Portuguese Black Forest Honey
Coming to us from Portugal and the autonomous Extremadura community of Spain, this gorgeous Forest Honey reminds us of why this area of Europe is famous for its deeply flavored wines and cured ham. Forest Honey, also known as honeydew honey, is unique among honeys in that it is made when bees collect honeydew (a sticky clear fluid left by aphids feeding on trees and plants) rather than or in addition to nectar. Our Portuguese Forest Honey is largely made with honeydew and nectar from the Holm Oak, the tree whose acorns famously feed the hogs for Pata Negra Jamón Iberico. Forest Honey made from this nectar has its own unique character and is replete with notes of caramel and molasses. We love to use our Portuguese Forest Honey on charcuterie boards, especially with soft cheese like Brie or Camembert.
Tasting Notes
Origin & Ingredients
Tea & Honey Stocking Stuffers Make the Holidays Sweeter
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Learn More About Honey
Honey FAQs
Does Honey Expire?
In a word: No! Raw honey is naturally acidic and low in moisture, making honey inhospitable to bacteria and yeast. This means properly stored raw honey will last for years, decades, and in the case of some Egyptian tombs, even millennia!
What if My Honey Crystallizes?
Crystallization is a natural process that happens with most raw honeys over time. Crystallized honey has little sugar crystals in it and therefore feels granular on the palate. We have a few suggestions for what to do if your honey is crystallized and you don't love its new consistency!
If your honey starts to crystallize, you can re-liquify it in a warm water bath (~120°F). Just be careful not to get any water in your honey!
You might also try blending your honey until it turns into a creamy, spreadable consistency perfect for slathering on toast or cheese and crackers!
How Do You Make Honey Simple Syrup?
We use honey simple syrup at our Tea Bar to sweeten drinks. This more liquid version of honey combines easily and thoroughly with both hot and cold drinks and makes a wonderful addition to cocktails and marinades!
Making honey simple syrup is as simple as the name!
Simply take 1 part Portuguese Black Forest Honey and one part hot water, stir to combine, and store in the refrgerator.
Your honey simple syrup will last in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Our passion for teas...
We are delighted to be able to share one of the largest and most varied collections of single origin traditional teas on the East Coast with our communi·tea. Personally curated by owner Hayley, these teas come to us from small farms and collectives and represent the best of their terroirs and production styles. While wondering our shelves in-person or online, you will discover familiar favorites like English Breakfast and Long Jing (Dragonwell) alongside rare teas like Shan Lin Xi and herbal tisanes blended for mindfulness, inflammation, and much more.
& bees...
Raw honey is one of nature's most marvelous gifts. Not only is honey a marvel of energy-giving carbohydrates fortified with antioxidants, minerals and beneficial enzymes - making it the healthiest natural sugar - honey comes in a rainbow of flavors and varieties with something for everyone to appreciate and enjoy. From dark, robust honeys like Buckwheat and Chestnut to light or amber honeys like Tupelo or Orange Blossom, the subtle and sometimes not so subtle flavor differences between varietal honeys lend themselves to extraordinary flavor combinations and experimentation in the kitchen, on the charcuterie board, or in your favorite cup of tea.
all started with our Queen Bee!
A trained chef, Hayley's vision for Saratoga Tea & Honey Co. has been her entire lifetime in the making. Though she was still drinking espresso at the time, the Tea & Honey seeds were planted in the kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants with training and appreciation for food and beverage as not just sustenance, but experience and hospitality. Her time spent as a chef-instructor at Jacques Pépin's French Culinary Institute introduced her first to matcha (and its ability to enhance sustained and steady focus), then to the subtleties of single-origin traditional teas like high mountain Taiwanese oolong. As a celebrated and awarded taster and master of culinary arts, in 2015 Hayley opened the doors to Saratoga Tea & Honey Co. Since then, she has cultivated a communi·tea for discovering rare and exciting teas, extraordinary raw honeys & unique gifts produced by small farmers and artisans from around the world.