Comb honey, in simplest terms, is the rawest form of honey available. The worker bee “architects” build tiny beeswax hexagons to give their young a place to develop and grow, to allow for the storage of pollen and nectar, and of course, a place to house the honey they produce. When you buy a jar of honey, the beekeeper has either crushed the comb to squeeze out the honey or used a centrifuge to sling the honey from the wax. The honey is then filtered and placed in jars.
Comb honey skips all those steps! We take the frames whose hexagons are filled only with honey, cut that comb honey into squares, and place it in a box for you to take home. No human hands have come into contact with your honey. Comb honey is raw honey packaged in its own edible package!
A century ago, comb honey was a very common product. In fact, it was more common to find comb honey than it was to find jars of honey. These days the only beekeepers that generally produce comb honey are small-scale or hobbyist beekeepers. Why? Comb honey does take a bit more nuance and patience to produce. Also, a beekeeper that uses a centrifuge to jar honey will reuse the wax comb hexagons after the honey is removed, which allows them to produce more honey much more quickly.
Why choose comb honey?
Bees make each of the hexagon containers of comb with their own ‘lid’. We leave them intact when we cut comb honey. Comb honey is not filtered..not even a little bit. It is cut out right from the hive. In fact, the comb honey hasn’t come into contact with human hands or any artificial matter. That means all the anti-microbial and healthy properties from the pollen, propolis, and enzymes make it to your breakfast table.
This is comb honey before the bees put the ‘lid’ on! Once the honey is capped, we beekeepers know the honey has cured and can be harvested. Of course, we only harvest after we have ensured the bees have enough to feed themselves.
Comb honey is a much more exciting and interesting culinary experience. The beeswax makes comb honey more aromatic than jarred honey, and the smell, taste, and even consistency differs depending on the flowers the bees visited to produce the beeswax and honey. In addition to the aroma, the beeswax lends a texture, richness, and mouthfeel that regular old honey just can’t match. (Trust me. I’m a professional honey-eater.) It holds its shape, so instead of just getting watered down into your morning yogurt, it acts as more of a delicious, beautiful sweet garnish, instead of just a generic sweetener.
