the work the bees had to do to produce this delicious treat for you. 

Now that you know where it comes from, let’s talk about where it’s going. It’s a premium type of honey, which means it’s going to cost more and you may want to use it sparingly to make it last. (We promise not to judge if you guzzle the entire jar, though.)  

Like other forms of honey, tupelo has antioxidants, so there are some clear health benefits to consuming it. And unlike processed sugar, tupelo can be a source of vitamin C, thiamine, and iron.  

Perhaps a small bit into some of the tea we listed above would work well for you. If you’re looking for some starting places, then consider fruity teas such as Bleeding Heart, Crème de Peche, and Orange Creamsicle.  

Entertain Your Sweet Tooth 

Our tupelo and orange blossom honey bottles are available in store and online and will add new flavors to your favorite drinks. Don’t have a favorite yet? No problem! Ask one of our employees for their recommendation, and they’ll be more than happy to help you.