Acacia honey comes from the nectar of acacia tree blossoms, which is known as a black locust tree in the USA (robinia pseudoacacia). While this tree is native to the mountains of North Carolina, some saplings were carried back to England in 1636. Fast growing acacia trees quickly spread throughout Europe. Today, there are large stands of acacia trees in parts of Italy, Hungary, Romania and the Ukraine, which outnumber what you can find in the USA.

The trees produce large clusters of showy blossoms in late May and early June. These flowers are very fragrant, which helps to attract hungry honeybees.

Our current supply of acacia honey comes from Italy.

Acacia honey is one of the lightest colored honey varieties that you can find in the world. In some years, it will grade as "water white" and is so clear you can read a newspaper through the jar. But "extra white" is also a common color of this honey. This light color makes acacia honey a prized variety.

The flavor of this honey is medium sweet and very mild. It has just a whisper of vanilla flavor, and almost no aftertaste. Due to a high fructose content, this special honey also resists sugaring, and should remain liquid for a long time (assuming you can resist not eating it all in a month or two).

Due to its mild flavor, acacia honey pairs well with herbal teas where you do not want the honey to overshadow the tea. One customer had this to say about this special honey variety: "Acacia honey is one of my favorites and I’m so glad Smiley offers it. We use it on berries, pancakes, biscuits and in our tea. It’s light and sweet, perfectly refreshing on everything!"