Description & Origin
If there were a royal court of honey, then tupelo would be the King and Queen. As one customer said, "There may be honey better than tupelo somewhere on this earth, but we've never found it." Tupelo honey comes from the green and white blossoms of the white tupelo gum tree (nyssa ogeche). These blossoms are notoriously fragile, and favorable weather is needed to produce a good crop. In the best years, the season is over in 3 weeks. In bad years, it may last just a few days.Our tupelo honey supply comes from the Apalachicola river basin, which runs from north to south in Calhoun and Liberty counties. This part of the Florida panhandle has the highest concentrations of white tupelo trees in the world.
Color & Taste
Raw, unfiltered tupelo honey is Extra Light Amber in color and has a greenish hue when held up to the light. Tupelo honey has an amazing flavor profile. It starts with a bright floral burst that dissolves easily on the tongue, and then has a very pleasing and warm finish. When tasting it for the first time, folks tend to break out into wide smile and exclaim: "Wow! I never knew that honey could taste so good."
NOTE: Pure tupelo honey should not crystallize (also called 'sugaring') even after many years in the cupboard. But pure tupelo is impossible to get because the bees will visit other plants that are in bloom at the same time as the tupelo trees. The ratio of tupelo to non-tupelo nectar will vary from year to year, location to location, and even beehive to beehive. As a result, a layer of sugar may appear at the bottom of your container. This is a natural change, and it can be reversed by placing the container in hot water (but not too hot) and shaking the honey bottle every few minutes.
