Miele Varesino

Miele Varesino is an Italian single-flower acacia honey with a protected designation of origin (PDO). Bees collect the nectar of false acacia flowers (Robinia pseudoacacia) in the province of Varese in Lombardy. Acacia pollen must exceed 25 % of the pollen from nectar plants.

The honey is transparent, from near-colourless to straw-yellow, mostly liquid and rarely crystallising, and only after a long time. The aroma is light and delicate with no dominant scent; the taste is very sweet and delicate with a note of vanilla. Water is at most 17.5 % and HMF below 15 mg/kg. Pollen of Loranthus europaeus, Hedysarum coronarium and Onobrychis must be absent, while pollen of ornamental exotics such as Ilex aquifolium and Trachycarpus fortunei does turn up.

The lakes soften the climate, spring comes earlier than in Milan and acacia flowering is staggered. The honey is harvested, extracted and packed in the province; the jar is glass with a metal lid sealed with a logo, and the label says DOP.

Why this matters to you: this is an acacia honey with narrowly defined origin, so it can differ from other acacia honeys on the shelf.