What Is Acacia Honey And Where Can I Get It?

You’ve probably seen acacia honey on the market or online shopping websites highlighting its unique taste, qualities, and health benefits. But where does it come from and what makes it so unique.

hb-0040-p02-9356903 — Acacia Honey and Acacia Flowers

Acacia honey comes from the nectar of false acacia or black locust tree. It’s usually transparent with occasional tints of light yellow or green. With low acidity and high fructose levels, it has a delicate flavor and a fruity aroma. It’s popular throughout the world and offers many health benefits.

In the rest of this article, we’ll talk about acacia honey and all that makes it such a highly sought after delicacy. We’ll also unpack its health benefits and tell you where you can buy it.

What Is Acacia Honey?

Bees make Acacia honey from the nectar of the Robinia Pseudoacacia tree, commonly known as the black locust tree or false acacia. It’s one of the most common types of honey produced in Europe and North America. It’s sold as American acacia or locust honey in the US, but Europeans simply call it acacia honey.

Its appearance is different from regular honey with highly transparent, light-colored variations. Its color depends on the type of tree. If it comes solely from the nectar of white acacia, it’s light and transparent, while the honey collected from yellow acacia is light yellow. Lighter colors indicate higher acacia pollen content and superior purity.

It has a delicate, fruity, and floral aroma, with the flowery notes best noticeable towards the end. The texture is silky and has a thin consistency.

These properties make it one of the most in-demand honey products among honey connoisseurs. Some would argue it has the best flavor of all the honey varieties.

What Does Acacia Honey Taste Like?

Acacia blossom nectar has a unique and sweet flavor, making the honey mild and exquisite championing the acacia flowers’ tones.

Acacia honey has a clean, pure, nectarous honey flavor, with a slightly acidic, unobtrusive taste. It may also contain hints of sweet, warm, and sharp fragrances like almond and vanilla. It is also known to throw traces of spices like nutmeg or tropical fruit scents like pineapple.

Unlike other honey types with intense overbearing flavors, acacia honey is light and has a delicate aftertaste. That’s why many people choose it as their favorite type of honey.

What Are the Benefits of Acacia Honey?

Acacia honey has many health benefits, some of which are similar to regular honey and others unique to this type.

It’s rich in iron, copper, potassium, calcium, and zinc. It can balance blood pressure and increase hemoglobin levels. It’s also known to purify the liver, function as a natural antibiotic, and treat gastritis.

Keep in mind you will only reap its health benefits in its raw state. Be sure to check that it hasn’t processed and or heated. It is important that you don’t rely on acacia honey as the only treatment for your health conditions without consulting your medical care provider.

Here’s a list of the primary health benefits of acacia honey:

Contains High Levels of Antioxidants
Reduces Blood Sugar
Antibacterial Properties
Soothing Effects

1. Contains High Levels of Antioxidants

Acacia honey contains a diverse group of plant chemicals called flavonoids and phenolic compounds. These chemicals serve as antioxidants—substances that fight free radicals. Keeping a high-flavonoid diet has been suggested to prevent cancer and heart disease.

Beta carotene is another chemical with antioxidant properties found abundantly in acacia honey. It can improve brain performance and skin health by reducing the damage caused by harmful sun rays. One study found that it also reduces the risks of lung cancer.

Antioxidants and vitamin C can help prevent and reduce age-related skin problems like wrinkles.

2. Reduces Blood Sugar

Acacia honey has a low glycemic index due to its high levels of fruit sugar. That’s why it’s suitable for people who have difficulty regulating sugar levels, like diabetic patients.

According to a study, the hypoglycemic effect reduces blood sugar levels and even treats beta cells in the pancreas, the organ responsible for insulin production.

It is important if you do suffer from diabetes that you consult your physician before considering honey as a blood sugar reducing remedy.

3. Antibacterial Properties

Eating acacia honey can boost your immune system thanks to its hydrogen peroxide content, an antibacterial substance. Hydrogen peroxide breaks down the cell walls of bacteria and kills them. And this antibacterial effect benefits your body both internally and externally.

Another study revealed acacia honey helps fight two antibiotic-resistant bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa.

The antibacterial and antioxidant properties of acacia honey make it a great wound-healing agent. It can prevent bacterial infection and inflammation and keep wounds moist.

People with common skin problems caused by bacteria, like acne, can also benefit from acacia honey’s antibacterial activities.

4. Soothing Effects

Acacia honey is rich in minerals and vitamins such as magnesium and vitamin C. These have anti-inflammatory effects that help remedy issues like sore throat, cough, and other respiratory system problems.

This soothing effect is also helpful externally, with reducing scars, blemishes, burns, and inflammations.

Where Can I Buy Acacia Honey?

If you want high-quality acacia honey, buy from local producers. You can find reliable sellers online.

SUPPLIER	ORIGIN	Cost	NOTEWORTHY INFO
SAVANNAH BEE COMPANY (USA Based Store)	Hungary	3 Ounce (85 Gram) – $7.50 12 Ounce (340 Gram) – $19 20 Ounce (567 Gram) – $35 80 Ounce (2.267 Kg) – $120	They also recommend recipes to go with Acacia honey, a pumpkin soup, and healthy honey brownies
BREITSAMER (German Based Store)	Germany	315 Gram (11.1 Ounce) – $7.99 (Euro) Organic 500 Gram (17.6 Ounce) – $6.99 (Euro)	Their organic honey is certified organic by Bioland
HONEY FEAST(USA Based Store)	United States	3 Ounce (85 Gram) – $5 12 Ounce (340 Gram) – $16 Comes with gift box	Rare to find USA produced Acacia Honey. For this reason, the availability of supply is limited.
SMILEY HONEY (USA Based Store)	Romania	15 Ounce (425 Gram) – $10 Glass Jar 16 Ounce (453 Gram) – $9 Plastic Bottle 12 Pound (5.4 Kg) – $90 Plastic Jug	The product has a total of 100 customer reviews for a 5 star rating

No matter what brand you go for, always look for raw, organic, and unfiltered acacia honey. Acacia honey has a translucent appearance, so if the honey is dark or muddy, don’t buy it.

Looking for more different and interesting honey varieties? We have done a ton of research for you. If you are interested the article is called, Honey Varieties You Should Discover.

How Much Does Acacia Honey Cost?

Acacia honey is one of the most expensive honey types due to its quality, popularity, and properties. You can find a whole range of prices as varied as the producers, especially with local farmers. The production scale, methods, and seasons also affect the final cost.

The prices usually range somewhere in the vicinity of $0.50 to $1.50 per ounce.

There are also acacia honey products with combs if you’re looking for a more natural rustic feel. These options range from $0.99 to $1.50 per ounce. Organic products tend to be more expensive, with some going over $2 per ounce.

Of course, these are the average prices, and you might find deals that range higher or lower.

What Locations Is Acacia Honey Produced?

Acacia is arguably a misnomer for this kind of honey since it has nothing to do with the classic Hawaiian or African acacia trees we have in mind. Interestingly, the honey comes from the fake acacia tree.

Fake acacia or the black locust tree is native to the southeastern U.S. However, it’s now planted across North America, Europe, Southern Africa, and Asia.

Hungary is one of the most significant acacia honey producers, with local farmers planting fake acacia orchards to produce honey. Bulgaria, Romania, and Germany are also other major producers of acacia honey. However, you can find acacia honey produced in Canada, Italy, France, and China as well.

Is Acacia Honey Seasonal or Available All Year Round?

Acacia honey is a seasonal product given the limited blossoming period of the black locust tree. Blossoming begins in May and lasts for 10 to 15 days.

Bees collect nectar for about ten days, but nectar flow and crop volume depends on the weather. Acacia honey needs high humidity climates with the “dry seasons” yielding no honey. Plus, if it rains a lot during these ten days, the nectar gets washed away from the blossoms.

All these factors make this type of honey the most sought-after honey and explain the hefty price tag.

Does Acacia Honey Crystalize in Winter?

Given its unique sugar profile and high fructose content, acacia honey stays liquid longer. Crystals form in honey because sucrose causes the water to fall out of suspension. The higher the fructose content, the slower the crystallization process. That’s why acacia honey doesn’t crystalize quickly and has a long shelf-life in the form of liquid—sometimes extending to one to two years.

Acacia honey may crystalize in cold temperatures, although more slowly than others. So, don’t store it in cold basements or the fridge. Keep it at room temperature and if you see it crystalized, put the jar in warm water.

The Wrap Up

Acacia honey is one of the best kinds of honey you can buy. It has a light and sweet flavor with flowery and fruity aromas. Along with numerous health benefits.

Due to its seasonal production and specific climatic requirements, it’s highly in-demand and relatively expensive. But when you finally get your hands on it, you’ll find this unique and delicious honey is well worth the wait and expense!

Maybe you’re like us and enjoy tasting honey from different origins and regions or maybe you’re just realizing that there is more to honey than what you see on the supermarket shelves.

We have done the research for you on a whole range of varieties of honey for you. Below is a list of different types of honey from different floral origins and regions. If you are interested check them out, Honey Varieties You Should Discover.